The Eye of Zoltar

Jennifer Strange is in quite a pickle. She must travel to the most dangerous kingdom in the Un-united Kingdoms to rescue their most powerful magician from kidnappers. On her way, she must also find the legendary Eye of Zoltar, a gem so powerful it turns anyone to stone who is not strong enough to use it. As if that weren’t enough, she is stuck babysitting the snotty teenage princess, whose only skill is economics. In order to complete her quest, she needs the assistance of her boyfriend/wizard, a wise-cracking twelve-year-old tour guide, and an elderly ornithologist.

This book is really funny; it has a dry humor that is sarcastic and subversive. Jennifer was a down-to-earth, honest, and practical heroine, which is refreshing, and her pragmatic acceptance of whatever fate threw at her (for example, the fifty percent mortality rate of her touring party) was, again, very funny. They have an ‘orphan-based’ economy, where orphans have to serve for six years, and they have recurrent Troll Wars to increase the orphan supply. That’s just one example of the sly, satiric humor throughout. It is clever and witty, and readers who enjoy a bracing, wry fantasy adventure will love this book.