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The Song of the Quarkbeast (The Last Dragonslayer #2)
A long time ago magic faded away, leaving behind only yo-yos, the extremely useful compass-pointing-to-North enchantment and the spell that keep bicycles from falling over. Things are about to change. Magical power is on the rise and King Snodd IV of Hereford has realised that he who controls magic controls almost anything. One person stands between Snodd and his plans for...more
Kindle Edition, 304 pages
Published
November 10th 2011
(first published November 1st 2011)
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Ritorno alla Torre Zambini
In questo secondo romanzo della serie, ritroviamo la nostra Jennifer Strange, orfanella piena di risorse che, con perfetta efficienza, dirige la Casa d’Incanti Kazam in assenza (è proprio il caso di dirlo) del suo fondatore, svanito misteriosamente nel nulla (anche se ogni tanto ricompare nei luoghi più impensati). E con lei tornano il fidato Gamberetto, l’Alce Caduco e tutti gli altri frequentatori della folle e sgangherata Torre Zambini.
Questa volta, Jennifer e compa...more
In questo secondo romanzo della serie, ritroviamo la nostra Jennifer Strange, orfanella piena di risorse che, con perfetta efficienza, dirige la Casa d’Incanti Kazam in assenza (è proprio il caso di dirlo) del suo fondatore, svanito misteriosamente nel nulla (anche se ogni tanto ricompare nei luoghi più impensati). E con lei tornano il fidato Gamberetto, l’Alce Caduco e tutti gli altri frequentatori della folle e sgangherata Torre Zambini.
Questa volta, Jennifer e compa...more
A long time ago magic faded away, leaving behind only yo-yos, the extremely useful compass-pointing-to-North enchantment and the spell that keep bicycles from falling over. Things are about to change. Magical power is on the rise and King Snodd IV of Hereford has realised that he who controls magic controls almost anything. One person stands between Snodd and his plans for power and riches beyond the wildest dreams of avarice. Meet Jennifer Strange, sixteen-year-old acting manager of Kazam, the
Jasper Fforde's Song of the Quarkbeast - The magical, adventure-filled and hilarious sequel to The Last Dragonslayer. Kazam is being challenged by iMagic, their magic company competition and whoever wins will be favoured by the King and have the monopoly on magic. They might even be able to get the mobile phone network back up. Our non-magic, foundling heroine Jennifer Strange just knows there is something more devious going on with the Amazing Blix, the king of the unUnited Kingdom...and just w...more
Dec 11, 2011
Yolanda Sfetsos
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
ya-contemporary
This is the second book in the Last Dragonslayer series.
Jennifer Strange is still running Kazam, an employment agency for those who can perform magic to help others with mundane problems. She's always got something going on, and this time is approached by the peculiar Miss Shard, who wants a lost ring that might not want to be found. Then there's King Snodd. He's decided to make Kazam and iMagic go up against each other by rebuilding Hereford's old bridge. They will each start at one end, and th...more
Jennifer Strange is still running Kazam, an employment agency for those who can perform magic to help others with mundane problems. She's always got something going on, and this time is approached by the peculiar Miss Shard, who wants a lost ring that might not want to be found. Then there's King Snodd. He's decided to make Kazam and iMagic go up against each other by rebuilding Hereford's old bridge. They will each start at one end, and th...more
Bloody foundlings!
Se il mondo fosse giusto, Jasper FForde dovrebbe avere una fama di non molto inferiore a J. K. Rowling, paragone scontato, ma che appunto sorge spontaneo.
Harry Potter l'ho adorato in tempi non sospetti, molto precinematografici, e non discuto del suo posto nella letteratura fantasy, ma Fforde è talmente perfetto in tutto che mi stupisco sia così misconosciuto.
Sarà forse perchè i suoi libri non hanno grande distribuzione (io devo girare spesso due o tre librerie per trovarli),...more
Se il mondo fosse giusto, Jasper FForde dovrebbe avere una fama di non molto inferiore a J. K. Rowling, paragone scontato, ma che appunto sorge spontaneo.
Harry Potter l'ho adorato in tempi non sospetti, molto precinematografici, e non discuto del suo posto nella letteratura fantasy, ma Fforde è talmente perfetto in tutto che mi stupisco sia così misconosciuto.
Sarà forse perchè i suoi libri non hanno grande distribuzione (io devo girare spesso due o tre librerie per trovarli),...more
The Song of the Quarkbeast is the second book in the Chronicles of Kazam series by Welsh author Jasper Fforde. Aimed at the Young Adult reader, the heroine is a 16-year-old foundling raised by the Blessed Ladies of the Lobster, Jennifer Strange. This book is set some two months after the events of The Last Dragonslayer, and while it is not essential to have read that book, it does help with understanding this one, and anyway, it’s a brilliant read. Jennifer is still managing the Kazam agency, an...more
I enjoyed this one, too - not quite as much as the first in the series, because it's a little floppier in the plot area than the first one, but it's got just the right level of silly that I enjoy. It's a good light read for a grown-up, but I imagine that children in the actual appropriate age group would find it an enjoyable challenge and be entranced by the details. The story-world is great, still, and getting better as it gets more detailed - I love the way the political system is being reveal...more
Fforde's books are always very readable, and enjoyable, but when you've seen an author's best work, you want the next book to improve one what's come before. This is the second 'Last Dragonslayer' book, Fforde's series aimed at kids/teens, following the further adventures of Jennifer Strange. However, she's no longer the Last Dragonslayer (and dragons don't feature at all), so perhaps naming the series after the first book in it was a bad move.
All of Fforde's books so far - the Thursday Next set...more
All of Fforde's books so far - the Thursday Next set...more
I love anything by Jasper Fforde, so I feel a little biased. I recall I didn't like The Last Dragonslayer at first, but then when I gave it a re-read to prepare for reading this book, I liked it a lot better.
Jasper Fforde can be like that -- you don't quite appreciate the sly brilliance at first glance, but you'll always be glad you gave him a chance.
This book is the sequel to the aforementioned The Last Dragonslayer. It picks up the story (with little inconsistencies that Fforde would easily ex...more
Jasper Fforde can be like that -- you don't quite appreciate the sly brilliance at first glance, but you'll always be glad you gave him a chance.
This book is the sequel to the aforementioned The Last Dragonslayer. It picks up the story (with little inconsistencies that Fforde would easily ex...more
I was looking forward to this book. In general I find reading young adult novels to be a breath of fresh air and I was hoping that The Song of the Quarkbeast would live up to its press as a magical adventure with a bit of nerdy wordplay.
The Story
Young Jennifer Strange, a foundling, is left in charge of Kazam, the more ethical of the two companies that perform magic.
Their newly renamed competitor iMagic is up to no good, manipulating King Snodd into ordering a contest between the wizards of both...more
The Story
Young Jennifer Strange, a foundling, is left in charge of Kazam, the more ethical of the two companies that perform magic.
Their newly renamed competitor iMagic is up to no good, manipulating King Snodd into ordering a contest between the wizards of both...more
1 like · like · see review
Really, really fantabulous book that contained everything I expect a Fforde book to have. A lovely, quirky world, a special sense of humor (which might not be everyone's taste, I admit that) and social commentary.
It may have one flaw but I rated five stars anyway because I enjoyed every single word. That one flaw is that it's quite similar to the Thursday Next series and so, the construction of the plot is somewhat predictable. Fforde adds all these details little details that become very import...more
It may have one flaw but I rated five stars anyway because I enjoyed every single word. That one flaw is that it's quite similar to the Thursday Next series and so, the construction of the plot is somewhat predictable. Fforde adds all these details little details that become very import...more
…for every evil genius there must be a ludicrously beautiful woman apparently doing very little by his side.
The Song of the Quarkbeast, sequel to The Last Dragonslayer is an absolute explosion of fun, adventure, chaos and sarcasm. It was a pure joy to read, and once again, I can feel the joy that Jasper Fforde felt in writing this. His humour shines through on every page and I think lovers of fun would be hard pressed to find something to dislike about this book, especially when it contains the...more
The Song of the Quarkbeast, sequel to The Last Dragonslayer is an absolute explosion of fun, adventure, chaos and sarcasm. It was a pure joy to read, and once again, I can feel the joy that Jasper Fforde felt in writing this. His humour shines through on every page and I think lovers of fun would be hard pressed to find something to dislike about this book, especially when it contains the...more
Jasper Fforde has done it again. Made me embarrass myself by guffawing, chortling, and snickering in public. Oh well, it was worth it, and I would do it again. Jennifer Strange and the crew of sorcerers at Kazam are back just 2 months after their adventures in The Last Dragonslayer. This time, the sorcerers over at iMagic (Kazam's rival in the magic business) have cooked up a scheme to get a monopoly on all magical jobs in the Kingdom. To make it at least appear fair, they have issued a magical...more
After reading the second and most recent book in the series, The Song of the Quarkbeast, I'm hooked. Although I still struggled to see Jennifer Strange as a teenager, and the title creature doesn't make its appearance until late in the story, I liked this book more than the first one. Kazam goes toe-to-toe with the only other magical agency in business, iMagic, for supremacy in a battle of wizards. Stymied on all sides as the day for the challenge draws nearer, Jennifer refuses to give up hope o...more
Dec 15, 2012
Yvonne Boag
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
young-adult
Jenny Strange, foundling extraordinaire is back. First she has to organise finding a lost item that doesn't want to be found. Then it looks like the Great Zambini will make one of his appearances, she knows the when but not the where and it looks like a quarkbeast is wandering around town. She also has to deal with Conrad Blix who runs a rival magic company who will do anything he can to gain power. It is up to Jenny to figure out how to save the day and possibly magic itself but what else do yo...more
Dec 31, 2011
Dominique Hutches
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
fantasy
Sequel to Last Dragonslayer, very entertaining. Jennifer and her friends are back, and have been challenged to a wizarding duel to raise a stone bridge that has fallen apart. The future of magic use is at stake, because the rival magician works for the corrupt king and plans to charge for all future spells done for the public. Meantime, Zambini is still missing but is rumored to be returning, Parkers (not sure of name) is about to try for his wizarding license, Miss G has been turned to stone, a...more
Oct 07, 2012
Johara
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
52-books-2012,
favorites
Ah! I just checked my review for The Last Dragonslayer, and it seems like everything I had found fault with in the first book was patched up in this one. Good pacing of story, the randomness was delightful, the cherry on the icing was the fact that we DID have more reader time with the Kazam sorcerers. Also. (view spoiler)
Tiger Prawns is even cuter here, too. Great book, overall. I'd recommend it if you have a child you want to introduce to Jasper Ffo...more
Tiger Prawns is even cuter here, too. Great book, overall. I'd recommend it if you have a child you want to introduce to Jasper Ffo...more
Another wonderful read by Mmrr. Fforde. Don't be mislead into thinking this is just another Harry Potterish kids' book (not a knock, I loved those, and fans of HPmight enjoy these as well). While this book and the earlier work, The Last Dragonslayer, might be enjoyed by junior high-age kids, Fforde's humor, literary and historical references, and mischievously-warped sense of humor make these great fun as nerdy adult reads. I am amazed that Fforde can so skillfully juggle so many quite different...more
Feb 26, 2013
Shelly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fantasy,
need-to-read-the-sequel
This book was mediocre, not that great. In summary:
What I liked
- the plot flowed smoothly
- the characters were good and there wasn't that many to confuse readers
- the love interest didn't ruin the plot in any way
- it takes place only 2 months after the first book
- there was footnotes at the end of the chapter to explain some things that are naturally part of the setting or to clarify something that happened in the previous novel
What I didn't like
- the characters aren't described in that much de...more
What I liked
- the plot flowed smoothly
- the characters were good and there wasn't that many to confuse readers
- the love interest didn't ruin the plot in any way
- it takes place only 2 months after the first book
- there was footnotes at the end of the chapter to explain some things that are naturally part of the setting or to clarify something that happened in the previous novel
What I didn't like
- the characters aren't described in that much de...more
Second in the Last Dragonslayer fantasy series for children revolving around Jennifer Strange and the very odd inhabitants of Zambini Towers in Hereford in the Kingdom of Snodd.
My Take
This one was much easier to read than The Last Dragonslayer ! And just as nonsensical. I love it. Kids will love it. It's a soap opera of fun as Fforde pokes away at our love for gawking, greed, people in charge, flying carpets, corruption, orphanages as well as the more positive traits of humanity such as love, lo...more
My Take
This one was much easier to read than The Last Dragonslayer ! And just as nonsensical. I love it. Kids will love it. It's a soap opera of fun as Fforde pokes away at our love for gawking, greed, people in charge, flying carpets, corruption, orphanages as well as the more positive traits of humanity such as love, lo...more
The second in THE LAST DRAGONSLAYER series, it starts with a very linear storyline, takes a few odd ball knocks around and then settles into a satisfying ending. However, the epilogue that wraps the story up sort of negates the upcoming third book in the series. Whether it was deliberate or not, seems out of place. As per Ffordian form, puns abound, the clever poking a stick at the big government, and well, throw in some magic and you have a fairly fine novel. Not the best of Fforde's, for sure,...more
A great sequel to The Last Dragsonslayer and an addictive read. I highly recommend this book.
It's a very fun read, even if not Fforde's best or most imaginative. The book (and the previous book in the series) is not available in the US yet, so I needed to get an ebook version online, which is annoying. (I'm happy to pay the authors when they let me! I'll be buying a copy once it's out in the US.)
A bit pratchett-esque, (as most Fforde books seem to be,) but not as full of wordplay as just a fun-to-read whimsical fantasy. Highly recommended for those who like light fantasy, especially for...more
A bit pratchett-esque, (as most Fforde books seem to be,) but not as full of wordplay as just a fun-to-read whimsical fantasy. Highly recommended for those who like light fantasy, especially for...more
Once again Fforde has used his literary magic to weave a story with political intrigue, silly puns and enough of an anti-consumerist spin to make most readers feel duped into buying the eBook (yet if it keeps him writing, I'm happy). Really liked how he talks about magic having its own intelligence, which unlike money (as I recently heard Terry Gilliam say) makes thoughtful choices about where it wants to go and who it will benefit the most. The set-up for the third novel was subtle enough, and...more
In this book we learn so much more about magic and about Quark Beasts than we did in The Last Dragonslayer. Fforde has a lovely turn of phrase which tells you he has his tongue firmly stuffed in his cheek throughout the book and the tones of the girl who read it were just right to enhance this without overdoing it.
This was my first ever audio book. We listened to it on a 12 hour car journey across Germany and the Czech Republic. I have never really wanted to hear a book in a reader's voice rathe...more
This was my first ever audio book. We listened to it on a 12 hour car journey across Germany and the Czech Republic. I have never really wanted to hear a book in a reader's voice rathe...more
Jan 20, 2013
Aileen Frost
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-young-adult,
sci-fi-fantasy
Jasper Fforde is my favourite author, so it pains me to put such a low rating on this book, but I really felt like it was not up the the caliber of his other work. It is missing the wit that ALL of Fforde's other novels (including The Last Dragonslayer) have. I found the narrative to be forced, the characters just kind of "went through the motions", and the humour nonexistent. I felt like Fforde must have rushed through the writing of this book to meet a deadline and didn't have the time to put...more
Highly enjoyable read, which sort of blanket-describes almost everything written by Fforde. (Almost.)
Loved that this was more of a day-to-day adventure plot thing, rather than soaked in DESTINY and TITLES and crap; however, I found the first book funnier. Quarkbeast seemed a little thinner in terms of Fforde's fabulous humor and wordplay - though it had its moments, electromagicity and microwaves in particular. But it definitely lacked a little zip, which I hope will soon return.
Also, the UK c...more
Loved that this was more of a day-to-day adventure plot thing, rather than soaked in DESTINY and TITLES and crap; however, I found the first book funnier. Quarkbeast seemed a little thinner in terms of Fforde's fabulous humor and wordplay - though it had its moments, electromagicity and microwaves in particular. But it definitely lacked a little zip, which I hope will soon return.
Also, the UK c...more
Nov 26, 2012
Sarah (Workaday Reads)
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-in-2012,
swap-or-giveaway-finished-copy
This was a pure entertainment read. Jasper Fforde’s novels are highly imaginative, full of humourous “don’t take me serious” magical adventures. This is the type of book you devour quickly, without paying attention to the review you plan to write.
This series is fun, and yet has very involved plots and themes regarding the evils of greed, and the power of teamwork. This story focused on teamwork and resourcefulness. There was certainly magic and adventure, but it was less present than in the firs...more
This series is fun, and yet has very involved plots and themes regarding the evils of greed, and the power of teamwork. This story focused on teamwork and resourcefulness. There was certainly magic and adventure, but it was less present than in the firs...more
Original post at One More Page
The Last Dragonslayer was one of my favorite reads in 2011, and I'm not just saying that because Jasper Fforde is my favorite author. I absolutely loved Jasper Fforde's YA debut, and I thought it was a hilarious and smart read. Silly me, though, that I didn't know there was going to be a sequel to this. It totally took me by surprise, but I'm not complaining. A new Jasper Fforde? Of course I want that!
Jennifer Strange, the last dragonslayer in the Ununited Kingdom,...more
The Last Dragonslayer was one of my favorite reads in 2011, and I'm not just saying that because Jasper Fforde is my favorite author. I absolutely loved Jasper Fforde's YA debut, and I thought it was a hilarious and smart read. Silly me, though, that I didn't know there was going to be a sequel to this. It totally took me by surprise, but I'm not complaining. A new Jasper Fforde? Of course I want that!
Jennifer Strange, the last dragonslayer in the Ununited Kingdom,...more
1 like · like · see review
First for the record, Fforde is my favourite author by quite a margin as he seems to have a sense of humour very similar to mine so I'm predisposed to love everything he writes...
The second in the Last Dragonslayer series, aimed at Young Adults, is obviously slightly below my normal reading level. I finished it off in just a couple of days, which on my busy schedule is fairly short. Faster readers will no doubt blow through it in much less.
None-the-less I very much enjoyed this, even perhaps mor...more
The second in the Last Dragonslayer series, aimed at Young Adults, is obviously slightly below my normal reading level. I finished it off in just a couple of days, which on my busy schedule is fairly short. Faster readers will no doubt blow through it in much less.
None-the-less I very much enjoyed this, even perhaps mor...more
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Jasper Fforde is a novelist living in Wales. He is the son of John Standish Fforde, the 24th Chief Cashier for the Bank of England, whose signature used to appear on sterling banknotes, and is cousin of Desmond Fforde, married with the author Katie Fforde. His early career was spent as a focus puller in the film industry, where he worked on a number of films including Quills, GoldenEye, and Entrap...more
More about Jasper Fforde...
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Dec 08, 2011 01:36am