Merlin and the last trump
By: Collin Webber.
Publisher: Gollancz; Orion Publishing Group, Limited
Published: 1993
Place of publication: London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 269
First sentence: ‘Dolt,’ screeched Merlin, his voice echoing over the sunlit wood¬lands and sending clouds of starlings clattering into the blue skies.
‘Fool,’ roared Merlin, and in the distant meadows flocks of sheep unfurled and rumbled like bleating storm clouds.
‘Ragwort. Thou art ragwort,’ thundered Merlin.
Across the valley the people of Camelot, wandering through
the market eyeing vegetables and livestock, mumbled idly, ‘Ribwash. Thou art ribwash.’
‘Ribwash,’ hissed Merlin. ‘Thou art ribwash.’
Description: One of the better samples of the Prachettesque genre, and then voted by TP himself into the final place in BBC2 Bookshop competition. An original and very funny alternative fantasy involving time travel, wizards, demons, jazz and the playing of The Last Trump which, in theory, would cause the end of the world, thwarted, of course, by Merlin, his loyal sidekick Griswold and a sad excuse for 20th century man called Dimmot, who is quite unaware of his awesome powers, until he gets to use them.
Oh, there are gnomes, too.
Notes: All queries to author at collinwebber@hotmail.com