• Earth, Air, Fire and Custard

  • By: Tom Holt
  • Narrated by: Ray Sawyer
  • Length: 19 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (26 ratings)

Prime member exclusive:
pick 2 free titles with trial.
Pick 1 title (2 titles for Prime members) from our collection of bestsellers and new releases.
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts.
Your Premium Plus plan will continue for $14.95 a month after 30-day trial. Cancel anytime.
Earth, Air, Fire and Custard  By  cover art

Earth, Air, Fire and Custard

By: Tom Holt
Narrated by: Ray Sawyer
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $18.54

Buy for $18.54

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

J.W. Wells seemed to be a respectable establishment, but the company now paying Paul Carpenter's salary is in fact a deeply sinister organisation with a mighty peculiar management team. Paul thought he was getting the hang of it (particularly when he fell head over heels for his strangely alluring colleague Sophie), but death is never far away when you work at J.W. Wells, unlike the stapler - that's always going AWOL. Our love-struck hero is about to discover that custard is definitely in the eye of the beholder. And that it really stings.

Tom Holt's exceedingly comic fantasies are populated with evil goblins, annoying sprites, and people like us. However, it's not always possible to tell the difference.

©2005 The One Reluctant Lemming Co. Ltd (P)2005 Isis Publishing Ltd

Critic Reviews

"Uniquely twisted … cracking gags." (Rob Grant, The Guardian)
"Frantically wacky and wilfully confusing…. gratifyingly clever and very amusing." (Mail on Sunday)
"Frothy, fast and funny." ( cotland on Sunday)

What listeners say about Earth, Air, Fire and Custard

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8
  • 4 Stars
    14
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    15
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    5
  • 4 Stars
    13
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Entertainingly nuts

Another totally off the wall story with a serious undertone.

I found it amusing rather than outright comical and the reader was on top form.

It was probably just a tad too long.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Andy
  • Andy
  • 02-04-15

Good follow on to the portable door.

Would you listen to Earth, Air, Fire and Custard again? Why?

Probably not, nothing against the book but has to be great to bother listening to again.

Any additional comments?

Its a good sequel to the portable door but I wouldn't say it was as good as the portable door.

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Strawberryskullcrusher
  • Strawberryskullcrusher
  • 04-05-18

Hilariously funny

I love these books. Very disappointing that they only have a few Tom Holt books. I'd love to purchase the whole collection. For fans of Terry Pratchett. Oh, and the narrator is perfect in the role and I love his goblin voice!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for lindz brewer
  • lindz brewer
  • 07-06-15

warning listen when you have time as can't stop x

This had more twists and turns than spaghetti junction, it was gripping humorous and given its now 5am very hard to stop listening too.!
although the third in the series you could listen to it and enjoy a complex Web of fantasy and fun but if you can listen to the "portable door" and "in your dreams" first

my only regret is that audible don't have the next two books in the series avalible .... shame on you audible

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for wendy streeton
  • wendy streeton
  • 04-13-13

Another winner from Tom Holt

Since reading a couple of Tom Holt's books I discovered Audible and have been enjoying Ray Sawyer's readings. He brings the story and characters in Earth, Air, Fire and Custard to life.



The audible version of a real page turner.

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Sharon Barron
  • Sharon Barron
  • 06-18-16

Fantasy comedy at its very best

Perfection is a difficult attainment, probably impossible, but this novel gets pretty damn close. Populated by wonderful characters, more twists than a pack of curly fries and a denouement that will melt the stoney heart of a refrigerated troll.

It's the further stories of the hapless Paul Carpenter, junior clerk at JW Wells and Partners, and deceased three times. Paul's sole ambition is be in love and to be loved. The object of his ardour is Sophie, another junior clerk, who has had her love for him wiped from her mind by any evil magical countess. His father has other ideas, which isn't surprising when you find out who dad is.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for David
  • David
  • 05-08-23

Great book. Very confusing at times but I think that was the plan!

Great 3rd book in series. Narrator just fantastic. Weird storyline but then that’s pretty standard for Tom Holt!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Mr. P. Baker
  • Mr. P. Baker
  • 03-13-22

Good narration but story was a bit disjointed,

Good narration, story was a bit disjointed, was hard to follow at times, lost concentration times.

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User
  • Anonymous User
  • 05-08-19

enjoyable

Worth the credit. Tom Holt is a refreshing voice in humorous fiction. I'd recommend adding it to your library.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for richie leech
  • richie leech
  • 06-03-18

Another Tom Holt masterpiece!!!

I love Tom Holt books.
This is definitely one of his best works.
Brilliantly read by Ray Sawyer.

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Martha Koukidou
  • Martha Koukidou
  • 01-06-18

great listen

another great book in the series! witty dialogues and lots of twists. in fact this book has been my favourite so far. it would help however, to number them somehow as I think this may be the last one in the series and I feel I have missed some plot, as it was referenced in this book.