The Outsorcerer's Apprentice: A Novel

by Tom Holt

Overview

A magical kingdom run with bureaucratic office efficiency—more or less—faces a reality altering threat in his fantasy comedy.

A happy workforce, it is said, is a productive workforce.Mmmm.

Try telling that to an army of belligerent goblins. Or the Big Bad Wolf. Or a professional dragons layer. Who is looking after their well-being? Who gives a damn about their intolerable working conditions, lack of adequate health insurance, and terrible coffee in the canteen?

Thankfully, with access to an astonishingly diverse workforce and limitless natural resources, maximizing revenue and improving operating profit has never really been an issue for the one they call "the Wizard." Until now.

Because now a perfectly good business model—based on sound fiscal planning, entrepreneurial flair, and only one or two of the infinite parallel worlds that make up our universe—is about to be disrupted by a young man not entirely aware of what's going on.

There's also a slight risk that the fabric of reality will be torn to shreds. You really do have to be awfully careful with these things.

"Entertaining. . . . Holt has a zany humor that will appeal to fans of Terry Pratchett and Christopher Moore." ―Library Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316368780
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	09/24/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	85
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Tom Holt was born in London in 1961. At Oxford he studied bar billiards, ancient Greek agriculture and the care and feeding of small, temperamental Japanese motorcycle engines; interests which led him, perhaps inevitably, to qualify as a solicitor and emigrate to Somerset, where he specialized in death and taxes for seven years before going straight in 1995. He lives in Chard, Somerset, with his wife and daughter.

Editorial Reviews

"A light read from the prolific humorist; a romp round the multiverse."

SFX on Doughnut

"Like the deep-fried snack after which it's named, this sci-fi novel is sweet and fun."

Sun (UK) on Doughnut

"One for physicists as well s Krispy Kreme-loving policemen."

T3 on Doughnut

"Blonde Bombshell is a clever, funny, tirelessly inventive, apocalyptic leg-hump of a book."

Christopher Moore

"Entertaining.... Holt has a zany humor that will appeal to fans of Terry Pratchett and Christopher Moore."—Library Journal on The Outsorcerer's Apprentice

"Holt adds to his repertoire of comedic sf, one of the most difficult genera acts to master. Theo is an engaging hero; his brilliance is counteracted by his laziness and his compassion, which is matched by his sense of survival. Place this title alongside Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman's Good Omens, Pratchett's "Discworld" series, and the absurdist works of mainstream authors such as John Barth and Gilbert Sorrentino."—Library Journal (Starred Review) on Doughnut

"A light read from the prolific humorist; a romp round the multiverse."—SFX on Doughnut

"Like the deep-fried snack after which it's named, this sci-fi novel is sweet and fun."—Sun (UK) on Doughnut

"Blonde Bombshell is a clever, funny, tirelessly inventive, apocalyptic leg-hump of a book."—Christopher Moore, New York Times bestselling author

"Tom Holt's Doughnut presents a roller-coaster ride through the world of physics and the origins of the universe."—Library Journal

"One for physicists as well s Krispy Kreme-loving policemen."—T3 on Doughnut

From the Publisher