The Stars’ Tennis Balls

Whoever knew Stephen Fry was an author, and a damn good one at that. The Stars’ Tennis Balls is a thinly veiled modern remake of The Count of Monte Cristo, that Dumasian epic. The Count is Ned Maddstone, a golden boy horribly wronged and intentionally framed by his best friends, sentenced to an insane asylum for all eternity. In this forlorn hell, a saviour emerges in the form of an older Englishman, a polyglot with an impressive knowledge of many fields of human endeavour. This is the Abbe Faria, a sage who keeps our young Dantes company and restores his mental equilibrium. The rest of the plot follows the original with Maddstone escaping his immuration in the same fashion, and reintroducing himself into society with the quiet fanfare of a man with hidden millions.

Set in the early nineties, the book is a telling indictment of the Tories and their policies, as vituperative as only comedians can get when their humour is laced with bile. No points for guessing Fry’s political leanings, based on this book at any rate. It’s an enjoyable literary romp with a jaunty style, littered with psychological insights into the characters that belie the fact that this is a “cover” novel. Pick this one for a modern version of a classic that will leave you chuckling as the original never did.

Extra points for matching the names with their originals:
Ned Maddstone = Edmond Dantes
Babe = Abbe
Garland = Danglars
Oliver Delft = D. Villefort
Portia = Mercedes
and so on…

ISBN: 0-09-180151-6