The book: Jennifer Strange is acting manager for the Kazam agency of magicians in the Kingdom of Hereford - as the manager himself has disappeared under mysterious (and slightly shocking) circumstances. In a world where magicians have to cope with the realities of life, she books them jobs like the re-wiring of houses and the unblocking of drains; but always with an eye on possible good PR and threats of litigation. Then several magicians get powerful precognitions of a momentous event - which will have political as well of magical consequences. Jenny has to try and change the future - which might have some unforeseen results, of course...
The writer: Jasper Fforde (b. 1961) has written five books in the 'Thursday Next' series, two in the 'Nursery Crimes' series, and 'Shades of Grey'.
My opinion: this is, for Fforde, a slim offering: 281 pages in quite large print. Maybe it is meant for the teen market? Whatever the purpose, it is still very Fforde: imaginative in a very lateral way, full of jokes, puns, swipes at trashy multinationals, politicians and media people, and a runaway adventure. It feels to me more like a novella than a book; a nice story, but it lacks the complexity and depth of Thursday Next and Shades of Grey. Those were Big Ideas worked out very neatly; this one feels like a medium-sized idea worked out quickly. Unless you are really into dragons and magic, which, I suppose, goes for several hundred million HP fans...
All in all, this is nice - but not as good as his best; that still means better than most, though. Fforde is an acquired taste - once acquired, and used in moderation, it is a treat, a hoot, and a joy!
Postscript: I have checked his website, and this is a book for Young Adults. So who's that, then? I'm adult and feel young (I'm not really), and I've read it with moderate pleasure - so that's allright then. There are also apps to go with the book, RSS feeds, the full works. I don't read these things before I write my review, because I don't want to be influenced!