October 28, 2019
In this entertaining yet underwhelming fantasy, a hapless orphan struggles to live up to the legacy set by his impressive but long-vanished father, once Dark Lord of the grim folk, while dealing with bullies and his own magical incompetence. Twelve-year-old Azrael Bal Gorath the Wicked, better known as Wick, is expected to assume his father’s throne and lead the “ogres, orcs, dragons, goblins, witches and warlocks,” but he can’t even succeed in Remedial Spell Casting, let alone garner respect and fear. When his father’s legendary scepter goes missing, Wick sets out to uncover the thief and find it in order to prove himself. Naturally, things go quickly awry, requiring Wick to master his powers once and for all. Presented in a faux-diary style complete with stylized illustrations by Altés that enhance the story’s whimsy, Wick narrates his mishaps in a put-upon, matter-of-fact manner. Johnston exaggerates fantasy tropes for comedic purposes—orcs are disgusting, goblins creatively malicious—and the narrative strikes a balance between dry humor and clumsy earnestness (“It’s hard to be into the whole ‘fire and brimstone’ thing when you’ve got allergies”) that lends the story an uneven feel. Ages 8–12.