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The Song Of The Quarkbeast (2013)

by Jasper Fforde(Favorite Author)

3.99 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

054773848X (ISBN13: 9780547738482)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

HMH Books for Young Readers

series

Chronicles of Kazam

review 1: Although the Big Magic two months ago more or less went well, magic is still slow at making a comeback. That doesn't mean others haven't noticed, though. King Snodd has figured out magic could make quite a bit of money, if appropriately capitalized. Jennifer Strange (acting manager of Kazam, one of the only two houses of magic) hasn't been on his good side since the little incident with the dragon, nor does she agree with his motives. But it's going to be hard to stop the king when he's found others to agree with him . . .The general zaniness of Jennifer's life has not diminished a whit. A wild Quarkbeast has shown up in the city. Kazam and Industrial Magic (or iMagic, as they've reinvented themselves) are still in heated competition. The Great Zambini is still missing---b... moreut Kevin's getting visions about his next reappearance, and it's very soon. The Quarkbeasts are my favorite part. In the process of dealing with the rest of her life, Jennifer tracks down a resident Quarkbeast expert for help, and learns a lot of new things about the creatures. I like the nod to actual quarks in the replication process, thus vindicating the name as something other than a descriptor of the "Quark" noises they are prone to make. I did enjoy the first book more, but this is a solid follow up. This continues to remind me of Terry Pratchett's books, even more so now that this volume includes multiple footnotes, but there's an overall different feel to it than Discworld. Mostly I think these volumes are weaker due to the overly exaggerated villainy of characters like Snodd, who outright admit to being evil (and he's stupid enough that it's a wonder he hasn't been assassinated by his wife yet), and the fact that there's a general air of hopelessness about changing the status quo. Even after everything Jennifer did in the previous book, everything went back mostly to the way it was rather than having a positive impact.Overall this is still an engaging mix of sorcery, science, and humor. I rate this book Recommended.
review 2: This is another solid effort from Fforde. This YA book (the heroine is a teenage orphan girl, after all) continues the adventure with Fforde's usual prose and sly wit. There's a little bit of Perils of Pauline and Nancy Drew in this one, along with a really amoral wizard and a magic showdown. While this could just be another example of the plucky precocious orphan girl who is more than she seems, Fforde uses her as more of a foil for the other, stranger characters to play off of. The odd wizards, the lunatic king, the venal advisors are all good characters, and Fforde always throws in a couple of surprises. It's a good book, and very suitable for young adults. less

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