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5.0 out of 5 stars
Too funny, April 14 2002
This is the conclusion (well, sort of) of the Ebenezum trilogy. Here Gardner overcomes his slight roughness from "Multitude," and returns to top form.Vushta, City of Forbidden Delights, is gone: demons have dragged it down into the Netherhells, and with it any hope of a cure for Ebenezum. Only a few wizards are left in what remains of it. Guxx Unfufadoo plans to invade the upper world. And, perhaps worst of all, two of Wuntvor's girlfriends have found out about each other! What can be done? Wuntvor must lead a special expedition to the Netherhells, consisting of Hendrek, Snarks, Norei, and Cuthbert the talking sword. (Ebenezum is absent for most of this adventure) Among the problems: Commercialization has hit the Netherhells (much to Snarks' horror), Guxx plans to take over the world, Vushta is in the slimy hands of the demons, and Wuntvor has this magical hat that keeps spitting out ferrets, flowers and scarves... The lunatic funniness of this one is too good to be described. The Netherhells are a hilarious spoof of the generally-accepted vision of hell and demons, coupled with a few sly jabs at commercialization and massive construction. We also have the climax of Wuntvor's very complex love life (I was afraid those girls were going to duke it out over him). We even have Cuthbert, a cowardly and fastidious talking sword who listens in from inside his scabbard and squeals in dismay when used to kill an enemy. And Wuntvor's army of ferrets is too hilarious for words, as is how he manages to mass-produce them ("Yes! No! No! Yes! Yes! Yes! No!"). The characters are still fun! (Hard for any author to keep up) Wuntvor is required to grow a little more in this book, since he has to LEAD an expedition, rather than bouncing around with his master. Snarks and Brax are three-dimensional in a delightfully two-dimensional manner; as is doom-speaking warrior Hendrek, and the psychotic Dealer of Death (yes, he's back, and he's squishing demons). The weak link is Norei, who doesn't have any of the quirks of the other characters. But if you bypass her, the cast is just perfect. As ever, it's sparingly-written; we aren't overloaded with detail or unnecessary dialogue. Parents can utter a sigh of relief, since this trilogy is fine for kids. And any kid or teen who's read fantasy (or even fairy tales) will laugh themselves silly, just as well as the adults. Wonderful conclusion (sort of) to the Ebenezum trilogy. (Reprint "Song of Wuntvor"! I want more of this kooky little universe)
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