Wildly inventive fantasy fun, with no clear rules.

Great for fans of Genevieve Cogman, T. Kingfisher.

SF/FANTASY/HORROR How to Fix a Flubbed Summon L.N. Clarke | PNaughtobelus Books, LLC 342p, trade paper, $15.99, ISBN 979-8-9862466-0-4

Clarke’s elaborate debut fantasy offers spirited humor, fresh and winning language, and a spirit of go-for-broke invention as it mixes surprises and perspectives in a somewhat chaotic solution. In the town of Wontmoil, apothecary Growina Crowe is lonely, so when witch friend Margaret Bograven gives her a discarded grimoire, Growina attempts to cast the spell “To summon an otherworldly companion.” But Growina knows she’s not a witch: she skips some parts and is accident prone around burning candles and boiling over tea. Soon the local bank places a bounty on the mystery beast that ate off its locks. The bounty hunting Team Wontmoil is formed, consisting of Growina; the condescending wizard Theo; the three witch Bograven Sisters; and twin space aliens Zizel and Zemni who can create a physical object out of whatever word they speak.

As that summary suggests, Clarke’s world building draws from many genres and traditions, a mash-up approach whose moment-to-moment fun at times lacks context and coherence. The sense of a story getting out of hand, in fact, is written into the plot. The point of view switches from Growina to that of Florian Honeybeard, a female impersonator thespian who is kidnapped by mercenaries who mistake him for a soothsayer. Coerced into guiding leader Captain Beatrix Bodkins to a fortune, Florian invents an accidentally prophetic story about a tentacled beast wreaking havoc in Wontmoil. Bodkin, riding a chair with animated monster legs, drags Florian in pursuit, along with painter Wardric, whose artwork creates in reality whatever he paints, and a ghost made of sand in a box.

These many elements also collide in a fantasy world where nearly anything can happen with few clear rules. Readers invested in traditional plotting may wander, but many inventions here engage. Growina is a sympathetic character who yearns to get out of her shell, be useful, and make friends. The bats that carry messages like carrier pigeons and excerpts from the Lazy Botanist’s Guide are bold, fun touches.

Cover: A | Design & typography: A | Illustrations: – Editing: A- | Marketing copy: A