Below are some of the comments I’ve received so far from critics and readers about Quest for the Holey Snail:

WHAT REVIEWERS AND OTHER AUTHORS HAVE SAID:

A brilliant fantasy glittering with hilarious humor… Quest for The Holey Snail was my first meet-and-greet with Rob Johnson’s novels. I found this one remarkable for its generously abundant next-to-none humor. I loved it at least as much as Robert Rankin’s The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse. Johnson’s unique humor kept me initially chuckling until it got me laughing to tears at the hilarious characters and their adventures. And humor apart, the tale has everything a fan of fantasy may wish for; a breathtaking supernatural adventure, page-turning suspense, and an intricate plot. Indeed, it left me feeling like I had never lived before reading it! – Olga Markova for Readers’ Favorite

‘Fans of Douglas Adams’ Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy will enjoy Quest for the Holey Snail… Narrated in a style that elicits chuckles at first, that quickly morph into guffaws.’ – Awesome Indies

‘What a treat! Humor, mystery and pure zaniness fill the pages… In the end, author Rob Johnson ties all the storylines together for a fun and satisfying read. There are also wonderful illustrations throughout the book which add to the humor and story. I’m off now to read Rob Johnson’s “Lifting the Lid” series (right after I purchase a handy-dandy, lifesaving Swiss Army knife).’ – Lance Carney (Author of Ripped Tide and No Egrets)

‘I laughed and laughed and I am seriously a serious sort of person. Yes, this book is a thriller, has a crime scene and plenty of plausible police folk but they are only some of the engaging, crazy or mythical characters in this extraordinary and clever book… an astute mix of turn the page Alice-in-Wonderland/Monty Python/and top thriller writing… Just buy it and read it and between all the chuckles you will probably discover a modern fable.’ – Suzi Stembridge (Author of the Greek Letters and Jigsaw series of books)

WHAT READERS HAVE SAID:

‘Truly a masterpiece of the age, my good man. Bloody funny, what. Totally inspired comedy of which I thought the characters were great fun from beginning to end… You’ve got yourself a new fan.’ – Julian Jessopp (via website mail)

‘A very innovative, and completely hilarious, off the wall, time-travel comedy. The book is cleverly written with amusing digressions to complement the plot… The comedy is fast paced and often very silly, which had me laughing out loud. This and the twisting, turning storyline made it a real pleasure to read. I’d recommend it to anyone with a Pythonesque sense of humour and a love of the ridiculous.’ – Patrick

‘This is a great read for anyone who yearns for an altogether novel approach to tongue-in-cheek crime writing, whilst reacquainting themselves with hilarious situations and events from history… the discovery of America is an absolute hoot. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book.’ – rod

‘There are sci-fi spoof elements, nods to Pythons, Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut as well as classical references, all painted from a surreal pallet with the boldest of brush strokes. There is plenty to keep you wondering “so what happens next” and some pointed satire which checks the reader, from time to time, with a more serious thought between the giggles.’ – EricB

‘It’s silly and funny. A relaxing, easygoing read. I enjoyed it.’ – Neill Laplain

‘Very funny. Well this is as near to Robert Rankin as I think I’ve ever read without it being the man himself. Insane plot, mad characters, old repeated jokes and lots of random stuff. Don’t expect it to make much sense, just go with the flow and enjoy the (time travelling) ride.’ – LG

‘Just finished Holey Snail. Left you a 5* review on Amazon and bought both other books. Are you Robert Rankin?? Brilliant!’ – @WillardPike (via Twitter)

‘Echoes of some Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. Very silly, lots of fun. Enjoyed reading.’ – Captain Howdee

‘I loved reading this book – couldn’t put it down! It’s been a long time since a book has had me laughing out loud but this one did! I think it takes a skilled writer to be able to convey comedic situations with words alone that can conjure up in the mind’s eye the hilarity intended… Very surreal but brilliant! I would recommend this book if you like a bit of time travel escapism and want a good laugh in the process – big thumbs up!’ – Jayne Miller

‘The writing in Quest for the Holy Snail shows the author is a talented wordsmith with a penchant for Monty Python-esque humor… Overall, the writing is excellent.’ – Lynne Hinkey

‘Epic advnture… Really great read, very funny, with great imagination. Would recommend to anyone.’ – madpinkdog

‘One of the funniest books I’ve read in ages. Douglas Adams meets Monty Python meets Robert Rankin. As a big fan of wacky humor and fast-paced adventure, I loved it. Some great illustrations too. Highly recommended.’ – trucker

‘Very entertaining… The puns are witty, the characters quirky and the book is hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed the read and would buy more books by Rob Johnson!’ – Anon

‘Light entertainment read. Clever at times…Very amusing.’ – DWL1

‘Five stars.’ – Amazon Customer mick

‘A wild ride through time and mythology. Finicky time machines, mythological characters come to life, bumbling policemen, and an order of monks dedicated to murdering septuagenarians, makes for a delightfully insane ride in this brilliant farce.’ – Joseph Ferguson

‘Five stars. Brilliant.’ – Amazon Customer

‘Great fun. I really enjoyed this book. Quirky enough to surprise and coherent enough to sustain interest. I enjoyed the snack guzzling policeman character very much. If you fancy some surreal escapism this will be perfect for you.’ – Amazon Customer

‘Huge fun. This book is simply great fun. A whacky and imaginative story told in great style and with wonderful humour. A very happy read indeed.’ – Amazon Customer

‘Most impressed. Very funny author.’ – Hugh Pirrie

‘It’s a good’un. Loved it. Laugh out loud. Loved the storyline.’ – Teresa

‘Laughed out loud till my scrotum split. Pratchett, Python, Pythagoras, Hancock, Milligan. Mix ’em up and you end up with a Johnson and a soupçon of Fawlty.’ – Spineman

‘Funny from start to finish. Loved this. The humour was spot on, the story excellent, and the characters stupidly believable… Even the characters’ names made me laugh. This is just the sort of funny stuff that I love to read and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Right up my alley, and I can’t say any more without giving stuff away. Do yourself a a favour and read it.’ – Tony Lewis

‘He’s like a slightly weirder Pratchett. Looking forward to more from this gentleman.’ – Neil Constantine

‘Good fun. A nice comedy fiction story with some fun characters and an interesting plot. Would definitely read more books by this author.’ – Dave Satan

‘Utterly bonkers, thoroughly enjoyable… A very similar feel to the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and is quite Monty Python… Jolly good fun.’ – A d’Angeles

‘They don’t get more bonkers than this! A fun-filled, nonsense fuelled ride! It’s just a fantastic romp from start to finish… Feeling a bit down? Buy this and set your mind free! I seldom laugh out loud while reading a book, but some of the stuff in there truly had me guffawing.’ – corsario

‘Wonderfully mad. A great mixture of thriller and zany fantasy fiction… I thoroughly enjoyed it.’ – AndyOops

‘FUN, FUN, FUN. Stupid nonsense, but I loved it. Can’t wait for more.’ – William Johnston

‘Funny, unexpected, easy to read. Made me grin and snigger. Well written. Easy to read. Great bed time story for us grownups. I would recommend.’ – Jennifer

‘If this is the route to the asylum, at least it’s the scenic route. Twisted that this book most certainly is, and mad though you must be to read it, the author was madder still to write it. Eccentric and eclectic in a Viv Stanshall style, and those familiar with his works of genius would struggle to define any particular style, Rob Johnson is a worthy successor… More like this, please, Rob.’ – Cynical B

‘It’s the greatest! I loved this book so much! It is excellent… I think Mr Johnson is a great writer. I love his work here, and want to read more. I also think that “Quest for the Holey Snail” would make a great screenplay. Mr Johnson could easily write for a show like “Red Dwarf” and pull it off. Somebody hire him! NOW!’ – The Cool Guy (Click here to read the full review. It’s quite long but very interesting!)

‘A delightful romp through time and place, full of satire and quirky humour. Rob Johnson manages to run two plot lines simultaneously, whether it be the Monty Python-esque band of time travellers, or the delightfully un-pc monk chasing cops. And then through some deft storylines and a camper van this seriously funny author melds the two together in a hilarious scarcely believable finale. A jolly good belly laugh all round. Indeed all were back in time for a fair cop!’ – Suzi Stembridge on Goodreads

‘Hilarious time travel romp… A wonderfully enjoyable read. I laughed out loud several times.’ – fabulouschrissie

‘Laugh out loud all the way through it, cannot wait to read all his other books.’ – JML Davies

‘Good funny book. Very funny and really enjoyable book. Love this type of novel. Will be looking forward to reading more from Rob Johnson. Great. Well done.’ – John Henry White

‘Funny. Enjoyable read that’s had me laughing out loud from start to finish. Recommend it.’ – Anthony L.

‘Great read. Funny, witty and just what the doctor ordered!!!’ – Amazon Customer [During Covid-19 lockdown 2020]

‘Completely bonkers. How the various storylines were ever to come together was beyond me, and yet they did. I particularly enjoyed the historical digressions and learned a great deal. I shall certainly be aiding the kids with their homework. Obviously the author is using hallucinogens, which is fortunate as reading his books mean that you don’t need to.’ – Just L’il Ol Me

‘Quirky and very amusing. Rob Johnson is someone who lives to play with the idiosyncrasies of the English language. If there’s a chance of ambiguity, tautology or double entendre then he’ll find it. This is a wild romp of a novel, surreal and very very funny. A madcap bunch of characters, a whizz through the epochs. I loved it. Now to get started on ‘Cremains’!’ – John Rogers

‘Good read. Did not know what to expect but it is a funny book well written. It’s like two stories in one. Also love the title.’ – Edward Mason

‘I got more and more into it and just loved it. It is quite humorous, well written and all in all: a barrel of fun! Who knew what can happen if you answer a want ad and end up going time traveling in a Volkswagen bus in the search of snails with a lot of tiny holes in them?!’ – Angela Beske (on Goodreads)

‘Funniest ever. Thank you for this amazingly funny adventure! Absolutely the funniest book I’ve read. Some books have occasional smart quips, but this continues to be clever throughout. Only caution – the first bits will have you almost crying from laughing so hard. Good luck.’ – JEA

‘It’ll keep your attention attempting to follow the many players in this crazy journey. Not wanting to give the plot away, the story moved fast pace through time travel, detectives searching for clues to a growing series of murders, improbable historical side notes. Fun read if you don’t try take it seriously.’ – Kindle Customer

‘So far out there it almost makes sense. Very funny mix of comic fantasy and satire, with bizarre cast of characters, including the mythological and imaginary and of course, an old VW camper van.’ – UK Kindle Customer

Click here for details and where to buy Quest for the Holey Snail.

Click here to read the opening chapters.