Humour writer Fforde was one of the first to cross the borderlines between crime and fantasy with his wonderful Thursday Next novels which plunged its delighful sleuthette into the world of books as parallel reality and the Nursery Crimes books. This volume is the final one in his young adult Dragonslayer series, full of wizards, enterprise and toil, and evokes a more grown up J.K. Rowling. Vastly entertaining and a perfect introduction for younger readers to his decidedly quirky mind, as well as a lesson into creating a new fictional universe. Fforde will be at Crimefest to discuss his more criminal efforts.
The Mighty Shandar, the most powerful wizard the world has ever seen, returns to the Ununited Kingdoms. Clearly, he didn't solve the Dragon Problem, and must return his fee: eighteen dray-weights of gold.
But the Mighty Shandar doesn't do refunds, and vows to eliminate the dragons - unless sixteen-year-old Jennifer Strange and her sidekicks from the Kazam house of enchantment can bring him the legendary jewel, The Eye of Zoltar.
The only thing that stands in their way is a perilous journey with a 50% Fatality Index - through the Cambrian Empire to the Leviathan Graveyard, at the top of the deadly Cadair Idris mountain. And it's a quest that sees Jennifer fighting not just for her life, but for everything she knows and loves . . .
