I read this book at the recommendation of my sister, who has read every one of Martinez’s books. The novel follows the tribulations of “Never Dead Ned,” a man who begins the novel as an average guy with a desk job who is called upon to lead Ogre Company. This is a rag-tag company of ogres, goblins, seers, sirens, and all types of fantastical creatures. Their commanders have a talent for dying quickly. Luckily, Never Dead Ned can’t stay dead for long. Each time he dies (which he does frequently), a woman appears to revive him.
I can’t give away too much of the plot. Throughout most of it, Ned is trying to figure out what exactly is going on: Why has he been put in charge of Ogre Company? Why does a woman in red keep appearing to revive him every time he dies? Why can’t he just stay dead? Why does he feel lost? He finds his answer; you’ll just have to read the book to find out what it is!
My favorite element of the novel was its humor. I love how everything—even what seems to be simple jokes or pointless banter among the characters—ties together at the end. Sometimes the jokes are subtle; other times, they are obvious, but they’re always funny. I found myself having to explain to people in the room just why I was laughing out loud while reading a book. I enjoyed how Martinez took the typical fantasy stereotypes (which I don’t particularly enjoy) and played off of the clichés to create humor. For instance, a siren and an Amazon at one point are vying for the attention of Ned, who is so oblivious that he can’t tell they’re fighting over him. At another time, Ned removes all blunt and sharp objects from his office and hides, hoping to prevent himself from dying for the umpteenth time. Possibly my favorite instance of humor is when the budget of Ogre Company, which Ned has been tasked with balancing, is literally personified as an undulating monster he must subdue.
If you enjoy humor and fiction, you’ll enjoy this book. I look forward to reading more of Martinez’s work.
Back to the Future is my absolute favorite movie. In high school, I had a shrine in my room dedicated to anything BTTF I could find. A great inspiration for me as an author was the character of George McFly, an aspiring sci-fi writer/nerd who always shied away from confrontation and adversity until his son traveled back in time and helped him overcome that. Possibly my favorite scene in the novel is when George McFly (the George of 1985 after being visited by his son) receives a box of books–his first novel. As he hands a copy to his son, he reminds us all that “you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” I’ve wanted to be an author since I can remember, and I’ve been watching Back to the Future since I can remember. That quote and scene has always stuck with me, and when I received my first box of novels last year, I felt like George myself.
scepter found in Elysiel. To accomplish his goal, he marries Calli (a young woman from Elysiel). When she becomes pregnant and too sick to travel to Elysiel with him, he goes himself, meeting a gorgon in disguise and obtaining the crystal scepter. But his plan does not run smoothly. The scepter scars his hand, making it stiff and burning, and he can’t figure out how to wield it. To make matters worse, a prophesy has declared that his own son will kill him, just as he killed his father. Hearing the prophesy, he decides to kill his newborn son. Calli, learning of his plan just in time, sends the infant across the ocean in a trunk. The boy is found by a fisherman, who decides to raise the child as Perthin. It’s up to Perthin to discover his true identity and fulfill the destiny foretold by the seer.
