Cherub mad dogs

Oliver Atkins    Cherub: Mad dogs

At first glance, CHERUB: Mad dogs does not appear to be a humorous or happy book. After the opening pages however, it becomes apparent that Mad dogs is a funny and entertaining read. The 8^th book in a series of 12, Mad dogs makes excellent use of Farce and Low comedy. Set in England and on occasion other countries, the CHERUB series follows a group of trained child spies sent on missions to infiltrate criminal organizations through their children and personal lives. Mad dogs is set Luton, London, and around England. After the collapse of the drug dealing KMG (Keith Moore’s Gang) Two major British gangs are fighting for turf. The Mad dogs, led by Sasha Thompson, and the Slasher Boys, headed up by Major Dee.

The most prominent type of humor used in Mad dogs and the CHERUB series is low comedy. James Adams, the lead character in the series, Makes many dirty gestures in the book, such as give people the finger, or the English equal of the insult, the “two fingered salute”. There is many instances of slapstick comedy throughout the book, such as Shaq, (a supporting character in the series) being shot in the testicles in a paintball match in the beginning of the book. Another example would be where Lauren, (also a supporting character in the series) sprays whipping cream down a young boy’s pants and then slips and injures herself on excess cream. The type of slapstick used in CHERUB may be childish, but is written well by Robert Muchamore and is entertaining.

As well as slapstick comedy, Farce is also used to good effect by the author. There is many incidences of coincidences in the book, such as when James is trying to prank one of his teachers at CHERUB by kissing and making out with his daughter and photographing it, when suddenly his father discovers them and uses the photos to embarrass James instead. Also, James and his friends appear to be the puppets of fate, many time falling into circumstances that they cannot control. This comedy may not appear to be as funny as others, but is a more sophisticated type of humor more geared towards teenagers and adults.