Too Many Curses [Paperback]

A. Lee Martinez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2, 2008

The wizard Margle the Horrendous takes special pride in never killing his enemies. Instead, he transforms them into various accursed forms and locks them away in his castle. His halls are filled with his collection of fallen heroes and defeated villains, along with a few ordinary folk who were just unfortunate enough to draw Margle’s attention.

It’s Nessy’s duty to tend this castle. It’s a lot of work, but she manages, taking pride in housekeeping talents that keep the castle from collapsing into chaos. But when Margle suddenly dies, everything begins to unravel. Nessy finds herself surrounded by monsters, curses, a door that should never be opened, and one very deadly dark wizardess.

Nessy doesn’t have might or magic on her side; she’s just a kobold: short, furry, and sensible. Her allies aren’t much better: a voice without a body, an angry fruit bat, a monster under her bed, a wizard in a jar (or some of him, anyway), and a one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple, people eater. It would be smarter to walk away, but taking care of the castle is Nessy’s job, and that’s just what she intends to do.

If only she could find time to polish the silver while beating back the forces of darkness.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Martinez (The Automatic Detective) staffs this whimsical fantasy with his trademark weird beings and sets it in the mysterious castle of powerful, cruel wizard Margle the Horrendous. Margle's kobold housekeeper, Nessy, who likes order but wants excitement, spends most of her time in the company of curse-transformed wizards and heroes, such as skeletal kitchen slave Decapitated Dan, invisible Echo and Margle's powerful brother, Yazpib, now only a collection of body parts in a jar. When Margle ends up the victim of one of his own spells, Nessy and friends try to reverse their curses while battling the intrusion of evil wizardess Tiama the Scarred. Nifty ideas like a soul-extractor and the Sword in the Cabbage never quite go anywhere, and though Nessy makes a capable heroine, events move only when Tiama is around as a foil. Too insubstantial and smug for adults, this story might do better with teens. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—A magical castle, an utterly wicked wizard named Margle, and Nessy, a kobold who tends the castle, lead the way in this diabolical story of good triumphing over evil. The many residents, all of whom have been cursed by Margle, include a hanged man in the library, Decapitated Dan, unmanned armor, chatty gargoyles, a loyal fruit bat, a silver-polishing gnome, and the very important Door at the End of the Hall. Soon after the wizard dies when one of his curses goes awry, Nessy realizes that the castle is falling apart, and it is her job to bring about order. Her logic and deciphering keep everything in check, but only barely. With the appearance of Tiama, a wizardess who is a living death, things really start to run amok. It is up to Nessy to defeat Tiama and her dastardly plans, and it is through her calm good sense and the assistance of a number of the castle's residents (including the charming monster under the bed) that she ultimately succeeds. Martinez's crisp writing, over-the-top premise, and keen wit conspire to keep readers turning the pages. Further, the macabre cast, nonstop action, and gross detail—along with the themes of loyalty and kindness-will surely have wide appeal.—Jane Ritter, Mill Valley School District, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 316 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (September 2, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765318350
• ISBN-13: 978-0765318350
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #618,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A. Lee Martinez was born in El Paso, Texas. At the age of eighteen, for no apparent reason, he started writing novels. Thirteen short years (and a little over a dozen manuscripts) later, his first novel, Gil's All Fright Diner was published. Since then he has published or is about to publish five additional novels, including the forthcoming Divine Misfortune. His hobbies include juggling, games of all sorts, and astral projecting. Also, he likes to sing along with the radio when he's in the car by himself.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too Many Curses Is A Wonderful Thing, September 10, 2008

By 

Justin R. Macumber "writer * podcaster" (Fort Worth, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Too Many Curses (Paperback)

Alex Martinez is a writer that I've enjoy for well over a year now, and in the interest of full disclosure I should say that I know him personally. He was the first person I interviewed after creating my podcast, The Dead Robots' Society, and we've stayed in touch ever since. I discovered him with his first novel, a funny horror story entitled "Gil's All Fright Diner." Since then he's written several other books, dabbling in both the fantasy and sci-fi genres, but all of his work has a comedic heart at the center of it, and I never fail to laugh.

With "Too Many Curses," Alex brings us the story of a lowly maid, Nessie, who works for a powerful dark wizard. We barely meet this wizard before he gets eaten when one of his spells goes awry. In the wake of that event, Nessie has to not only maintain order in a castle that is suddenly without a master, but also help the cursed denizens try and undo the terrible things that were done to them. Nessie is only a servant, but her shoulders are stronger than she thinks, and she has far more wit than she gives herself credit for.

Now, I think the real strength of this novel is in the rich cast of characters that fill out the castle. Each of them, no matter how small, has a clear and distinct voice to them, and as they accompany Nessie along her journey I enjoyed seeing them grow and evolve. Alex puts all of them to use in unique and humorous ways.

Unfortunately, these great characters also serve to highlight my one complaint about the book, and that is Nessie herself. Far too often she's a cipher, just accepting things with dogged determinism. And, while that might be what Alex intended, that doesn't make it easier to bond with her. We rarely get emotion from her, and it isn't until the end that we really see her become more than a vehicle for getting the story along. I think he could have crafted a more sympathetic, more endearing character in Nessie.

But, that said, I had a great time with the book. The world Alex has created is explained only so far as it needed to be, and it's consistent from beginning to end. Alex wastes few words, and that economy of writing gives the novel a brisk pace that many other works could benefit from. And, I'm happy to say, the ending is very well done. Not a cheat or deus ex machina in sight. Man is that refreshing.

And that's it! Alex has a great body of work for a writer still so fresh to the industry, and I highly recommend that people pick up his books. "Gil's All Fright Diner" is hysterical, and no one that I've lent it to has been disappointed. If you want a good fantasy, get "In The Company of Ogres," and if you're more a sci-fi guy like myself, you cannot go wrong with "The Automatic Detective." Alex is a bold voice in writing, and I look forward to seeing him go on to greater and greater success.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too many silly ideas, too little substance, November 5, 2010

By 

K. Sullivan "No accounting for taste..." (Virginia - United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Too Many Curses (Paperback)

Margle's castle is perhaps not unlike the dwelling of any dark uber-wizard. It is a place of enchantment inhabited solely by the wizard's conquered foes - magical creatures, demons, ghosts, gargoyles, the undead, cursed heroes, and betrayed family members. And then there is Nessy, the canine-like kobold housekeeper who steadfastly endures her master's taunting and threats to honorably fulfill her duty to keep the castle in order. After Margle's death, however, his prisoners anxiously seek freedom from their magical bindings before someone perhaps even more sinister arrives to take over the castle... or destroy it.

In his debut novel, "Gil's All Fright Diner", A. Lee Martinez mentioned that it was not the first book he wrote, just the first published. I suspect "Too Many Curses" is one of those earlier works. It is vastly inferior to his debut and likely would have remained unpublished if not for the success of his other much more accomplished work.

A magical castle brimming with enchanted inhabitants was undoubtedly fertile soil for the author's imagination. But the story was not engaging. The action was recounted in a completely sterile and unaffecting way. Nothing gripped the reader. What the story lacked in tension or drama, it tried to make up for with silly gags (spin on myth - the Sword in the Cabbage; parody of fierce names - the Beast Which Annoys; even an alliterative owl - a real self-indulgence for an author). But the set-pieces are rushed, half-developed, and then clumsily discarded. Only one character has any depth at all, the aforementioned Nessy. The ancillary characters exist only to serve the plot or elicit a chuckle.

Beneath it all was a morality tale about power, insecurity, and cruelty. I applaud the sentiment but the execution was botched. "Too Many Curses" exhibits all the hallmarks of Martinez (quirky humor, fantastic elements, and light moralizing), but the story was not compelling.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another hit, October 11, 2008

By 

Dave in Missouri - See all my reviews

This review is from: Too Many Curses (Paperback)

Having read all of Martinez's books, I keep waiting for a dud.
I'll have to wait longer, because "Too Many Curses" is another great book from one of the most innovative fantasy writers working.

From soldiers who can't stay dead (and we better hope he doesn't) to a good ol' boy team of a vampire and a werewolf, to a not-so-ugly witch, to a killer robot turned pin stripped gumshoe, Martinez continues to produce interesting, funny, and likable heroes.

Who else has a kobold housekeeper for a hero.
Nessie proves that decency, level-headedness, and common sense outperform evil and wizardry every day.

For some reason, you wouldn't expect fantasy like this to come from Texas, but Yippie Ki-Yay.