The Book of Dave cover art

The Book of Dave

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

The Book of Dave

By: Will Self
Narrated by: Will Self
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £16.38

Buy Now for £16.38

Summary

What if a demented London cabbie called Dave Rudman wrote a book to his estranged son to give him some fatherly advice? What if that book was buried in Hampstead, and hundreds of years later, when rising sea levels have put London underwater, spawned a religion? What if one man decided to question life according to Dave? And what if Dave had indeed made a mistake?

Shuttling between the recent past and a far-off future, in which England is terribly altered, The Book of Dave is a strange and troubling mirror held up to our times: disturbing, satirizing, and vilifying who and what we think we are.

©2006 Will Self (P)2010 WF Howes Ltd Dystopian Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Science Fiction Emotionally Gripping
adbl_web_anon_alc_button_suppression_c
All stars
Most relevant
I didn't know what to expect from this book, but it delivered so much, by way of pitch-dark humour, social observation, character study, but above all a prose that is staggering in its ambition, both in describing the very low and abject, to moments of excruciating tenderness and compassion.

rich, fearless language

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Whilst I did enjoy this book, it left me a little depressed. The situation in which this society finds itself (I can't say too much without giving away the plot) is so true of modern religious faction, yet so far from reality, that it leaves a bad taste. However, it is very funny throughout and is very well written. Will Self is certainly a master at thinking outside the box and getting to the nub of human existence. Depressing though that nub might be. I wouldn't recommend this book to everybody, but for many it will give both amusement and perhaps food for thought.

An interesting premise

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Don't miss the opportunity to hear this story in it's native tongue. Spiteful, hopeless, beautiful and inevitable.

Great story, superbly narrated.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

If you could sum up The Book of Dave in three words, what would they be?

Totally subversive - brilliant

What did you like best about this story?

dripping with satire. It was extremely good on mental health. I loved the sci fi aspect. Self is apparently a huge sci fi addict and it reminds me of bits of Ballard and Dick as well as Heller and Houellebecq. The characters were real and vivid. Loved the motos
I listened on audiobook so found bits a bit hard to follow until I got into "mockney" and "arpie"
Saying that it is very original. I just loved it.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Enjoy is not a word that goes easily with this book but loved all the bits with the motos

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

You couldn't make a film of this book so please don't anyone try!

Any additional comments?

This is an uncomfortable, challenging book which is truly tragic but has it's moments of redemption. Come to terms with it's message and you will be a much better and wiser person

This book challenges but it's worth it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Will Self reads and this is a real treat. The book is one that shaped my thought and reverberated threateningly over the months that followed...

A fantastic book...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews