Evil Genius Trilogy/Funny

• The Evil Genius Trilogy has several hilarious moments; in the first book of the series, for example, Phineas Darkkon is in jail, and communicates with Thaddeus and Cadel via a transmitter concealed in his arthritis bangle. However, the prison guards realise that Phineas doesn't need the bangle and confiscate it, so Phineas tries again with a pair of glasses with transmitters concealed in the lenses. Eventually, the guards get suspicious and confiscate those too, so Phineas resorts to speaking to Cadel through a transmitter concealed in his toilet. This works well, though he does have to feign illness a lot.
  • In chapter 19, Cadel is settling into the Axis Institute's coursework, and has by now gotten used to the occasional explosions, the muffled screams, the invasions of classrooms by sniffer dogs, the holes punched in the wall, and so on.

Then Clive Slaughter combusted- and Cadel began to experience a faint sense of unease.

• • Close to the end of the second book in the series, Cadel and Sonja have just been rescued from Prosper English, and are being driven home by Saul. However, Sonja appears to be frightened of something, but without her Dynavox, she can't communicate what the problem is. Eventually, she tries communicating using the age-old "one blink for no and twice for yes" system; normally, this would be a very serious moment, but the unexpected punchline makes it absolutely hilarious.

Saul: Did you see Prosper English?
(Sonja blinks twice.)
Saul: Where, in the hangar?
(One blink.)
Cadel: Did you see him running from the police?
(One blink.)
Cadel: Did you see him hiding?
(Two blinks)
Cadel: Where? Not in the other plane?
(One blink.)
Cadel: Was he near the office?
(One blink.)
Cadel: Was he in the bush?
(One blink.)
Cadel: What about the second hangar?
Prosper English: Oh, for heaven's sake, I'm in this car, you fools.

• • • Prosper English has a knack for these. In the final book, Cadel and the police are thinking of random facts about Prosper in a effort to find where he is, what kind of food he likes, what aftershave does he use, etc. About a chapter later, when Cadel is once again been kidnapped by Prosper, he remarks:

Prosper: Speaking of which, I should tell you that I would never use Old Spice, no matter how desperate I was-