The Conjuring of Zoth-Avarex - Lockhaven [Jan 3, 2022]

[Jenna, I'd be free if not for Temper & Edgewalker]

The Conjuring of Zoth-Avarex: The Self-Proclaimed Greatest Dragon in the Multiverse - K.R.R. Lockhaven

January 3, 2022.
Requested by Iain & Rachel G.

[Nirkatze]

Currently $0.99 on Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I checked it out on audio on Hoopla (available through most libraries in the US)

[RachelG.]

I am not very far in the book but am really enjoying the humor. After finishing The Conjuring Department: (view spoiler)[After the first couple chapters I can already tell that Harris will get in over his head quickly but at least he is enthusiastic about the new job.

The posters are funny. “Safety first! Unless it costs too much” and “Absolutely no conjuring of sparkly vampires.” (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

RachelG. wrote: "I am not very far in the book but am really enjoying the humor. After finishing The Conjuring Department: After the first couple chapters I can already tell that Harris will get in over his head qu..."

Wasn't sure you were going to comment for a few days... I think I saw you mention internet outages or something?... so I was waiting... but I can probably start/read this later today, after I finish my Wandering Inn re-read...

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I've barely started, and have tons of thoughts...

The narrator is slow, so I upped the speed to 2.5x, so it's only going to be a 3hr book, max...

The narrator sounds distractingly like Wil Wheaton, but not quite like Wil Wheaton... the guy's name is Jay Spaulding...

The setup mentions Platform 9 & 3/4, but I'm also reminded of the Men in Black exam, the Stargate bunker, the Magicians exam, and probably some stuff I've forgotten already... the cover makes me think of House on the Cerulean Sea, but that's probably way off base...

I'll get back to it now :D

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Made it to chapter 7 now, and it's reminding me more of Hitchhiker's Guide or something...

I find myself needing to rewind alot, because I'm missing rapidfire jokes and pop culture references (like Name of the Wind)...

I assume the Voice is (view spoiler)[Zoth-Avarex? (hide spoiler)]

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Chapter 8: See what I mean?... (view spoiler)[looks like I nailed Zoth-Avarex being The Voice... he's seconds out of the portal and eating his summoner (could call that a reference)... quoting Han Solo's parsec thing, maybe quoting dimension numbers from Doctor Who... it's hard to keep up... (hide spoiler)]

I lowered the play speed back to 2x to try and rewind less...

[RachelG.]

I am reading the Kindle version and had the same thoughts on the voice. There are so many references that it can be hard to catch them all. I just hit chapter 6 but will read more tonight.

[Nirkatze]

Timelord Iain wrote: "Made it to chapter 7 now, and it's reminding me more of Hitchhiker's Guide or something..."

I just started!

Jake mentions a babel fish in the second chapter, when (view spoiler)[Jake offers Harris a translator ring (hide spoiler)] so there's a Hitchhiker's reference. Definitely some inspirations there. I agree with that insight--I've been trying to pinpoint the niggle in my brain that the voice of the writer is giving me, and I think that's it.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I'm enjoying this well enough, and plan to finish... but I think this is Exhibit A in any discussion about whether it's possible to be too referential... every other sentence since Zoth was summoned has referenced something... LotR, King Kong, etc etc etc... and it's getting to be too much, for me...

[Nirkatze]

Conjuring (view spoiler)[The acronyms were fun. Makes the management even more stupid-seeming for not realizing all their posters and group names etc come out to STUPID, BAD IDEA, or MISTAKE. How do audiobooks handle the visual images embedded in the text like that? (hide spoiler)]

I keep having the urge to make a list of all the pop culture references. Zoomed past so many of them already by now though.

[RachelG.]

Chapter 12: Interview with a dragon (view spoiler)[There is a Charlotte’s Web reference here and I keep picturing Spike from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic with Rarity perched on the Space Needle.

Anyway, I happen to live on the west side of Washington State (near Woodinville as it turns out) and when Zoth brings up the 1% wealthy stuff in this chapter I was wondering if the author (who is from the east side) is making a statement about the politics in the state. Eastern WA tends to be more conservative but usually we have a more liberal state government because of Western WA. Probably I am reading too much into this interview. (hide spoiler)]

[RachelG.]

I also feel like I am just skipping from one reference to the next. My son loves books and movies like this that are Easter egg heavy. I thought about a list but didn’t want to go back to work on one.

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

The book's already short... then it kinda ends around 80-85%... bunch of denouement, that didn't fit in the main story, and then an entire alternate ending that REALLY didn't fit in the story...

Not quite done yet, but close... (view spoiler)[in the middle of America's Next Top Princess right now... (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

Some of the less obvious (to me) references I've caught so far, up to Finding Valorous:

(view spoiler)[
Hitchhiker's guide: babel fish, 42, dolphins being the second most intelligent earth creatures (after mice, who run earth as an experiment to find the meaning of life).

Breaking Bad--"I am the one who knocks"

Harry Potter--"you tickled a sleeping dragon" after the Hogwarts school motto Draco Dormiens Numquam Titillandus or "never tickle a sleeping dragon"

Pub Crawl has pubs from the Middle Earth, Kingkiller Chronicle, Discworld, and the podcast Hello from the Magic Tavern.

Merlin's guest book has tons of folk, from books, video games, comics, movies, and history, and even current celebrities. Mei Kusakabe is the younger sister in Totoro and Sir Didymus is a dog from Labyrinth.

Gandore (Merlin footnote) seems to be an amalgamation of Gandalf and Dumbledore. The Duel reminded me of Gridewald and Dumbledore, but also of WWE tournaments. (hide spoiler)]


Also, I find myself both tickled and depressed reading this book at times. The horrible inefficiency of bureaucracy--how it shoots itself in the foot more often than not--seems painfully accurate as much as it is parody. At least from where I'm standing in my workplace. Hopefully other folks aren't as bad.

[Nirkatze]

I'm curious, for those of y'all doing audio--how does an audio book handle things like the posters and images, or the footnotes?

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

I mean... generally, they just skip over them, or read the footnotes accompanying them, if any...

I listened to the Illuminae Files on audio, and it basically did it's best... I think the audio did some cool things with overlapping audio for hectic reports of space battles and stuff, tho, so it wasn't a complete loss...

[Nirkatze]

Interesting. That's pretty different. My local librarian was pretty adamant that I shouldn't even read the Illuminae Files on my ereader because I couldn't get the full experience without the physical book...

[Nirkatze]

Up through the Locker (view spoiler)[I like Marian's relationship with Eddie. They've been working together for so long that she looks on his quirks with fondness. (hide spoiler)]

Oops (view spoiler)[I have always wondered how drawing a sword from a scabbard strapped across your back works. Apparently the author has too. (hide spoiler)]

More references list, through El Erradicator (view spoiler)[The reference to the forest that has a tree with the clock set in its trunk is going past me--unless it's Nightmare Before Christmas. Any thoughts?

Harry Potter--Horocruxes.

Bartimaeus Trilogy -- Amulet of Samarkand.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail--The Holy Hand Grenade

The Hobbit--The Arkenstone

D&D?--Immoria and the fact that the elf sounds like an "eager amateur Shakesperean actor."

The Book Thief--main character Liesel Meminger.

Lord Deus Ex (Machina) made me smile too. We get it Harris! (hide spoiler)]

Would love to hear what others pick up on!

[Nirkatze]

Timelord Iain wrote: "The book's already short... then it kinda ends around 80-85%... bunch of denouement, that didn't fit in the main story, and then an entire alternate ending that REALLY didn't fit in the story..."

Mm. I think I just hit that. At page 78/100 on my ereader (I keep my font tiny.)

[Timelord Iain, Tech Support]

Nirkatze wrote: "Interesting. That's pretty different. My local librarian was pretty adamant that I shouldn't even read the Illuminae Files on my ereader because I couldn't get the full experience without the physi..."

If you want a book that REALLY doesn't translate into audio, try House of Leaves or Ship of Theseus

I own both books in print, and read the first one, and wasn't ready for another so soon when I tried the second...

They're books that do really weird things with the structure of a book...

The first has a whole urban legend surrounding it, like it circulated the art scene for a decade before being officially printed in a 2nd/3rd edition... there's a story written by a blind man, being read by a druggie that goes crazy in the margins, and some appendixes about how the druggies mother is in a mental asylum, and footnotes from the editors, and the possibility that the druggie wrote the main book and there IS no blind man... you have to see it to believe it...

Ship of Theseus is a whole other beast, with another side story in the margins... plays on the whole thought experiment about if all parts of a thing are replaced, is it still the same thing, but then there are also these college students studying the book for a mystery within, and they fall in love, and have to deal with a conspiracy on their college campus, linked to the book... I only read the first 20%, I think... so I dunno how it all plays out...

Check them out if you want some weirdness... I didn't even get into the parts of House of Leaves where the text spirals, or shrinks down a tunnel, or is upside down, since it was originally written loose-leaf, supposedly... the pages mirror the story within...

[Nirkatze]

I've heard of Ship of Theseus, but not House of Leaves. Very cool!

More references, through end (view spoiler)[

Song of Ice and Fire--Naath (an island in the Summer Sea, populated by extreme pacifists.) Eddie's having a great vacation. Unless it gets hit by slavers.

general joke, but maybe popular by way of The Office--Jake telling Eddie he has "updog in [his] moustache." Eddie might be my favorite character. Nicely played, Eddie. Not "What's up dog" but "what's a moustache?"

Narnia (could be other things too)--Time in Valorous. And I wouldn't eat that Turkish Delight.

Looks like Susan conjured herself a Sparkly vampire.

The green-headed duck makes me think of Howard Duck, but he's not green headed. Anyone get if this is a specific reference? Mallard=malicious?

Great Old One--Lovecraft?

Zoth-Avarex needs a companion, like Doctor Who! I was thinking

Qanon--Grey Skulls?

Captain America--Chris saying "on your right" and growing a beard while in hiding.
(hide spoiler)]

Done!

That was fun, and very different from what I normally read.

[RachelG.]

It was a fun book but I didn't feel the alternate ending was necessary. A couple references I was looking back on (view spoiler)[ Would Steve's Binder Clip also be a reference to The Office with Steve Carell? Also, I was thinking that the ducks from alternate earth 1.3 would be Howard the Talking Duck. (hide spoiler)]

[Nirkatze]

RachelG. wrote: "A couple references I was looking back on [spoilers removed]"

Oh cool! (view spoiler)[I didn't think of the Office, but that makes tons of sense. I think I missed the alternate earth ducks--I was so focused on the green headed malicious duck haunting the poor employee. (hide spoiler)]