Official Review: Off to See the Wizard by Clay Johnson

[dhaller]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Off to See the Wizard" by Clay Johnson.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Properly describing Clay Johnson’s Off to See the Wizard is a lot like trying to explain the color purple to an anemic shoe box. You’re not likely to get very far, is what I’m saying. However, in the interests of this review, I’m going to try and do my best.

Off to See the Wizard is set in the land of the 16 realms, a parody of high fantasy classics filled with subverted tropes and…ahem…colorful characters. The story is told in frame, as said characters give their testimony of the events that take place over the course of the novel to the Grand Inquisitor, aka the reader. What unfurls is one of the most hilarious sequence of screw-ups I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading.

It begins when Krevassius, Demon Lord of the ‘Misery Reach’ (the appropriately desolate prison land for all the degenerates of the 16 realms) sets out to woo the Misery Reach’s newest denizen, the Sorceress Nestra. Upon receiving questionable advice from the Misery Reach’s (self-appointed) matchmaker, Krevassius decides that, in order to gain the Sorceress’s attention, he needs to do something big. Specifically, and I quote: “End of the world big.”

So Krevassius, Demon Lord of the Misery Reach (who’d really rather have been a baker, all things considered) unleashes the curse of the Blood Chalice on the world, causing 1) a dwarf and a flock of crows to explode, and 2) the dead to rise from the grave and attack the living. All in an effort to get into a woman’s skirts. Which works, but, you know, zombies.

This leads us to the heroic team who assemble to find a way to stop the zombie threat: Galbraith, the wizard, who has perfected the art of running away. Azreal Gormrunner, the kitchen boy, a troubled soul deeply burdened by how no one seems to appreciate his poetic masterpieces. Harvey, the greatest swordsman in the world, who can’t for the life of him remember where he put his sword. Cassithelia, an elf-princess in training with something of a drinking problem. And Illena Borovcheck, Galbraith’s girlfriend and likely the only sane member of the group.

As you can see, this isn’t your typical fantasy adventure.

Personally, I enjoyed Off to See the Wizard immensely, to the point that people would stare at me on the train as I guffawed. Johnson combines great characterization with an eye for overturning the cliches that plague common works of high fantasy. His villains are relatable, even likable three-dimensional characters who don’t think of themselves as bad guys, per se. His heroes aren’t the most heroic bunch, but I found myself…if not rooting for them, then at least kicking back, breaking out the popcorn and cheering for their screw-ups.

Johnson does run into some problems with editing; I found several grammar and spelling issues, and occasionally the story became hard to follow as character perspectives changed and various unreliable narrators disagreed with each other over what happened.

That aside, I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard. For instance, one of Galbraith the Wizard’s more droll lines: “Um…Excuse me gentlemen, but I think we have a slight problem. I do believe the dead once more hunger for the living,” had me rolling on the floor.

I rate Off to See the Wizard 4 out of 4 stars. It isn’t quite perfect; there are some technical issues with it, but on the whole, Johnson executes his parody with a deft hand and a clear love for the genre. The characters were brilliantly done, the adventure was well paced and hilarious, and most importantly, it was so much fun to read. I don’t like to rate books 4 out of 4 stars unless they’re exceptionally good, but this one really surprised me. If you’re in the mood for an adventure and a whole lot of laughs, this is the book for you.

(A small aside: this book contains adult themes and language. Very funny adult themes and language, but still. Reader discretion is advised.)

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Off to See the Wizard
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Like dhaller's review? Post a comment saying so!

[kimmyschemy06]

Your enthusiasm is contagious. This sounds like a very interesting book with delightful characters. I hope I get the chance to read it. Great job on the review.

[ravenswoodpublishing]

Fantastic review! Thank you so much. I'm the publisher of the book and Clay is indeed a hoot to work with. I'm very happy that you enjoyed the book and hope others will too! With your permission, I'd love to put your review on his book page on our site.

Have a wonderful week!

Kitty Honeycutt (Ravenswood Publishing)

[dhaller]

Fantastic review! Thank you so much. I'm the publisher of the book and Clay is indeed a hoot to work with. I'm very happy that you enjoyed the book and hope others will too! With your permission, I'd love to put your review on his book page on our site.

Have a wonderful week!

Kitty Honeycutt (Ravenswood Publishing)

That's awesome! You have my permission to put my full review on your cite. My full name is Daniel Haller. Let me know when you've put the review up; I'd love to see it on your site.

-- 10 Apr 2016, 02:10 --

Your enthusiasm is contagious. This sounds like a very interesting book with delightful characters. I hope I get the chance to read it. Great job on the review.

Thanks! I had a lot of fun reading the book and writing the review.

[Insomniac07]

Awesome review. The book sounds really quirky and interesting.

[gali]

Fantastic review! Thank you so much. I'm the publisher of the book and Clay is indeed a hoot to work with. I'm very happy that you enjoyed the book and hope others will too! With your permission, I'd love to put your review on his book page on our site.

Have a wonderful week!

Kitty Honeycutt (Ravenswood Publishing)

That's awesome! You have my permission to put my full review on your cite. My full name is Daniel Haller. Let me know when you've put the review up; I'd love to see it on your site.

Please note that reviews are exclusive to this site. You or the publisher should contact @Scott about this matter, if he wants to put the review on his site.

[Clay Johnson]

FYI:

Off to See the Wizard will be free on Amazon Monday 4/18 and Tuesday 4/19. If you like the sound of it, pick one up.

[gali]

FYI:

Off to See the Wizard will be free on Amazon Monday 4/18 and Tuesday 4/19. If you like the sound of it, pick one up.

Cool, thank you.

[Heidi M Simone]

Wonderful and well-written review, dhaller! It really sounds like a fun read!

Congratulations to the author for such a positive and enthusiastic review!

Also, thank you, Clay Johnson, for not only writing such an entertaining book, but putting it up for free on Amazon! Got mine!

[shelley_soetosenojo]

Thank you for the clear and very catchy review. And also thank you for the tip on Amazon.