When Elves Attack

A Joyous Christmas Greeting from the Criminal Nutbars of the Sunshine State

By: Tim Dorsey

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

“The undisputed king of the comic crime novel.”
—Providence Journal

Nobody does Florida weirdness quite like Tim Dorsey! Case in point: When Elves Attack, the New York Times bestselling author’s twisted Christmas present to his legion of adoring fans who can’t get enough of thrill-killer and Sunshine State historian Serge A. Storms, the most endearing psychopath since Dexter. Dorsey offers the perfect antidote for all those sappy feel-good holiday stories with this zany blockbuster extravaganza in which his wonderfully deranged serial killer Floridaphile delivers his special brand of Christmas cheer. More outrageous than Santa Claus in a Speedo, When Elves Attack serves up a Yuletide feast of the “pure gonzo humor” the New York Times Book Review enthusiastically attributes to this fearlessly funny writer. Think Bad Santa and National Lampoon’s Family Vacation, blend in Dorsey’s trademark appetite for destruction, and you’ve got hilarious crime fiction black comedy that anyone would be thrilled to discover stuffed in their Christmas stocking.

I Don't Know about Joyous but Nutbars REALLY Fits!

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother to read the reader reviews -- because I decide to disregard their advice. For instance, many reviewers suggested that a person totally new to the Serge A. Storms series of stories NOT start here. They said to start at the beginning, or at least listen to or read the first novel of the series before this book.

Well, I decided to ignore that advice and started here.

Other reviewers complained about the voice the narrator used for Serge. At first, it was a bit annoying, but after a short time I found that it really helped form a visual image of Serge in my mind much better than a less annoying voice would have. (In fact, I have since begun to listen (I'm just about halfway through) to Florida Roadkill and think the un-remarkable Serge voice there really does not help form a mental image of the character.)

Okay, this story does not include nearly as much Florida history and not as many crazy Floridians as the first novel of the series, but this book might fit into the series the same way the "between the Plums" fit into Janet Evanovitch's Stephanie Plum novels. It really doesn't matter. When Elves Attack is funny and quirky and made me "KNOW" I have to listen to the entire series as soon as possible. So, as soon as the speakers on my laptop spit out "We hope you enjoyed this book," I was at the Audible website to get Florida Roadkill. As soon as part one finished downloading, I started it playing.

It's going to be very hard to wait for credits to arrive to complete the collection. But ... my local public library doesn't have any of the Serge A. Storms novels available in audio, so ... **sigh** I'll have to be patient.

While I am waiting, I think I will listen to When Elves Attack at least one more time. :-)

Fun Holiday Reading for Serge Fans

I have a few books I listen to every holiday season. I'm a big fan of Tim Dorsey and love the Serge Storm series. This playful excursion into the wacky Florida world is the perfect starting point for my Holiday Book Playlist, Next up David Sedaris.

hysterical!!

Loved it!! My 1st Serge bk, &will now go start series in order. Very amusing in a Murdoch (from A Team) crossed w/Dortmunder (from Donald Westlake series) & a twist of Hitman (from Block series)....with definate heavy sprinkles of Plum series (Evanivich).....its going 2b one of those series I listen 2again &again.

Serge does the holidays

Wow! Tim Dorsey did it again. Non-stop action and hijinks that only Serge and Coleman can do, and in their own way. Many of the quirky characters from Serge's past are here to celebrate the season with this somewhat heartwarming holiday tale. My only complaint is that our time spent with Serge is just not long enough.

Serge is my FAVORITE killer of all time!

Would you consider the audio edition of When Elves Attack to be better than the print version?

Wow, that's a hard one. This is actually the first Tim Dorsey novel that I haven't read, but listened to. I had a much different idea of what Serge would sound like, but I liked his interpretation of Serge.

What did you like best about this story?

The craziness that is Serge A. Storms, as always. Who knew someone could create such a loveable psychopath!

What about Oliver Wyman’s performance did you like?

The use of voices and the wide range he was able to cover. Very talented and enthusiastic.

Who was the most memorable character of When Elves Attack and why?

The G-Unit. How they would get rid of the blonde news anchors, priceless! I aspire to be them when I grow up.

Any additional comments?

Get as much Tim Dorsey as you can into your life. You'll thank me later.