THE MURDSTONE TRILOGY by Mal Peet
Award-winning author Philip Murdstone is in trouble. His star has waned. The world is leaving him behind. His agent, the beautiful and ruthless Minerva Cinch, convinces him that his only hope is to write a sword-and-sorcery blockbuster. Unfortunately, Philip – allergic to the faintest trace of Tolkien – is utterly unsuited to the task. In a dark hour, a dwarfish stranger comes to his rescue. But the deal he makes with Pocket Wellfair turns out to have Faustian consequences. The Murdstone Trilogy is a richly black comedy from an author described by one American critic as ‘the best writer you’ve probably never heard of’.
‘A genuinely funny comedy – with a Pratchettian mix of gusto and warmth…This may be Mal Peet’s first book for grownups, but it is an assured, even virtuoso, performance fully deserving that most prestigious of accolades – a rave review in the Guardian.’ – The Guardian
‘The Murdstone Trilogy has instantly become one of my favourite books – right up there with Terry Pratchett and The Princess Bride for fantasy comedy. The writing is sublime and the humour is lacerating. I loved every warped sentence.’ – Eoin Colfer
‘I enjoyed this novel hugely. It had a fat, throbbing vein of dark hilarity running right through the middle, with skewered literary personages shrieking and wittering either side. It’s a complete nutty fantasy, and yet there’s enough weird truth in it to really worry any writer – oh, okay, any reader – who picks it up. If you’ve ever wondered what the heck writers do all day, The Murdstone Trilogy will give you a good idea – bwahaha – ‘ – Margo Lanagan
‘Read it whatever your age and find yourself laughing pretty well at every page – it really is that good.’ – The Independent
‘Comic gold…deliciously funny, and the story-within-a-story is a glorious send-up of the genre’. – Financial Times
‘[Murdstone and Pocket are] expertly drawn… A refreshing and absorbing change of pace.’ – SFX Magazine
