The Good, The Bad and The Smug
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4.4 • 7 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A new novel from a master of comic fantasy, Tom Holt.
Same as the Old Evil, but with better PR.
Mordak isn't bad, as far as goblin kings go, but when someone, or something, starts pumping gold into the human kingdoms it puts his rule into serious jeopardy. Suddenly he's locked in an arms race with a species whose arms he once considered merely part of a calorie-controlled diet.
Helped by an elf with a background in journalism and a masters degree in being really pleased with herself, Mordak sets out to discover what on earth (if indeed, that's where he is) is going on. He knows that the truth is out there. If only he could remember where he put it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Holt (The Outsorcerer's Apprentice) achieves near-perfection in his new comic fantasy. The complicated multiverse setting requires some nimble reading, but the three central narratives unfold and combine into a cerebral yet slapstick comedy. Mordak, king of the social media loving goblins, undertakes a hero's journey with a condescending elf at his side to learn how the human princes of a fantasy realm are getting so rich, and to find out whether an arms race is in the works. A peculiar little man from another universe is spinning straw into gold for the princes, while attempting to teach them strategic thinking and prevent the mess he made in his own dimension. The goblin Ozork transforms into a puny human named Archie when he aims for the Realms of Transcendent Bliss, misses, and lands on a film set in modern New Zealand. Holt keeps track of every thread from beginning to end and cleverly ties them all together in unexpected ways. This is a must-read for those who grew up in awe of The Phantom Tollbooth.
