Pringle Prawn

Pringle Prawn is a delightful, whimsical, and thoroughly engaging read! Author Michael Scott Clifton hit another one out of the park. Rarely have 300+ pages turned so effortlessly in my hands. My only real complaint about the story is that it had to come to an end.

Ben Hastings is a rather timid and otherwise boring history professor at UT-Tyler. He buys a rundown—albeit furnished—mansion in an effort to please his girlfriend and her filthy rich father. In the process, he happens upon a key that opens the huge grandfather clock that came with the mansion. Opening the clock transports Ben to a magical land, where he meets Pringle, a forest prawn (think fairy). Once Ben and Pringle team up, they embark on a journey that leads them back to Ben’s real world. What kind of trouble do you think a minute forest prawn can get into in the real world? The answer is a treasure of literary delight, with Pringle’s inquisitiveness and Clifton’s admirable description.

The character arcs of Ben and Pringle are at the heart of this story. Together, they form a considerable bond, and each makes the other better in some way. The humor, while not overbearing, adds that wonderful sense of whimsy. From Pringle’s insatiable appetite for sugar to the talking front door that would be perfect for Comedy Central, Clifton keeps the reader thoroughly entertained.

One of my biggest gripes about some fantasy stories is that the description/world building is either insufficient or too voluminous. Not so with Pringle Prawn. As with his other stories that I’ve read, Michael Scott Clifton is a master world builder and includes just enough description to place the reader in the scene. I thought the forest scenes were particularly well-described.

“Before he could stop himself, he buried his face in Pringle’s thick, honey-brown hair. He inhaled deeply, the aroma of wildflowers, cloves, and rich soil filling his nostrils.”

In addition to the fine world building, the remaining description is also top notch. Consider how Clifton describes one of the brutes that comes along: “A large man, his head and shoulders met in a fusion of flesh that left little room for a neck. A square jaw thrust from a bulldog face like the prow on an Artic icebreaker. Beneath dark eyes and thick brows, severe lines etched his cheeks. His nose, broken so many times it resembled a turnpike, perched above thick lips. Ivanov’s teeth, a startling white, gave him a predatory look when he smiled.”

This brilliant storyline was conceived and told by a master storyteller. I was thoroughly engaged and wonderfully entertained from cover to cover. The climax is likely not something you would expect in a fantasy such as this. That makes it even more remarkable!

I could continue gushing about this story, but I’ll save time and just give you the best advice possible from a book review: READ IT!

Enough said.