'Funny and inventive, a superbly written and immensely enjoyable read from a supremely confident authorial voice. A book to be read at one sitting.' -- Whitbread judging panel 20021101 'Goddard's triumph is the combination of philosophical enquiry with earthy, gory action; and the creation of an absurdist drama whose characters are suffused with humanity' -- Independent on Sunday 20021101 'Goddard's highly impressive first novel mixes a blackly comic tone reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino with the kind of moral probing found in Graham Greene's thrillers... A cracking good read.' -- Mail on Sunday 20030316 'Goddard has an eye for irony, and disaster ... ( a) potent thriller...driven by unravelling the neuroses of his characters as much as by uncovering the politics behind their predicament' -- Observer (Paperback of the Week) 20021229 'Goddard's account of a picaresque mission in the final days of the Spanish Civil War is replete with this droll and deeply sympathetic view of the impulses driving human conflict; it's a cerebral, powerful and accomplished debut' -- The Face 20021229 'An impressive debut ... each character is drawn with humour and subtlety ...a fine balance between comedy and tragedy, pathos and slapstick' -- Times 20021229 'A polished debut novel ... While bullets whistle through the air, knives flash silver in the moonlight and the body count creeps ever upwards, the real action takes place in the minds of the protagonists. There the drama of sibling rivalries, unrequited love and marital feuds is played out to surreal and often comic effect.' -- Daily Mail 20021229 'A clever mix of humour and sadness and life and death ... a surreal book that juggles humour with horror as it journeys deep into the night.' -- John King 20021229 'Avoiding overly serious history, frank sex scenes rub shoulders with bloody and farcical violence to form a surreal, fable-like backdrop to the unfolding drama ... Readable and unpredictable, this is more enjoyable than the title would suggest.' -- Big Issue in the North 20021229 Homage to the Firing Squad, in the grand tradition of 'Closely Observed Trains' and 'Good Soldier Svejk' comes on as a barely concealed satire on the banality of war ... This is a superb book, a solid descendant of great European literature and surely the next bestseller to be added to the Sceptre canon. -- Finn Lawrence, Borders, Oxford Street, London 20021229 'An intricately plotted and highly intelligent novel balanced perfectly between tragedy and farce. An amazing achievement for such a young writer.' -- Sam Oliver, Waterstones Newcastle 20021229 'The atmosphere of Spain as shown by Lorca or Bunuel -- cracking stuff.' -- Steve Birt, Ottakar's, Gloucester 20021229 'Hypnotic. Brilliant. A modern tragedy that you just can't stop reading.' -- Sabre Khan, Harrods 20021229 'Humorous, with a bullet-ridden finale.' -- OK Magazine 20021229 'Refreshingly witty, a sharp and original talent.' -- Lisa Ashley, Ottakar's, Sunderland 20021229 'Tariq Goddard is hot literary property ... HOMAGE TO A FIRING SQUAD ... has a Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels ending that's got film companies clamouring for the rights' -- London Magazine 20021101 'A pacy, poised and undeniably exciting debut ... a taut, bleakly humorous (and well written) adventure' -- Boyd Tonkin, Independent 20021101
