The Stranger's Magic

by Max Frei, Polly Gannon (Translator), Ast A. Moore (Translator)

Overview

The addictive next book by the fantastical bestselling Max Frei the Labyrinths of Echo series–the adventures of Sir Max, who was once a loser but discovers a new world–has been an international literary sensation since its debut.
In this new book, Sir Max once again travels to the enchanted parallel world of Echo, where magic is commonplace and where he fits right in. Plunging back into the astounding realm first portrayed in The Stranger (Fandomania.com's #1 Book of 2009) and continued in The Stranger's Woes, Frei's new work that blends fantasy, horror, philosophy, and comedy. Readers will welcome this "utterly original" (Bookslut) volume of the new adventures of Sir Max

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590204795
Publisher:	The Overlook Press
Publication date:	07/19/2012
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.36(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Max Frei is the author of the internationally bestselling Labyrinths of Echo series, of which over two million copies have been sold in Russia alone, as well as books on literature and art. He lives in Lithuania.

Editorial Reviews

The pseudonymous Frei’s third Labyrinths of Echo magical adventure (after The Stranger and The Stranger’s Woes) is unpredictable, mysterious, and full of surprises. Revenge motivates “pretty boy” Nennurex Kiexla to infiltrate the secret police and kill Sir Max, a powerfully witty investigator with the Secret Investigative Force who tracks down illegal magic and trespassing monsters from other worlds. Despite the efforts of investigators, a rider has straddled the back of Sir Shurf and used him as a vehicle to invade Sir Max’s dreams. The characters have the ability to borrow or share sleep, insinuate themselves into dreams, use thought to paint a picture, or even commit murder by exercising mind control. Readers will be entranced by the complex world, though they may frequently need to go back and reread earlier sections to make sense of later ones, and will enjoy Sir Max’s unusual methods of investigation. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Impossible to put down . . . The Stranger's Woes served up exactly what I was craving for . . . wildly imaginative and entertaining

Fantasy Book Critic

Fans of Jasper Fforde and Susanna Clarke will happily jump into Frei's world.

USA Today

Known for quirky humor, hair-raising adventures, and a unique style and tone, the Echo series proves well worth the reader's efforts.

Booklist

"Fans of Jasper Fforde and Susanna Clarke will happily jump into Frei's world." — USA Today

"Impossible to put down . . . The Stranger's Woes served up exactly what I was craving for . . . wildly imaginative and entertaining" — Fantasy Book Critic

"Known for quirky humor, hair-raising adventures, and a unique style and tone, the Echo series proves well worth the reader's efforts." — Booklist

"Unpredictable, mysterious, and full of surprises. Readers will be entranced by the complex world . . . and will enjoy Sir Max's unusual methods of investigation." — Publishers Weekly

"There are moments that might have come from the pages of Douglas Adams, others that wouldn't be out of place in Alice in Wonderland." — Kirkus

From the Publisher

Cigarette-huffing magician bad boy Max Frei, the fictional character, returns in this latest by Max Frei (The Stranger, 2009, etc.), the author. There are reasons to worry that Frei's (the author's) schtick is getting a little thin: Frei (the character) spends most of his time mugging and smirking, though he's come into some good luck by having been placed in a position of power in the Unified Kingdom, chasing around the ever-weird city of Echo "to investigate cases of illegal magic and battle trespassing monsters from other worlds." This being a work out of Russia, let's not forget the job of picking on travelers, too: "I still can't explain why a bunch of grungy gypsy women made me so furious." But "picking on" isn't quite right, not when "annihilating" is the better word: "Moments later, everything was over: an unattractive heap of assorted colorful rags lay on the sand, and I moved onward." But never mind the discomfiting politics; Frei (the character) eventually finds his stride and investigates some proper capers, including the possibility of a palace coup, an attempted murder and a bungled burglary. Frei (the author) works under some long shadows; there are moments that might have come from the pages of Douglas Adams, others that wouldn't be out of place in Alice in Wonderland. Frei (the author) relies on his by-now-trademark goofiness and a lot of witty back-and-forth to move his story along, but in the end, the plot is messy and not well-resolved--leaving room, of course, for yet another volume in the Labyrinths of Echo series. Literate, silly fun, though the reader might wish for a little more energetic storytelling and a little less japery.

Kirkus Reviews