The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

How it reads

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is fantasy (comic fantasy, specifically), and its dominant mood is funny. The humour is the point, not garnish. It moves fast: plot-driven and hard to put down, the kind of book that carries you along even when you're tired.

It's set in a big city setting, in the present day, told in the third person across several viewpoints. Its central concerns are art and creativity and nature. In weight it's light and escapist — easy to fall into.

It's a later book in a series — you'll usually want to start earlier. The ending is left open, for you to argue about. At 307 pages it's a quick read. It's well known, the kind of book most keen readers have heard of.