The Mad Genius of Walter Moers, author of THE ALCHEMASTER'S APPRENTICE, in Omnivoracious

Omnivoracious book blogger Jeff VanderMeer pays tribute to the "Mad Genius of Walter Moers:"

"The Overlook Press should get some kind of special dispensation from Heaven for bringing readers so many great books, and especially the work of German genius Walter Moers. For pure reading pleasure, nothing really beats his The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear, Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures, and The City of Dreaming Books. It's not just the incredible level of imagination on display in the text--it's also the stunning artwork that not only complements the writing but helps, in its own way, to tell the story. And what stories! Twisted, wild, brutally humorous and at times more serious than you might think, Moers as storyteller is a true original, a one-off whose sensibility and talent cannot be duplicated.

Now he's back with The Alchemaster's Apprentice. In this new crackpot adventure, set in Malaisea, a backward town of Zamonia, Echo the Crat is forced into a contract with Ghoolion the Alchemaster that calls for him to be rendered for his fat in a month's time. Yes, you read that correctly. Fat-rendering will occur, unless Echo can find some way out of the contract--which he attempts by consulting with creatures far and wide. Echo, you see, can speak in the language of every species. What species? Well, this is Moers, so they include Leathermice, Cogitating Eggs, the Cooked Ghost, and more!"