“You didn’t wake up, your dreams just changed gear.”

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

I have to confess I’m a huge fan of Ben Elton’s novels; I love his punchy style and his uncanny ability to perceive human nature in an almost Orwellian way. Blast from the Past does not disappoint, satirical, funny and bang on the money, it’s a hard read to put down!

She’s a pacifist activist, he’s an Army General. She wears washable sanitary towels, he’s a wasteful American. She’s as far to the left as he is to the right. Where can this story possibly end up?

While the story takes you backwards and forwards chronologically spinning through the years so fast you’ll feel as though you’re in the Tardis, all the action happens in a single night, making Blast from the Past so fast paced it’s hard to ever come to a point where you can put it down.

I read it through over two days and spent the entire novel wondering where it could possibly end up, as it turns out, the climax is pretty unimaginable.

The politics isn’t as strong in this as with some of Elton’s novels, and it’s a little far-fetched in places, but that’s fine for satire, it certainly doesn’t take anything away from this frenetic adventure about growing up, lasting influences, and how sometimes keeping your head down and getting on can be the road to success.