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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
This zany little book has a dark ending you didn't see coming. I may have spoiled it but this book series is not over yet. But I recommend this for readers who like to read books with women not being treated differently for being women (most of the time, there are a few dick characters). Also, wacky word play and unexpected fun tucked inside a good plot.
Love it - like all of Jasper Fforde's books it was funny, exciting, and a good easy read.
Ah, Jasper Fforde. When he isn't churning out tales of parallel worlds where you can literally fall into a book, he produces some somewhat more standard urban fantasy.
And in the third of his Last Dragonslayer books, "The Eye of Zoltar," Fforde provides yet another tale of a plucky nonmagical girl who is neck-deep in magical goings-on. Enjoying this book pretty much depends on whether you enjoyed the last two, because Fforde produces more of the same -- eccentric sorcerers, angel traps, weird wildlife and the occasional rubber dragon. Yes, you read that right.
In the course of twenty-four hours, Jennifer Strange has to deal with a lot of craziness:
1. She has to deal with a runaway Tralfamosaur with a licorice launcher.
2. She has to babysit a spoiled, bratty Princess who has been body-swapped with a lowly servant girl, since the Queen wants her taught some humility and compassion.
3. The Mighty Shazam blackmails her into finding a sorcerous ruby called the Eye of Zoltar, and threatens to kill the young dragons if she doesn't find it for him.
Her best bet for finding the Eye is the possibly-mythical Sky Pirate Wolff in the also-possibly-mythical Leviathan's Graveyard, which is in Cambria (imagine Wales crossbred with the whole Middle-East). Of course, things go horribly wrong in several different ways -- lifesuckers, a Australopithecine, flesh-eating snails, Perkins losing several decades -- before they encounter the sky pirates, and find a very strange tourism-based conspiracy.
The Last Dragonslayer books are fairly amusing fantasy fluff, relying on Fforde's somewhat warped imagination -- he comes up with some fairly majestic ideas (the Leviathans, aka sky whales) and some silly ones (rubber dragon bouncing for hours across Cambria). "The Eye of Zoltar" is not quite as clever as his Thursday Next books, but it is a pretty decent little fantasy story.
Fforde sprinkles the story with clever dialogue ("You must be mistaking me for someone who is shallow and indifferent") and humorous situations (thwarting barbarians with financial expertise), as well as some rather mundane magic (consider the clairvoyant who doesn't give the usual happy-future drivel).
But he keeps it from being too fluffy by inserting some more bittersweet moments, such as when Perkins reveals his true nature to Jennifer. It's very poignant to see a first love end up this way. And the story takes a very dark turn in the final chapters, leading in to the eventual fourth volume of the series -- without revealing too much, things are very nasty now in the kingdom of Snodd, and promise to get worse.
What's the problem? Well, the whole mentoring-the-Princess thing is a bit sitcomlike, especially since we know the Princess will see the error of her ways and become nicer blah de blah de blah.
As usual, Jennifer is the solidly sensible one of the group, which includes a clueless Princess in a royal dog-poop-cleaner's body, a savage guide, a scheming businessman, an Australopithecine, and the aforementioned Perkins. Most of the magical gang -- plus Tiger Prawns -- is mostly absent from this story, but it becomes increasingly clear that Shandar is targeting them for something shady.
"The Eye of Zoltar" is a solid fluff fantasy that transforms into something else about five-sixths of the way through -- and Jasper Fforde shows his talent for both humor and drama there. Hang on for the next story.
And in the third of his Last Dragonslayer books, "The Eye of Zoltar," Fforde provides yet another tale of a plucky nonmagical girl who is neck-deep in magical goings-on. Enjoying this book pretty much depends on whether you enjoyed the last two, because Fforde produces more of the same -- eccentric sorcerers, angel traps, weird wildlife and the occasional rubber dragon. Yes, you read that right.
In the course of twenty-four hours, Jennifer Strange has to deal with a lot of craziness:
1. She has to deal with a runaway Tralfamosaur with a licorice launcher.
2. She has to babysit a spoiled, bratty Princess who has been body-swapped with a lowly servant girl, since the Queen wants her taught some humility and compassion.
3. The Mighty Shazam blackmails her into finding a sorcerous ruby called the Eye of Zoltar, and threatens to kill the young dragons if she doesn't find it for him.
Her best bet for finding the Eye is the possibly-mythical Sky Pirate Wolff in the also-possibly-mythical Leviathan's Graveyard, which is in Cambria (imagine Wales crossbred with the whole Middle-East). Of course, things go horribly wrong in several different ways -- lifesuckers, a Australopithecine, flesh-eating snails, Perkins losing several decades -- before they encounter the sky pirates, and find a very strange tourism-based conspiracy.
The Last Dragonslayer books are fairly amusing fantasy fluff, relying on Fforde's somewhat warped imagination -- he comes up with some fairly majestic ideas (the Leviathans, aka sky whales) and some silly ones (rubber dragon bouncing for hours across Cambria). "The Eye of Zoltar" is not quite as clever as his Thursday Next books, but it is a pretty decent little fantasy story.
Fforde sprinkles the story with clever dialogue ("You must be mistaking me for someone who is shallow and indifferent") and humorous situations (thwarting barbarians with financial expertise), as well as some rather mundane magic (consider the clairvoyant who doesn't give the usual happy-future drivel).
But he keeps it from being too fluffy by inserting some more bittersweet moments, such as when Perkins reveals his true nature to Jennifer. It's very poignant to see a first love end up this way. And the story takes a very dark turn in the final chapters, leading in to the eventual fourth volume of the series -- without revealing too much, things are very nasty now in the kingdom of Snodd, and promise to get worse.
What's the problem? Well, the whole mentoring-the-Princess thing is a bit sitcomlike, especially since we know the Princess will see the error of her ways and become nicer blah de blah de blah.
As usual, Jennifer is the solidly sensible one of the group, which includes a clueless Princess in a royal dog-poop-cleaner's body, a savage guide, a scheming businessman, an Australopithecine, and the aforementioned Perkins. Most of the magical gang -- plus Tiger Prawns -- is mostly absent from this story, but it becomes increasingly clear that Shandar is targeting them for something shady.
"The Eye of Zoltar" is a solid fluff fantasy that transforms into something else about five-sixths of the way through -- and Jasper Fforde shows his talent for both humor and drama there. Hang on for the next story.
As always, Jasper Fforde is erudite and clever, witty with just a touch of snark. All of his seeming loose ends and red herrings come into play in the most unexpected ways, and his characters continue to delight.
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This one got… dark. People are dying left and right, even some important ones (to the story), and the tone of the book doesn’t reflect that. There’s also some rushed character development - well I say rushed, but skipped would be a more accurate way of putting it. (Looking at you, Laura.)
There were good bits too though - the humour and creativity are still going strong, there were some touching moments despite the terribly detached tone (quite impressive feat now that I think about it), and I even caught what I think is a delightful Hamlet reference. Bonus points for Perkins, as always, and newly also Ralph.
There were good bits too though - the humour and creativity are still going strong, there were some touching moments despite the terribly detached tone (quite impressive feat now that I think about it), and I even caught what I think is a delightful Hamlet reference. Bonus points for Perkins, as always, and newly also Ralph.
This series just keeps getting better and better. I loved the hidden asides, like the reference to the extinction of the Passenger pigeons. Jasper Fforde has a fascinating, inventive brain.
Once again Mr. Fforde has written a well thought out and wonderful book. Not as good as some of his others and it feels a little rushed, but well worth reading.
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced