This is the first book I've read by A. Lee Martinez. I think it is an excellent book and I intend to get another of his books on my next visit to the library/bookstore.The book is set in a stereotypical high fantasy setting. The unusual thing is that the main character is not a mighty warrior, wizard, rogue or other standard fantasy main character. The main character is an unremarkable Kobold housekeeper named Nessy. She has made a career out of serving evil wizards and her current master is a wizard named Margle. Margle is fond of transfiguring his enemies(or really anyone who gets on his bad side) into various creatures or objects. When he is killed in an accident, the spells keeping his castle in line start to come apart, causing quite a few problems for Nessy to deal with.I enjoyed the character of Nessy. She is an unusual and well written main character. In addition, I like the subtle nod to D&D, as Nessy is a Kobold of the older anthropomorphic dog type, while in newer editions of D&D they are related to dragons. The supporting characters are also quite variable and pleasant. Among others, there are a fruit bat that used to be a hero, a disembodied voice that used to be a poet, and a collection of goo and organs in a jar that was Margle's brother.All in all, I greatly enjoyed the book, and intend to try Martinez's other works on the strength of this novel. Nessy is the keeper of a powerful wizard’s castle. She makes sure the floors are swept, the bleeding wall is regularly mopped, and the strange creatures in the dungeons are fed the right foods at appropriate intervals. Once the wizard inadvertently gets himself killed, it’s up to Nessy to keep the castle and its inhabitants from the possibility of even greater harm than the usual mix of magical nonsense running awry.Oddly enough, I’d recommend this book to stay-at-home Moms, and/or people interested in Zen Buddhism. I realize that’s an odd mix, but Nessy is a very zen character. Like Nessy, a stay-at-home Mom's work is simultaneously worthless and of great cosmic significance. By doing all the dull stuff that gets no glory, Nessy becomes the heart of a (very strange) home, and the glue that binds a wild assortment of freaks into a family. In the world of sci-fi/fantasy, there are next to zero characters for a stay-at-home mother to identify with. All the adventures happen to people without children--people who can leave the house. Nessy shows that staying home is its own kind of adventure.
Do You like book Too Many Curses (2008)?
Another amazing A Lee Martinez book. This guy is turning into one of my favorite authors.
—stephaniemariee13
Decent but took a long time for me to finish. Not as good as most of his other books.
—123456789
A mediocre comic fantasy. Nothing I hated reading but its pretty formulaic.
—peppereeny
A delightfully fun story full of mischief and mayhem.
—moniqueaira
This was a funny book with an intersting plot.
—21mm
