''Expecting Someone Taller'' is a humorous fantasy novel by British author

Tom Holt Thomas Charles Louis Holt (born 13 September 1961) is a British novelist. In addition to fiction published under his own name, he writes fantasy under the pseudonym K. J. Parker. Biography Holt was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel H ...

. Holt's first novel, it is a humorous sequel to Wagner's ''

Der Ring des Nibelungen (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the '' Nibe ...

'', set in contemporary England. It was published in hardcover in 1987, by

Macmillan Publishers Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be one of the 'Big Five' English language publ ...

in the United Kingdom, and by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

in the United States. A UK paperback edition was released in 1988 by Futura Orbit in 1988, and a US paperback edition was released in 1990 by Ace Books. The book was released in the 5th omnibus of Holt's books entitled ''Tall Stories''.

Premise

When Malcolm Fisher runs over a

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by ...

one night, he discovers that the badger was secretly the giant Ingolf, brother of Fafnir: consequently, Fisher becomes the new owner of the

Ring of the Nibelung (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelu ...

and the

Tarnhelm The Tarnhelm is a magic helmet in Richard Wagner's ''Der Ring des Nibelungen'' (written 1848–1874; first perf. 1876). It was crafted by Mime at the demand of his brother Alberich. It is used as a cloak of invisibility by Alberich in ''Das Rhe ...

, and, thereby, ruler of the world. However,

Wotan (''The Ring of the Nibelung''), WWV 86, is a cycle of four German-language epic music dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from Germanic heroic legend, namely Norse legendary sagas and the ''Nibelun ...

, king of the gods, still wants the ring, as do others, and Fisher finds himself pursued by numerous characters from Wagner's opera.

Reception

''Expecting Someone Taller'' was nominated for the 1991

Crawford Award :::''See also'' Crawford Medal The IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award (short: Crawford award) is a literary award given to a writer whose first fantasy book was published during the preceding 18 months. It's one of several awards presented by ...

. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' described it as "a fluffy and innocent but intelligent little comedy", and compared it to be

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

and

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

, but also emphasized that Holt had not yet "firmly mastered his craft".Wotan Wants His Toys Back
by Martin Kirby, in ''

the New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

''; published February 28, 1988; retrieved April 14, 2019 '' Kirkus Reviews'' considered it to be "a string of comic set-pieces, ranging from the amusing to the improbable and worse", and declared it "(f)roth for Wagner fans. Elective for all others".EXPECTING SOMEONE TALLER
reviewed at '' Kirkus Reviews''; published March 18, 1988; retrieved April 14, 2019

Editions

* McMillan, London, 1987 — * St. Martin's, NY, 1987 — * Futura Orbit, London 1988 — * Ace Books, NY, 1990 — *

References

{{Der Ring des Nibelungen 1987 British novels 1987 fantasy novels British comedy novels English fantasy novels Novels by Tom Holt Der Ring des Nibelungen 1987 debut novels Macmillan Publishers books