Read Time: 2 Minutes
Wriggly Little Hands by Alex Knight is a goblin-fuelled fantasy romp full of silliness, chaos, and Soundbooth Theater’s usual high-energy production. It’s the kind of audiobook that throws jokes, voices, and absurdities at you with such speed you barely have time to decide whether you’re enjoying it or just being swept along.
The story follows Oli, a goblin who stumbles across the Dark Lord’s ring, and being a helpful goblin returns it to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord, impressed that Oli could get into this throne room undetected is reward by being promptly sent off to retrieve a “key” with a band of mismatched companions including Job (he’ll remind you that it’s pronounced “Jobe” not “Job” a few times), a goblin with impeccable speech and high intelligence, Robert, who is definitely an orc despite being raised with goblins, and a host of other goblin cousins and a reanimated skeletal horse.
Along the way, the world opens into a steady stream of side quests and parodies. There’s Sherrock Stones, a detective with more than a passing resemblance to Sherlock Holmes. There are outlaw hog-riding bikie gangs, “the Web” complete with “Crags List” for reviews and star ratings of Oli’s accidental side-business of a delivery service.
The humour relies heavily on absurdity and parody, things like the goblin race’s power of “invisibility” which is really just being ignored by everyone so completely they might as well not exist. The world is full of creatively absurd locations (like the humorously titled “Swamp of Sadness and Sweaty Underthings”) and creatures, and the commitment to the bit is commendable.
Sure, there’s cleverness in the concept, but the pacing and sheer volume of side-quests and one-off gags made it harder for me to stay invested. By the halfway point, I was more interested in finishing than following. Normally I’m a big fan of the absurd, but it felt a little forced at times.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not without charm, and there were moments that made me grin or chuckle, but it didn’t quite land with enough weight to leave a lasting impression. Fun while it lasted, but I doubt I’ll revisit it for another listen. For me, that puts it more in the “eh, it was fine” category more than anything else.
So overall, chaotic, silly, and easy to dip into, but ultimately a forgettable one for me.
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