There's A Rhino Loose In The City - S.L. Perrin - A Short Summary and Review

 There's A Rhino Loose In The City - S.L. Perrin - A Short Summary and Review

By: a.d. elliott | Take the Back Roads - Art and Other Odd Adventures

A Rite of Fancy Book Recommendation and Review

A science team's secret mission to a mysterious island unleashes preternatural chaos on London.

A Short Summary:

When secret agent Sullivan recruits scientists Dr. Julia Wheeler and Dr. Max Gibson for a classified expedition, neither of them knows quite what awaits them. Their destination is a mysterious island inhabited by creatures that shouldn't exist, including a rare white rhinoceros believed to be extinct.

The mission becomes considerably more complicated when the rhinoceros turns sanguine. After the transformed animal is brought back to England, it escapes and goes on a rampage through London. Julia and Max must work alongside Sullivan and junior police officer Rodney to contain the disaster, while Rodney’s bumbling superior seems more likely to make the situation worse than help save the city.

My Favorite Quote from the Book:

"And in real life, horror films are basically documentaries."

- S.L. Perrin, There's A Rhino Loose in the City

Questions to ponder while reading:

What would you do in the name of science?

What would you do for your country?

My Review:

There’s a Rhino Loose in the City is a funny, trope-filled action-adventure that combines secret agents, eccentric scientists, mysterious islands, prehistoric discoveries, supernatural creatures, and a thoroughly chaotic journey through London.

The plot feels like the sort of adventure that might result if Jules Verne or H. Rider Haggard had written a monster movie and invited P.G. Wodehouse to provide a few of the supporting characters. The scientists are intelligent enough to recognize the danger but curious enough to become involved anyway, while the secret agents and police officers add another layer of comic disorder.

Much of the humor comes from the contrast between the seriousness of the situation and the questionable competence of the people attempting to control it. Rodney proves considerably more useful than his position might suggest, while his senior officer is a wonderfully aggravating example of authority without ability.

The story happily embraces familiar adventure conventions rather than trying to disguise them. There is a secret mission, an unexplored island, a supposedly extinct animal, government intrigue, scientific meddling, and a creature loose in a major city. It is excessive, improbable, and clearly having fun with it all.

At its heart, this is the story of English scientists, aided by secret agents, who nearly destroy the world, and then scramble to put everything right. Readers looking for rigorous realism may not find it here, but anyone in the mood for an amusing creature feature with the spirit of an old-fashioned expedition novel should have a good time.

If you liked There's A Rhino Loose in the City, you may also like:

Allan Quatermain - H. Rider Haggard

Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne

Pigs Have Wings - P.G. Wodehouse

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About the Author

a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life

She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.

You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.

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