The witchstone

The witchstone

Henry H. Neff

Book - 2024

"Meet Laszlo, eight-hundred-year-old demon and Hell's least productive Curse Keeper. From his office beneath Midtown, he oversees the Drakeford Curse, which involves a pathetic family upstate and a mysterious black monolith. It's a sexy enough assignment--colonial origins, mutating victims, et cetera--but Laszlo has no interest in maximizing the curse's potential; he'd rather sunbathe in Ibiza, quaff martinis, and hustle the hustlers on Manhattan's subway. Unfortunately, his division has new management, and Laszlo's ratings are so abysmal that he's given six days to shape up or he'll be melted down and returned to the Primordial Ooze. Meet Maggie Drakeford, nineteen-year-old Curse Bearer. All sh...e's ever known is the dreary corner of the Catskills where the Drakeford Curse has devoured her father's humanity and is rapidly laying claim to her own. The future looks hopeless, until Laszlo appears at the Drakeford farmhouse one October night and informs them that they have six days--and six days only--to break the spell before it becomes permanent. Can Maggie trust the glib and handsome Laszlo? Of course not. But she also can't pass up an opportunity to save her family, even if it means having a demon as a guide ... Thus begins a breakneck international adventure that takes our unlikely duo from a hot dog stand in Central Park to the mountains of Liechtenstein, a five-star hotel in Zurich, and even the time-traveling vault of a demonic crime boss. As the clock ticks down, tough-as-nails Maggie and conniving Laszlo will uncover a secret so profound that what began as a farcical quest to break a curse will eventually threaten the very Lords of Hell." - (dust jacket)

Saved in:
Place a Hold Save to List Email this
1 being processed

1st Floor New Shelf Show me where

SCIENCE FICTION/Neff Henry
0 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
1st Floor New Shelf SCIENCE FICTION/Neff Henry (NEW SHELF) Due Feb 6, 2025
Subjects
Occultism > Fiction.
Blessing and cursing > Fiction.
Cursed objects > Fiction.
Flaneurs > Fiction.
Slackers > Fiction.
Demonology > Fiction.
Paranormal fiction.
Humorous stories.
Midtown Manhattan (New York, N.Y.) > Fiction.
Liechtenstein > Fiction.
Fantasy fiction.
Action and adventure fiction.
Novels.
Genres
Fantasy fiction
Paranormal fiction
Action and adventure fiction
Novels
Published
Ashland, OR : Blackstone Publishing 2024.
Language
English
Main Author
Henry H. Neff (author)
Edition
First edition
Physical Description
462 pages ; 24 cm
ISBN
9798212015547
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Lazlo is terrible at his job. This hasn't been a problem for the last century, but it is a problem today. Today the Ancient and Infernal Society of Curse Keepers is being audited, and as Curse Keeper Number 923, he's up for review. Now Lazlo has "one Hell week" to prove his worth and avoid being eliminated. Ever the wily demon, Lazlo comes up with a plan: find the unfortunate humans carrying the curse he's supposed to be keeping, convince them he's on their side, then double-cross them and maximize their suffering. Unfortunately for Lazlo, Maggie and Lump Drakeford have minds--and plans--of their own. So much more than urban fantasy, The Witchstone takes readers on a sometimes horrifying, often hilarious adventure across Europe and New York on a quest to break a curse and redeem a demon. This first adult novel from middle-grade author Neff (Impyrium, 2016) is a good fit for readers who enjoy a healthy dose of humor with their fantasy and don't mind a bit of body horror.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

YA fantasy novelist Neff (the Tapestry series) makes his adult debut with this incandescently funny glimpse of hell on Earth, starring Paul Newman look-alike and 800-year-old demon Laszlo. A Class III Curse Keeper, Laszlo's responsible for the torment of 19-year-old human Maggie Drakeford, a plucky Catskills Curse Bearer. Maggie's family has largely adjusted to the centuries-old curse hanging over their heads that dooms each member to transform into a horrible monster by 20. Indeed, lounge lizard Laszlo's so ineffective at inflicting despair that his new boss gives him six days to shape up or be liquefied back into the primordial ooze from whence all demons crawl. Laszlo's next move? To reveal himself to Maggie and offer to help her break the curse. To do so, they must free a mighty spirit locked in the legendary Witchstone. Maggie's eager to avert her fate, but Laszlo has his own agenda, which involves both his job and his relationship with his fiendish father, Lord Baal, who is Lucifer's top rival. Maggie and Laszlo quest across Europe and back to the Catskills amid both belly laughs and heart-tugging moments as Laszlo, aided by an Italian priest, gradually becomes more human and Maggie takes on magical energies to protect her family. The result is a glorious romp that's clever enough to keep readers infernally entertained. (June)

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review

Laszlo is an 800-year-old demon with a penchant for card games and a decided lack of ambition. He's in charge of keeping a cursed family down in the depths of despair, but after so many years, the family has gotten used to turning into monsters. Then Laszlo's boss summons him for a meeting in which he watches helplessly as his friend is turned into goo, and he's informed that his numbers aren't up to snuff. Neff's (Impyrium) latest sounds grim but it isn't, more like a Dynasty with magic. Laszlo gets a week to redeem himself, which gives the novel a tight structure that keeps up the tension. When Laszlo meets Maggie, they set off on a spirited adventure full of strange places and screwball errors. The novel brings to mind the fabulous early days of Terry Pratchett's Discworld mixed with The Office's winking sensibility. VERDICT Neff's rollicking fantasy novel is a hilarious delight, filled with fun twists and turns and a demon to root for.--Jeremiah Rood

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Similar Items