And Don't Forget to Rescue the Princess
Marc Bilgrey
Five, Star, Nov 2005, 25.95, 242 pp.
ISBN 1594143854

While sitting at home, thirty year old failed actor Al Breen, sees a cat on his window ledge. He is shocked when the feline talks to him, and he follows him outdoors into a nearby shack where he loses consciousness. When he comes to, he is in another world, and the cat has changed into its true shape of master wizard Merv, the advisor to Castle Furley in the land of Flemp.

The king had the wizard summon a knight (the wizard obviously made a mistake), to travel to the kingdom of Mornnnnnnn to rescue his kidnapped daughter Megan from the ruler of that realm. Accompanying Al is Megan's betrothal Nigel the nervous, who leads him into the enchanted forest where they are almost eaten by trolls, taken prisoners by the fairies, agree to kill the dragon in exchange for their freedom, and get help from a witch who helps them make hot air balloons to take them to Mornnnnnnn. Once there, they team up with the rebel leader Baldric, who guides him past the many traps of the castle, praying that they won't get caught or killed in one.

Readers who like a lighthearted fantasy filled with slapstick humor, witty repartee, and a hero who knows he is a nerd, will adore this unusual, original and charming tale. The protagonist makes no bones that he is a coward, and wants nothing more than to go home, and it is not bravery that leads him from one victorious adventure to another but pure luck, and a little help from a mostly absentee wizard. Marc Bilgrey takes readers on a wacky trek where danger lurks around every twist in the road.

Harriet Klausner