A review by mhall
The Murdstone Trilogy by Mal Peet

2.0

This was a Nancy Pearl suggestion. Dry British humor about an author of sensitive YA books about outcasts. He won some literary prizes but now his books aren't selling and his agent convinces him to try writing epic fantasy because that's what people want to read. Then he summons a creature from another dimension, a scribe who does all the work of writing an astonishing tale for him. He strikes a bargain involving recovering an amulet that has been hidden in our dimension. Throughout all the place and character names are ridiculous puns. The main character, Murdstone, was sort of nasty and ridiculous, hard to root for, and some of the humor felt outdated. It kind of fell apart for me about halfway through. Back of the book comparisons to Terry Pratchett? Maybe a little, but Terry Pratchett's humor never punched down.