YEAR OF THE HORSE and THE ALCHEMASTER'S APPRENTICE in Philadelphia Weekly Press

Philadelphia Weekly Press includes two Overlook titles in the December round-up of Science Fiction, or nearly science fiction, books - The Alchemaster's Apprentice by Walter Moers and Year of the Horse by Justin Allen.

"Walter Moers works in a surreal fantasy world that has a unique logic to its background. Diseases inflict the city of Malaisia. Ghoolion, the alchemist-in chief, lives in an ancient castle and collects fat from rare animals. When the talking cat (crat) Echo, who may be the last of his kind, is turned out on the street when his mistress dies; he is near starvation when Ghoolian makes him an offer. He’ll be fed and amused for one full moon, and then killed for his fat. It seems a good deal at first because death is near, but as Echo recovers from the street he soon wants to break his contract. Ghoolion tells Echo his secrets as he prepares marvelous meals, making Echo The Alchemaster’s Apprentice. Echo, like all crats, can talk in any language, so he talks to the blood drinking, bat-like, leathermice; and the wise owl on the roof, Theodore T. Theodore. Soon he is working with the last Ugly in the town, Ghoolian’s enemy, a woman secretly in love with Ghoolian. I was so caught up in the tale that I had to sneak a peak at the end to discover if Echo did, indeed survive. This is a children’s book for adults who want to remember the joy of youth, but want more complexity."

"Justin Allen has translated the Hobbit into a western coming-of-age novel in The Year of the Horse. Our hero is a fifteen-year-old Chinese boy born on the banks of the great river in the St. Frances Chinatown, Tzu-lu. A great gun-fighter (wizard) comes to town to deal with Lu’s alchemist grandfather, and Lu finds himself volunteered to go on an expedition to find hidden gold. Gollem is present as an Indian chief, but the magic bullets come from Pecos Bill, which was a nice touch. There are also references to Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. The main villain is Old Scratch, i.e. Satan. The quoted reviewers didn’t catch the parallels with the classic tale because the magic is kept to a minimum, and they also didn’t catch on to the fact that the background is not quite our America. Lots of fun."

More Praise for THE ALCHEMASTER'S APPRENTICE and the Zamonia Novels of Walter Moers

Another rave review for the great Walter Moers and his new novel The Alchemaster's Apprentice: "Moers is a German author and cartoonist who has had five books translated into English (four of which are set in Zamonia). The most recent being The Alchemaster’s Apprentice. These books can be read in any order, so don’t worry about starting with the newest book first. What Moers has done is set about exploring Zamonia – so while characters may make cameos in eachothers’ stories, this is not a chronologically told tale. You will not be following the continuing saga of one single character or event through a series of books. Instead, with each story the reader is allowed to pop in and out of different sections and cities of Zamonia. You learn about Wolpertings and Crats, Lindworms and Blue Bears, Shark Grubs and more. You’ll visit Bookholm, the Netherworld and, in this newest adventure, Malaisea.

And the cause of all this sickness is Ghoolion the Terrible, the Alchemaster of the book’s title and resident of the creepy-looking castle. Echo, a Crat (looks like a cat, but can speak any language and has two livers), is our hero. After his mistress’ death he is left to starve on the streets of Malaisea. Ghoolion finds Echo and offers him a Faustian bargain. Until the full moon he will feed Echo the most delicious foods the Crat has ever eaten and teach Echo all his alchemical secrets. Then, at month’s end, Ghoolion will render Echo down for his fat to use in experiments (Crat fat being extremely rare). Seeing no other option other than starvation, Echo agrees.

Moers is not only an inventive writer, he is also a very funny one. As the story progresses, Ghoolion (not without a certain charisma) and Echo form a demented odd couple. The Alchemaster more than keeps to his part of the bargain – and the two main characters seem to develop a mutual respect which borders on friendship. Their interactions, even moreso than Echo’s quest to break his contract, really propel the plot forward. (In fact, if it wasn’t for the whole killing the Crat for his fat and torturing the citizens of Malaisea with fear and disease – we’d be rooting for team Ghoolian).

The subtitle of The Alchemaster’s Apprentice is A Culinary Tale from Zamonia – and the Zamonian delicacies Ghoolion prepares for Echo are an important (as well as entertaining) element of the story (What comes next is one of the funniest scenes in the book, but we won’t ruin it for you). The Alchemaster’s Apprentice is a story that you lose yourself in – the very definition of escapist literature. It has a cast of supporting characters and settings – all examples of Zamonian flora and fauna – that will fascinate and enchant you. And when you finish, we promise you’ll want to get the rest of the series: Rumo and His Miraculous Adventures; The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Blue Bear, and The City of Dreaming Books. You can pass them on to your friends or just wait for them to discover the books themselves. Suggestions: The Zamonia novels are perfect to share with the little people in your life. Whether as a bedtime story that won’t put you to sleep, or just to give you something to talk about on the car trip to the grandparents (nothing like discussing Leathermice philosophy with your favorite tween) – there’s something here for everyone."

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!"

Another Rave for Walter Moers's THE ALCHEMASTER'S APPRENTICE

The Mad Hatter's Bookshelf, one of our favorite sci-fi and fantasy blogs, pays tribute the new novel by Walter Moers, The Alchemaster's Apprentice: "There are few authors who get me as excited about a new release as Moers since his The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Blue Bear is probably my favorite comic Fantasy of the last decade. A new Walter Moers book means I put aside whatever I am doing and start reading with a profuse amount of breaks for laughter. I'm always amazed by how good the translations by John Brownjohn are for these books as Moers is known for creating words and tweaking many others to his twisted pen. Accompanied by dozens of illustrations by Moers The Alchemaster's Apprentice is the fourth Zamonia novel after The City of Dreaming Books ,which keeps to the same high quality as previous books. The series to this point has been far sweeping stories that explore the lost continent whether it be across the land or under it, however the latest entrant breaks from that mold as it stays in the just one place, which is the unhealthiest city in Zamonia, Malaisea, where the resident Alchemaster Ghoolian reigns over the sickly populace. The Alchemaster's Apprentice is the most intimate and shortest tale to date, but is no less entertaining for its brevity. . . The Alchemaster's Apprentice is a dark fairy tale for adults that keeps you laughing even through the most gruesome of parts. The ending was a bit expected, but the journey to get there what the fun is all about. I give The Alchemaster's Apprentice 9 out of 10 Hats."

THE ALCHEMASTER'S APPRENTICE by Walter Moers in Booklist

The Alchemaster's Apprentice is the new novel from Walter Moers, the world renowned German author of novels and comics. Following in the steps of The 131/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear, Rumo, and The City of Dreaming Books, The Alchemaster's Apprentice takes readers back to that favorite place: Zamonia.

Booklist offers a preview in the September 1 issue: "In another fascinating fantasy, Moers takes us to Malaisea, the sickest place in all Zamonia. Echo, a crat (much like a cat, except it talks), recently bereft of his mistress and thrown out on the street to fend for himself, makes a deal with Ghoolion the Alchemaster, who terrorizes the city: in exchange for a month of entertainment and delightful food, Ghoolion can kill Echo and render his fat at the next full moon. Despite some false starts, the curious and likable Echo makes a variety of interesting new friends, learns some of the Alchemaster’s best-hidden secrets, and even comes up with a plan to save himself. Among his friends are the revolutionary tuwituwu Theodore T. Theodore and a colony of leathermice named Vlad; both teach Echo valuable lessons in startling ways. Meanwhile, he eats some of the strangest and most delectable food imaginable. Moers has created an absolutely charming world populated by lovable characters, and the well-paced stories he tells about it are informed by fairy-tale morality."

Starred Review in PW for THE ALCHEMASTER'S APPRENTICE by Walter Moers

Publishers Weekly has given the new Walter Moers novel The Alchemaster's Apprentice a starred review in next week's issue: "Moers’s elegantly written fourth stand alone comic fantasy set in Zamonia (after 2008’s The City of Dreaming Books) takes us to the city of Malaisea, where everyone is sick except for two characters: Echo, a Crat (a talking cat, more or less), and Ghoolion, an evil alchemist likely responsible for Malaisea’s afflictions. Crat and alchemist cross paths when the starving Echo is offered a month of food, entertainment and alchemical secrets, after which Ghoolion will kill him to boil down his fat. Ghoolion proves a magically masterful chef, and Echo quickly becomes fascinated by Ghoolion’s work, particularly the morphic meals that seem to transform Echo into different creatures. Secrets are revealed, old bodies unearthed and strange allies made in this entrancing tale of darkness, determined survival and incredibly luxurious cuisine."

New in Paperback: THE CITY OF DREAMING BOOKS by Walter Moers

New in paperback this month is another zany adventure in the land of Zamonia from Walter Moers: The City of Dreaming Books. Moers got the idea to write this novel after visiting second-hand bookshops on the East Coast of the United States. The German version was released in Fall 2004, and the English version from Overlook followed in Fall 2007. Publishers Weekly called The City of Dreaming Books "an uproarious fantasy, a delightfully imaginative mélange of Shel Silverstein zaniness and oddball anthropomorphism à la Terry Pratchett's Discworld. . . .Enchanting illustrations by the author compliment a wonderfully whimsical story that will appeal to readers of all ages."

Overlook Preview: A WILD RIDE THROUGH THE NIGHT by Walter Moers

Walter Moers, author of The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear, Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures, and The City of Dreaming Books, is back with a tumultous tale of a little boy and his encounter with Death - an utterly delightful story inspired by twenty-one woodcuts by the inimitable Gustave Dore, one of the most extraordinary illustrators of the nineteenth century. A Wild Ride Through the Night is a lively and inventive story for readers of all ages. On sale in September 2008.