{"product_id":"the-murdstone-trilogy-isbn-9780763681845","title":"The Murdstone Trilogy","description":"\u003cb\u003eHow hard can it be to write a fantasy trilogy? From Carnegie Medalist Mal Peet comes an outrageously funny black comedy about an impoverished literary writer who makes a pact with the devil.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAward-winning YA author Philip Murdstone is in trouble. His star has waned. The world is leaving him behind. His agent, the 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. \u003ci\u003eThe Murdstone Trilogy\u003c\/i\u003e is a richly dark comedy described by one U.K. reviewer as “totally insane in the best way possible.”The novel was published for adults in the U.K., and it’s easy to see why: there isn’t a teenage character in sight, and the concerns—about career, reputation, parochialism, and looming bankruptcy—are all adult, too. Regardless, Peet’s book is \u003cb\u003eenormous fun\u003c\/b\u003e, especially for those familiar with the literary conventions it skewers, and it’s a brilliant valedictory for the author, who died in March.\u003cbr\u003e—Publishers Weekly (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCarnegie Medalist Peet (Tamar, 2007) has written \u003cb\u003ea hilarious satire of the fantasy genre with alcohol-laced overtones of Terry Pratchett and William Goldman’s The Princess Bride\u003c\/b\u003e. Blending worlds, wit, and literary allusions with unique narrative voices, Peet’s take on fantasy and the writing process will attract adults and teens alike. \u003cb\u003eDarkly comic and a joy to read.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Booklist (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Murdstone Trilogy . . . \u003c\/i\u003eis \u003cb\u003ebrilliant\u003c\/b\u003e. Richly drawn characters ground the story, even at its wildest, and older teens steeped in the fantasy traditions of what Minerva describes as \"Dwarves. Beards. Time and dimension shifts. . . . You know.\" will revel in this \u003cb\u003ewonderfully witty\u003c\/b\u003e, upside-down take on the genre.\u003cbr\u003e—Shelf Awareness (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book, released in the UK in 2014, will be relished by American readers whose taste for stunning verbal finesse outweighs any tendency to outrage over carnal humor, cultural indelicacies, or lack of respect for the fantasy genre as such, \u003cb\u003emaking it a meaty feast for knowing teens who can laugh at what they love and hoot at naughty jokes they aren’t supposed to admit are funny.\u003c\/b\u003e An angry edge of authorial disgruntlement over the state of publishing only serves to sharpen the wit as \u003cb\u003ePeet literally and figuratively scours the shire of the fantasy genre while reminding readers of what artful literary language should sound like\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA deliriously freewheeling send-up of the publishing industry\u003c\/b\u003e and the current sword-and-sorcery craze results. But there’s a vein of real feeling. “The world is the stories we tell of it,” one of the fantasy beings says to Philip. They should all be as lively and entertaining as this one.\u003cbr\u003e—The Wall Street Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Murdstone Trilogy\u003c\/i\u003e has just about every ingredient I try to avoid in my reading: magick with a K, sword slashing sorcerers, minions aplenty and dwarfs. So how can I love this book more than anything I’ve read in ages? Because when Mal Peet gets his hands on an idea he can out-plot the furthest-fetched of fantasizers, out-skewer the most sardonic of satirists, and just generally work his writerly magic, with a plain old C. And he does it all in one book instead of three. \u003cb\u003eIt’s a big-hearted romp of a rant\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cb\u003e Read it. Even if you hate Tolkien. Even if you love Tolkien. It really is that brilliant\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003cbr\u003e—Tim Wynne-Jones, author of Blink \u0026amp; Caution and The Emperor of Any Place\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn award-winning author whose young-adult novels have gone out of fashion makes a Faustian bargain with a Hobbit-like creature in this broad, darkly hilarious sendup of high fantasy and publishing . . . \u003cb\u003eBitter and frothy as a pint of stout, this formula-thwarting satire will intoxicate fantasy fans with strong stomachs.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e—Kirkus Reviews\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeet lampoons the fantasy genre in this stand-alone novel. Sharply drawn characters propel the plot as it builds to an unexpected finish . . .This title is \u003cb\u003ehighly recommended\u003c\/b\u003e to a select audience of mature readers interested in the darker comedies of life.\u003cbr\u003e—VOYA\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is one of the few fantasy send-ups that matches the genius of Diana Wynne Jones’s masterpiece \u003ci\u003eDark Lord of Derkholm \u003c\/i\u003eand the hilarious companion, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Traveler’s Guide to Fantasy Land\u003c\/b\u003e. . . \u003c\/i\u003eFew adult fantasy readers are familiar with the late Carnegie Medal-winning YA author Peet (\u003ci\u003eTamar)\u003c\/i\u003e, but this work should gain him a mature audience. His clear appreciation and knowledge of the genre, plus adult language, make this clever story best for adults and those well versed in fantasy.\u003cbr\u003e—Library Journal\u003cb\u003eMal Peet \u003c\/b\u003e(1947–2015)\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eis the acclaimed author of the Carnegie Medal–winning novel \u003ci\u003eTamar \u003c\/i\u003eas well as the  \u003ci\u003eBoston Globe–Horn Book\u003c\/i\u003e Honor Book \u003ci\u003eLife: An Exploded Diagram\u003c\/i\u003e and three Paul Faustino novels: \u003ci\u003eKeeper, The Penalty,\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eExposure,\u003c\/i\u003e a winner of the \u003ci\u003eGuardian \u003c\/i\u003eChildren’s Fiction Prize. He is also the co-author of \u003ci\u003eCloud Tea Monkeys, Mysterious Traveler, \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eNight Sky Dragons, \u003c\/i\u003eall of which he wrote with his wife, Elspeth Graham.","brand":"Candlewick","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302034428133,"sku":"NP9780763681845","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780763681845.jpg?v=1767740596","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/the-murdstone-trilogy-isbn-9780763681845","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}