The Putt at the End of the World - Softcover

Abbott, Lee K.; Barry, Dave

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0446676993 ISBN 13: 9780446676991

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2001

Synopsis

The richest man in the world invites a trio of mediocre golfers to play at a secret course in Scotland. The result of their efforts will somehow affect the fate of the world. Can golf save the world?

About this title

Review:

There's a great tradition of golf fiction, stretching from P.G. Wodehouse's Edwardian follies to John Updike's narrative birdies and chip shots. The Putt at the End of the World is a worthy addition to the canon, in spite of the fact (or because of the fact) that it's a team effort. Nine authors, including such worthies as Dave Barry, Tami Hoag, Tim O'Brien, Lee K. Abbott, and Les Standiford, have contributed chapters to this farcical thriller. The premise, which is less wacky than it initially seems, involves a software tycoon named Phillip Bates, who's built a deluxe golf course north of Edinburgh. To kick things off he convenes a celebrity invitational, and draws not only a clutch of world-class hackers but several terrorists, counterterrorists, and what appear to be counter-counterterrorists. Clearly there's more at stake here than a mere 18 holes.

Slapped together by one author after another, the crazy plot is surprisingly consistent. Yet the contributors have made no effort to disguise their individual styles, which range from Barry's potty-mouthed slapstick to Richard Bausch's tonier stuff to James Crumley's pulp fiction. Indeed, this shift in tone is one of the book's great pleasures. So is the sex and satire, if not necessarily in that order. Still, the ultimate reason to read The Putt at the End of the World is for its strange-but-true evocation of the game itself. Here's Tim O'Brien's take on a ball with a mind of its own:

For the first thirty feet, the old Titlist did not touch the earth, heading for orbit, engines roaring, but then suddenly the rain and wind and fog forced a scrubbed mission. Gravity reasserted itself. By pure chance--a miracle, some would call it--the ball dropped heavily onto the green, not five feet from the cup.... It caught a sidehill slope. It wobbled off line for a second, then straightened out and continued its erratic pilgrimage toward destiny.

Fictionally speaking, at least, that's what we call a hole in one. --William Davies

From AudioFile:

Nine well-known authors collaborated on this farcical adventure about celebrities and famous golfers who converge on a golf tournament threatened by eco-terrorists. Their contributions are divided by spoken chapter titles, but you literally can't tell the writers without a scorecard, which is provided on the box. The story was a disappointment after Naked Came the Manatee, a previous collaboration involving three of the same authors: Dave Barry, Les Standiford, and James W. Hall. At times, this work seems to be propelled by profanity, not character or plot. Jeff Woodman's narration is competent, giving the many characters broadly done voices heavy on the Scottish, French, or other accents. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0446676993
• ISBN 13: 9780446676991
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256