Dorkgasm Gonzo Is God

Two Reviews for the Price of One
Reviews by Kenneth Holm
Senior Staff Writer

            Most of you will know by now that I have talked with author James Moloney on a personal level. I have a lot of respect for him and his voyage into the American publishing nightmare. That said, I did not talk to him before I read The Book of Lies. I read the first book when I accidentally discovered it on Amazon. The Kenosha Public Library was nice enough to have a copy in their possession, so I scooped it up. After I read it, I immediately went to his website and shot off an e-mail expressing my happiness with the book. He responded, something most people never bother to do, and we quickly established a relationship that helped me to get the opportunity to interview him. Now, I’m telling you this to establish, up-front, that I may have a slight amount of bias without recognizing it. Please know, however, that no matter my thoughts on the books, I strongly urge you to read them and judge for yourselves. Without further ado, I present my reviews of The Book of Lies and Master of The Books

            The Book of Lies begins with a group of faceless men delivering a small boy to an orphanage. This boy is our hero, Marcel. After he is received, a wizened old man begins a spell, which is no doubt nefarious in nature. As he leaves, a girl named Bea sneaks in and inserts wax plugs into Marcel’s ears; she thereby makes the spell incomplete. Bea has the ability to turn herself invisible for some reason, and has used it to help our small lad retain himself. You see, this spell is meant to erase the memories of his past life. When he awakens, Marcel knows what his real name is, but not much more. Along the way, he befriends Bea and another orphan girl named Nicola. Life at the orphanage is a grim one, filled with menial tasks and grunt labor. Of course, there is that one boy who is determined to make Marcel’s life difficult. His name is Fergus. One day, Marcel and Fergus decide to have a race to see who the better horseman is. Fergus has his steed picked out from the beginning, but Marcel finds a common link with a spitfire of a wild horse named Gadfly. They race around the orphanage, and soon cross its fields and begin to head into town. While there, they are both observed by a man who can, and will, make life very difficult for them. Back at the orphanage, Fergus and Marcel arrive safely, but are confronted by a beast with razor sharp teeth called Termagant. Termagant is the servant of the old man from before, who is a wizard, named Lord Alwyn. Lord Alwyn does not hurt Fergus or Marcel, but warns them that it would be best to avoid such transgressions in the future, lest he not be so lenient. Alwyn is also in possession of a magical artifact he created, the Book of Lies. This book is able to tell whether whatever is spoken to it is a lie or truth. If it is a lie, it is immediately recorded in its pages. One night, Marcel manages to get a hold of the book. He begins simply and tells it that his name is Marcel. Nothing happens, so he continues. When he states that he is an orphan, the book dutifully records the statement in its pages. Thus begins the quest for his “true” identity and what memories were taken from him.

            The book shuttles along at an exceptionally fast clip, bringing Marcel’s two friends Nicola and Bea into the picture, as well as his rival Fergus. I will not reveal further events here, but rest assured every answered question brings up two more unanswered ones. Moloney crafts these books wonderfully, with very well written characters and a plot so filled with double, triple, and quadruple crosses that it will take your very understanding of the story into a whole new realm. This book moves along so swiftly that I was able to finish the book in a near-record amount of time. The village of Fallside and its surrounding areas are painstakingly created with a great attention to detail. The characters are also rendered with loving strokes, from the seemingly sinister King Pelham to the gruff, but lovable horse trainer, Old Belch. I would have to recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is looking for something to read now that Harry Potter has shuffled loose the literary coil. You won’t be sorry.

            The Master of The Books begins where The Book of Lies left off. Marcel and Nicola are adjusting to their newfound lives, while the erstwhile Fergus has some steam to blow off. While I don’t want to reveal the plot to you just yet, let’s just say that the book begins with some very interesting revelations that mean absolutely everything if you’ve read the first book. Moloney returns to the land of Elster, with the entire cast having grown a bit, both physically and emotionally. It seems there is a little bit of a class struggle elsewhere in the kingdom, with a maniacal wizard at the forefront, threatening to destroy everything in his quest for dominance. Of course, this wouldn’t be a “Book” series entry if Marcel, Nicola, and even Fergus didn’t somehow end up in the middle of it. While traveling to the island kingdom of Noam to seek the help of another master wizard with a spell that needs undoing, Marcel and company get swept up in a rags and riches tale which ends with Marcel gaining control of his newfound magical powers and the death of some characters, both friend and foe. While Marcel has taken his post as Master of the Books from the now-deceased Lord Alwyn, Nicola is not fitting in as she begins to become pressured with the living arrangements she has inherited. Meanwhile, Fergus is fighting on his own to escape his enslavement. He must overcome his most hated enemy in a quest to discover who he really is and find his true place in life. Together with Termagant and their soldier / escort Finn, they begin to get a glimpse of life outside the castle and what sacrifice really means to those they love.

            Once again, James Moloney constructs a thrilling tale that is truly cinematic in scope. If The Book Of Lies is a kind of Fellowship Of The Ring, then The Master Of The Books is truly a version of The Two Towers. Alliances are made, then broken, huge battles besiege the land, and a climactic battle between two wizards will hold you breathless, as the book comes to its climax. I would love for you to read this, but alas, it is not available in the US yet. The only hope we have of getting it is to have all of you go out and buy The Book of Lies to show HarperCollins US that there is an audience for this series. That, or threaten their lives. I’m joking. Another option is to import it from the Australian website Bookworm. Act now, and get it for less than $20!

            The Book of Lies and The Master of the Books are two wonderful books not only for young adults, but also for the young at heart. Both my wife and I have read these, and we love them. Moloney is currently working on a third and final book to complete the series, so let’s give him a reason to come to the States! Go out and buy the books! Let HarperCollins know you want the second book to arrive on US shores! Ring the bells to sound out the praise, at the very least, give The Book of Lies a shot. Not because I told you to, not because Jim Moloney is such a cool guy, but because it’s just a good, honest read.