Arriman the Awful, wizard of the North, is tired. He would like to be able to retire from blighting and smiting, blasting and wuthering, and generally being the nastiest wizard ever known. The trouble is, who would perform all the necessary and evil black magic, if not Arriman? The gypsy Esmeralda has predicted that the wizard 'cometh,' who could take on all of Arriman's tasks, but that wizard has not yet arrived. The answer, say Lester, his ogre butler, and Leadbetter, his tailed secretary, is to marry and have a child who would one day take over for Arriman. To find the bride, Leadbetter organizes a contest, based on the Miss World pageant, among the seven local witches. The contestants include Mabel Wrack, a half-mermaid who performs fishy magic, Mother Bloodwort, who is so old she has forgotten more magic than she has ever known, the Shouter twins, who hate each other, Ethel Feedbag, who has begun to look like her pig familiar, Belladonna, a white witch, and Madame Olympia, who has buried seven husbands. Is it possible that Arriman can find a bride among them? And does the wizard cometh? This is a great tongue-in-cheek fantasy.
Similar authors: Roald Dahl
Date read: 11/18/2010
ISBN-10: 0525461647
ISBN-13: 9780525461647
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