Jasper Fforde's powers of invention are seemingly endless, and he puts them to good use in this second book of the Chronicles of Kazam.
After besting a centuries-old plot and becoming a Dragonslayer, 16-year-old Jennifer Strange hopes for a little peace and quiet. Alas, no such luck. Wrangling the magic users of Kazam is hard enough for Jennifer, and it only gets harder when a rival company plots to take over their business. Throw in some court politics, old rivalries and the return of everyone's favorite weird-physics pet, the Quarkbeast, and Jennifer's got more than enough to contend with. And that doesn't even include normal teen problems, like dating....
What first seems to be a fight with squabbling magicians and politicians turns out to be a battle for the future of Magic itself, and Jennifer has some difficult choices to make. Luckily, she's got all of Kazam behind her, from her next-in-command, Tiger, to the crotchety Lady Mawgon to the newly certified (and very crush-worthy) Perkins. There are new faces as well, most notably the mysterious and severe Once Magnificent Boo, who gives Rowling's Professor McGonagall a run for her money as the most terrifying wizard you also kind of want to hug.
This second entry is just as quirky and wry as the first, with a focused, fast-paced plot that will have readers on tenterhooks. Fforde is a master of the strange and wonderful, and fans will want to follow the employees of Kazam--and their new allies--on into their next adventures. --Jenn Northington, events manager, WORD bookstore