Eye of Zoltar, by Jasper Fforde

Jenny Strange, 16, Orphan, Indentured Servant, and acting manager of Kazam Mystical Arts Management has been assigned with perhaps the biggest (and strangest) task of her young life. 

In the Eye of Zoltar, the third installment of Jasper Fforde's Kazam Chronicles, The Mighty Shandar, greatest wizard of all times, is back--and he's got a vendetta against Jenny for unknowingly foiling his centuries-old evil plot to rid the world of any and all dragons. Shandar gives Jenny a deal: He will spare the lives of her two young dragon friends if Jenny retrieves for him the legendary Eye of Zoltar. The Eye is an egg-sized ruby of untold power that was supposedly last seen in the possession of the legendary Sky Pirate Wolff, who supposedly has a hideout within the legendary Sky Leviathan graveyard atop the mysterious mountain Cadir Idris, located at the heart of the deadly Cambrian empire. The odds are against her even before she begins her quest: Surviving the untold dangers of the Cambrian Empire are 50%...and the odds of returning alive from Cadir Idris are 0%. Furthermore, any unmagical person who touches the Eye (or even an unworthy magician) will be instantly transformed to lead. Yes, there are risks. But being a girl of considerable bravery and resourcefulness, Jenny accepts this challenge. She really has no choice.

Joined by wizard boyfriend Perkins, a princess in disguise, a rubber dragon (who is really a real live dragon), a rag-tag trio of adventure-seeking idiots, and a juvenile tour guide who is so hard-core she could scare the crap out of Chuck Norris, Jenny sets off on her impossible quest. What she learns while chasing legends is there is a reason for all the horror stories and secrets surrounding Cadir Idris. In fact, there is a reason for all the legends of the Cambrian Empire. Eventually, the ugly truth reveals itself: The Mighty Shandar's evil plot is to start the most vicious Troll War ever, and it seems the only one who can stop him and save the world as she knows it is the very non-magical Jenny. A cliffhanger ending promises a fantastic fourth installment in the (hopefully) very near future.

I can honestly say I haven't enjoyed a fantasy series this much since Harry Potter...and I think that, maybe, I like The Kazam Chronicles even more. The Eye of Zoltar makes an awesome addition to the first two installments of the series, The Last Dragonslayer (book 1) and The Song of the Quarkbeast (book 2). The Kazam Chronicles have it all: Adventure, humor, great characters, and an awesome storyline. If you haven't checked out these books yet...what are you waiting for?

Highly, highly recommended! --AJB

Song of the Quarkbeast

With the infamous Dragonslayer incident (mostly) behind her, Jennifer Strange, foundling and acting manager of Kazam Mystical Arts Management finds herself with a new problem in The Song of the Quarkbeast, the sequel to The Last Dragonslayer. 

By order of King Snodd, the Kazam team is pitted against their biggest rival, iMagic (cause everything is more hip with a lower case "i" in front of it) in the biggest wizarding dual in centuries. The winner will win the rights to control all the Ununited Kingdom's magic, which has been growing since the dragon incident. But it's hard for it to be a fair contest when the king's personal wizard The Amazing Blix (who just happens to be the head of iMagic) has several of Kazam's wizards arrested on questionable charges. And that's not including the ones who have been turned to stone by an ancient spell gone wrong. 

Jennifer has only a couple days to find a way to reverse the stoning spell, get her wizards out of jail, and find the Great Zambini. Otherwise the future of magic is doomed. There are those who will stop at nothing to prevent her from succeeding. But the answers are found in the most surprising of places. And not even the Remarkable Kevin Zipp, Kazam's resident psychic, could have predicted how things would turn out. 

Author Jasper Fforde packs just as much awesomeness into The Song of the Quarkbeast as he did with The Last Dragonslayer. Both books combine the humor of Terry Pratchett with the creativity of J.K. Rowling, and are must read!  --AJB 

Last Dragonslayer

Action, adventure, fantastical creatures, imaginative places, humor, complete and total awesomeness... Jasper Fforde's The Last Dragonslayer has it all!

In orphan Jennifer Strange's world, magic was once of paramount importance. Wizards were regarded among the highest members of the society which depended on them for everything--from fixing a clogged drain to keeping the world safe from the dragon menace. But no longer. Magic has been fading, and wizards have fallen from their once lofty favor. And Jennifer? She's been left in charge of Kazam Mystical Arts Management, a floundering magical business employed by the most rag-tag, misfit group of wizards this side of Hogwarts. When mysterious magical power surges begin, Jennifer, accompanied by her terrifyingly adorable pet Quarkbeast, investigates. She learns that the magical surges are due to the impending death of the last dragon...and that she, of all people, will be the one to end that dragon's life. Not one to crave the public eye, Jennifer wants nothing to do with any of the dragon drama. But the more she seeks to avoid it, the deeper she falls into it. But wait! There's a twist at the end. And you definitely won't see it coming!

The Last Dragonslayer is one of the most creatively awesome books I've read in a long time! And I'm ecstatic for the sequel, Song of the Quarkbeast, which was just released. Check this series out when you can. You'll be happy you did! --AJB