One-hundred-year-old Allan Karlsson is about to turn 101, surrounded by his friend, Julius Jonsson, of dubious integrity and a suitcase full of millions. It seems only fitting, then, to do it up in style.

Thus, a hot-air balloon is ordered for the celebration, which will take place on Bali, where the men have been soaking up sun --- and copious amounts of booze --- in a luxury hotel, not to mention depleting their millions at an alarming rate. The birthday arrives, but the weather forecast isn’t optimal for a balloon ride. Well, that doesn’t stop Allan and Julius, much to the consternation of the balloon operator, who ends up left behind on the ground as his livelihood floats away with two old men and three bottles of champagne. Not too long into the ride, Allan and Julius run out of gas, or whatever the contraption runs on, and they crash into the Indian Ocean.

"If you’re in the mood for some hearty belly laughs, pick up this sequel to THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED. The book is full of irreverence, absurdities, silliness and, yes, even intelligence."

The good news here is that they’ve now solved the problem of their unpaid hotel bill back on Bali. The not-so-good news is that the ship that comes along to save them turns out to be from North Korea. It’s carrying four kilos of enriched uranium, and the captain appears to take his job very seriously, which all means this can’t turn out well. However, Allan is not a man to worry. He’ll think of something. He always does. This time is no different, even though his plan, to a curious bystander, might come across as sketchy or possibly insane.

Anyway, from North Korea, Allan and Julius escape to the United States of America, where at least one of them meets with the president. Not being particularly impressed with the man, they decide to leave the States in favor of Europe. There, things turn even more interesting. Having been mistaken for Swiss in North Korea, Allan nonetheless takes himself and his friend to their actual homeland, Sweden. In their efforts to feed and house themselves, they encounter a clairvoyant, a couple of Nazis, several statesmen, a Maasai --- and some people who want to cut their lives short, although for Allan they are already somewhat late on that score.

Julius and his much older friend manage to take a further romp that leads them on to Africa, where they accidentally sort of save the world. Not everyone has a happy ending, but the centenarian and his pals tend to run into good luck wherever they land. If you’re in the mood for some hearty belly laughs, pick up this sequel to THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED. The book is full of irreverence, absurdities, silliness and, yes, even intelligence. It attacks today’s politics and political leaders with a vengeance.

Allan Karlsson has been around long enough to have met more than one president and has watched the world change a lot. He has every right to his opinions and his cavalier attitude. He hasn’t died yet and has no intention of doing so. The question now is: Will the old guy be back for even further adventures, accidental or otherwise? Only Jonas Jonasson knows that, but one can only hope.