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chwaters's review against another edition
3.0
Max Spencer has just finished saving the world from Princess the unicorn, but that was in the future. Now, they're back in the present, but still in the Magrus, a magical realm. Max and his friends, gaming nerd Dirk, comic shop owner (and dwarf) Dwight and Sarah, the brains of the operation and resident kick-boxer, are would love to go home, but the revelation that there are forces far more dangerous than Princess are at work and will still destroy the future if this rag-tag crew doesn't take matters into their own hands. Someone is hard at work killing all the dragons and if the dragons go extinct, the Magrus will grow cold and barren. Also, the Codex of Infinite Knowability is on the fritz, and, since they need it to tell them how to perform the magic to get home, they really can't go anywhere anyway. Not until they can take the Codex to the place where it was written. In the meantime, Max and Co. pick up a few new companions, including the titular Fluff Dragon, Puff and a pair of Fire Kittens named Moki and Loki. Of course, there are also villains galore. Since Princess was defeated in the future, she's still around causing trouble. Then, there's Rezermoor Dreadbringer and his zombie duck, not to mention the insidious Maelshadow who's truly pulling the strings. Max and his friends have their work cut out for them.
So, I really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, but this one isn't nearly as funny or engaging. Which is not to say that it isn't enjoyable; it is. Just not *as* good as the previous one. It may, perhaps, be because there are far fewer excerpts from the Codex, which typically have a kind of Hitchhiker's Guide feel to them. It may also be because the plot feels murky - there's a lot going on and much of the humorous world-building is lost in the mix. It is, however, nice to meet some of the creatures that were only mentioned in the first book, but never encountered, like the fire kittens. Other characters don't get to spend much time with our primary characters, so one can only hope that they'll be back for the conclusion of the trilogy. This winds up feeling more like a traditional fantasy book (with a sense of humor, of course), rather than the surprisingly clever mashup of fantasy and sci-fi/time travel of the first book. I'm having trouble putting my finger on what exactly is was about Fluff Dragon that didn't quite do it for me, but I still can't help but look forward to the concluding book to this trilogy.
So, I really enjoyed the first book in this trilogy, but this one isn't nearly as funny or engaging. Which is not to say that it isn't enjoyable; it is. Just not *as* good as the previous one. It may, perhaps, be because there are far fewer excerpts from the Codex, which typically have a kind of Hitchhiker's Guide feel to them. It may also be because the plot feels murky - there's a lot going on and much of the humorous world-building is lost in the mix. It is, however, nice to meet some of the creatures that were only mentioned in the first book, but never encountered, like the fire kittens. Other characters don't get to spend much time with our primary characters, so one can only hope that they'll be back for the conclusion of the trilogy. This winds up feeling more like a traditional fantasy book (with a sense of humor, of course), rather than the surprisingly clever mashup of fantasy and sci-fi/time travel of the first book. I'm having trouble putting my finger on what exactly is was about Fluff Dragon that didn't quite do it for me, but I still can't help but look forward to the concluding book to this trilogy.
bibliocat4's review
3.0
Totally forgot what happened in the first book so this was a harder book to really enjoy.
jcargabr's review against another edition
5.0
Both my husband and my 10 year old loved this book. Puns aplenty. I have not yet read it, but they both rave about the entire series. Anything that talks about an elf that's depressed on account of "elf-esteem" issues gets a thumbs up in my book.
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