Review: No Time Like Show Time (The Hermux Tantamoq Adventures #3)

5 stars. Precious in the best way. I know that the Hermux Tantamoq Adventures were popular upon publication, I have no idea why they didn't stay popular beyond that. To me they are up there with Roald Dahl, Eva Ibbotson, the Redwall books... they're wonderfully clever and entertaining.

This, the third book in the series, takes Hermux and his charming pet Terfle to the theater. We meet old favorites, like Linka, new heroes, like Hermux's hilarious best friend Nip, and vicious villains with multiple identities and evil plans! It's all very charming - a solid mystery, characters you can root for, and even a little bit of romance...

I've been reading a lot lately about mythic folklore and children's literature, and talking animals, shockingly, comes up quite a lot. Beyond the analytical and psychological reasons, for me personally it's just very comforting to take a break from humans. The lessons in these books are just as clear without us. 

And lessons there are many - good ones, too! Michael Hoeye always injects classic good vs evil themes and his hero shows true bravery, honor, loyalty and courage. Hermux always does the right thing, and he is rewarded for it. And of course there's Tucka, who is literally the most Extra before Extra was a thing. Love her. 

I had the fourth book marked as read, but I don't actually think that's true - I have no memory of reading it and had to buy it used recently. I look forward to finishing (mourning) the series and - recognizing it's one of the least-known in children's literature right now? - my reviews will go totally unnoticed. But that's okay. That's not the point.

Team Pinchester for life. 

No Time Like Show Time on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads