Too Many Curses

From the Publisher

“Nessy has hidden strength, a powerful attachment to home, and a healthy dose of common sense. Aided by allies—a bodiless voice, a fruit bat, and a wizard in a jar—she attains pretty impressive heights in Martinez’s newest laugh-out-loud variations on fantasy tropes.”

—Booklist on Too Many Curses

 

“Martinez’s crisp writing, over-the-top premise, and keen wit conspire to keep readers turning the pages.”

—School Library Journal on Too Many Curses

"A smart, rocket-fast read with a clever, twisty plot that comes to a satisfying conclusion."

—Publishers Weekly, starred review on The Automatic Detective

"In the Company of Ogres tweaks fantasy clichés most excellently."

—Booklist

Publishers Weekly

Martinez (The Automatic Detective) staffs this whimsical fantasy with his trademark weird beings and sets it in the mysterious castle of powerful, cruel wizard Margle the Horrendous. Margle's kobold housekeeper, Nessy, who likes order but wants excitement, spends most of her time in the company of curse-transformed wizards and heroes, such as skeletal kitchen slave Decapitated Dan, invisible Echo and Margle's powerful brother, Yazpib, now only a collection of body parts in a jar. When Margle ends up the victim of one of his own spells, Nessy and friends try to reverse their curses while battling the intrusion of evil wizardess Tiama the Scarred. Nifty ideas like a soul-extractor and the Sword in the Cabbage never quite go anywhere, and though Nessy makes a capable heroine, events move only when Tiama is around as a foil. Too insubstantial and smug for adults, this story might do better with teens. (Sept.)

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VOYA - Jonatha Bayse

Margle the Horrendous is a spiteful wizard. Instead of simply killing his victims, he changes them into various forms and then tucks them away in his abysmal castle. It is Nessy's duty to care for the castle-a daunting task but one that Nessy has developed into a science. She quietly goes about her business, dodging Margle's wrath as best she can. When the wizard suddenly dies, Nessy is left to clean up Margle's mess. The castle appears to have a will of its own and is causing problems for its new mistress. With the help of her transformed friends, Nessy must find the balance between good and evil to save the castle and its inhabitants. Martinez creates a science fiction novel full of wizards, enchantments, creatures, and quests. Both Margle and Nessy are well-written characters, and the plot moves along quickly; however, readers may become confused by the number of supporting characters that Martinez introduces. Some are more important than others, making it difficult to remember who's who. The ending will leave readers wanting more and hoping that sequels are on the horizon. Fans of science fiction will find this novel enjoyable. It might also be a good starter book for those readers who are testing the SF waters. Reviewer: Jonatha Bayse

Nessy the kobold works incessantly for Margle the Horrendous, a formidable wizard known for transforming his enemies into cursed objects that adorn the rooms of his castle. When Margle's sudden death fails to free his victims, it falls to Nessy to find a way to release them, a way that, unfortunately, seems to lead to the forbidden Door at the End of the Hall. With the same offbeat humor he brought to Gil's All Fright Diner and The Automatic Detective , Martinez again succeeds in searching out the strange and delightfully humorous aspects of classic fantasy, twisting it in unusual and gratifying ways. Most libraries should consider this gem of comic fantasy for their collections.

Funny (peculiar and ha-ha) monster yarn from Martinez (Gil's All Fright Diner, 2005, etc.). Arrogant, evil wizard Margle the Horrendous never kills his defeated foes. Instead, he transforms them into various unpleasant or inconvenient shapes and stashes them in his vast, gloomy, groaning castle. His housekeeper, Nessy, a small, furry, prudent kobold, has the endless task of keeping the clutter clean and orderly. A handful of the castle's denizens, such as Sir Thedeus, a tiny, combative fruit bat who claims once to have been a mighty hero, Echo-there's nothing left of her but a disembodied voice-and ex-wizard Yazpib, a bit of brain, eyes and teeth floating in a jar, urge Nessy to kill the wizard, since before much longer Margle will turn his malevolence on her. Then Margle accidentally smashes a nurgax seed; out leaps a one-eyed, one-horned, flying purple people eater which immediately gobbles up the wizard, then imprints itself upon a surprised Nessy. Sir Thedeus and the other accursed victims expect their enchantments to dissipate, but they don't-so perhaps Margle isn't really dead. Still, somebody must take charge and prevent the castle from destroying itself. Dependable, dogged Nessy does what she can, negotiating with demons, quieting the restive Door At The End Of The Hall, deterring the indecipherable MONSTER THAT SHOULD NOT BE. Until Tiama the Scarred, premier wizardess diabolic, demands admission to the castle. Lacking the authority to deny her, Nessy somehow must cope with her terrifying presence. But sooner or later, all hell will break loose, while Nessy wrestles with the growing conviction that the castle itself is alive. Modest amusements for the younger section of theaudience.