This tale was included in the same volume as Bowman’s
The Ascent of Rum Doodle; and I’m glad to say that it’s
altogether more fun. Binder, the narrator of the first book, is invited
to the home of a friend who has become convinced that all animals are as
intelligent as people. Somehow he finds himself bankrolling an ocean raft
expedition in search of a species of talking fish. With him go his
friend, several other men, a frog named Darwin, and an oyster named
Neptune.

As with the previous book, The Cruise of the Talking Fish
isn’t to be taken seriously, but to Bowman’s credit it improves upon that
book in two ways. First, the plot is considerably more screwball;
second, the characters take everything with great seriousness. Good
farce is like a souffle, and if those involved treat it lightly it falls.

The Ascent of Rum Doodle was a pleasant diversion during a
business trip; but The Cruise of the Talking Fish is actually
worth seeking out.