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quippeThe Blurb On The Back:
Salutations, wretched minion!
It is I, the Great Dirk, destroyer of worlds and the most gifted writer ever! My loyal servant, Sooz, child of the night, is trapped in the Darklands. The horror! It is vital that I return there before she causes too much trouble …
Buy this book or suffer one of the following:
- an unwanted surgical procedure
- being turned into a zombie servant
- being cursed with the Cantrip of Uncontrollable Flatulence.
The choice is yours. Mwa ha ha!
It’s immediately after DARK LORD: THE TEENAGE YEARS and Dirk’s spell has gone horribly wrong. Not only is he still trapped in the body of a weedy human boy but his friend Sooz has been sent to the Dark Lands instead of him and she’s got his ring of power, which he needs to get her back! As if Dirk didn’t have enough problems, the white wizard Hasdruban has sent the White Witch to kill him once and for all. Somehow he’s got to figure out how to rescue Sooz before the Dark Lands kill her and regain his former Dark Lord glory once and for – but that won’t be easy, especially as Goth-girl Sooz is doing better in the Dark Lands than anyone could have anticipated – so much so, that she’s beginning to give it a make-over …
Jamie Thompson’s sequel to DARK LORD is a funny middle-grade book that pokes fun at traditional fantasy tropes and deservedly won the 2012 Road Dahl Funny Prize. I hadn’t read the first novel, but you don’t need to in order to enjoy this because the set-up is explained within the opening chapters.
I loved Dirk, the Dark Lord who hasn’t quite reconciled himself to his reduced circumstances. His relationship with best friend Christopher is nicely depicted and I liked his concern and irritation with Sooz (although I could have done without the inevitable hints or romance given they’re all supposed to be 13). The best scenes are where Dirk finds his evil instincts being replaced by more mischievous tendencies and I especially enjoyed his battle of wits with the White Witch who has decided to establish herself as his new nanny.
Sooz is a refreshingly strong female character for a book of this type. A Goth girl who doesn’t take any nonsense, I loved how she establishes herself in the Dark Lands and not only earns the adoration of Dirk’s former minions but also starts to shake up the old political order. She’s intelligent, a bit bossy but very moral and I loved her interactions with Dirk – especially in the final quarter.
Thompson does sometimes overegg Dirk’s strong voice and some jokes go on for too long. However I did enjoy the way he shows the cruel hypocrisy of the ‘good’ guys and the book ends on a cliff hanger that will ensure I buy both books one and three.
The Verdict:
Jamie Thompson’s sequel to DARK LORD is a funny middle-grade book that pokes fun at traditional fantasy tropes and deservedly won the 2012 Road Dahl Funny Prize. I hadn’t read the first novel, but you don’t need to in order to enjoy this because the set-up is explained within the opening chapters. Although Thompson sometimes overeggs Dirk’s strong voice and some jokes go on for too long, I enjoyed the way he shows the cruel hypocrisy of the ‘good’ guys and the book ends on a cliff hanger that will ensure I buy both books one and three.
Salutations, wretched minion!
It is I, the Great Dirk, destroyer of worlds and the most gifted writer ever! My loyal servant, Sooz, child of the night, is trapped in the Darklands. The horror! It is vital that I return there before she causes too much trouble …
Buy this book or suffer one of the following:
- an unwanted surgical procedure
- being turned into a zombie servant
- being cursed with the Cantrip of Uncontrollable Flatulence.
The choice is yours. Mwa ha ha!
It’s immediately after DARK LORD: THE TEENAGE YEARS and Dirk’s spell has gone horribly wrong. Not only is he still trapped in the body of a weedy human boy but his friend Sooz has been sent to the Dark Lands instead of him and she’s got his ring of power, which he needs to get her back! As if Dirk didn’t have enough problems, the white wizard Hasdruban has sent the White Witch to kill him once and for all. Somehow he’s got to figure out how to rescue Sooz before the Dark Lands kill her and regain his former Dark Lord glory once and for – but that won’t be easy, especially as Goth-girl Sooz is doing better in the Dark Lands than anyone could have anticipated – so much so, that she’s beginning to give it a make-over …
Jamie Thompson’s sequel to DARK LORD is a funny middle-grade book that pokes fun at traditional fantasy tropes and deservedly won the 2012 Road Dahl Funny Prize. I hadn’t read the first novel, but you don’t need to in order to enjoy this because the set-up is explained within the opening chapters.
I loved Dirk, the Dark Lord who hasn’t quite reconciled himself to his reduced circumstances. His relationship with best friend Christopher is nicely depicted and I liked his concern and irritation with Sooz (although I could have done without the inevitable hints or romance given they’re all supposed to be 13). The best scenes are where Dirk finds his evil instincts being replaced by more mischievous tendencies and I especially enjoyed his battle of wits with the White Witch who has decided to establish herself as his new nanny.
Sooz is a refreshingly strong female character for a book of this type. A Goth girl who doesn’t take any nonsense, I loved how she establishes herself in the Dark Lands and not only earns the adoration of Dirk’s former minions but also starts to shake up the old political order. She’s intelligent, a bit bossy but very moral and I loved her interactions with Dirk – especially in the final quarter.
Thompson does sometimes overegg Dirk’s strong voice and some jokes go on for too long. However I did enjoy the way he shows the cruel hypocrisy of the ‘good’ guys and the book ends on a cliff hanger that will ensure I buy both books one and three.
The Verdict:
Jamie Thompson’s sequel to DARK LORD is a funny middle-grade book that pokes fun at traditional fantasy tropes and deservedly won the 2012 Road Dahl Funny Prize. I hadn’t read the first novel, but you don’t need to in order to enjoy this because the set-up is explained within the opening chapters. Although Thompson sometimes overeggs Dirk’s strong voice and some jokes go on for too long, I enjoyed the way he shows the cruel hypocrisy of the ‘good’ guys and the book ends on a cliff hanger that will ensure I buy both books one and three.
