(Cross-posted from my goodreads.com profile of my review of Zorgamazoo by Robert Paul Weston & Victor Rivas )
I just finished reading this and I found it both charming and a little disappointing. I love weird fantasy with wordplay and wacky concepts like what you find in Alice in Wonderland and The Phantom Tollbooth. So you can imagine my excitement to read a book like this.
Made up creatures with Dr. Suess-esque names, an adventurous little girl out to solve a mystery, and on top of that it’s all in rhyming couplets? YES, YES, ALL OF THE YES!!
The book lost a few points early on when it used the whole “most people only use a small amount of their brain” nonsense to explain why so many people were unaware of the fantastical creatures that lived underground. A few more got taken away by how insistent the author was that this was a “true tale” and then went on to toot its own horn at the end of the book. Basically the narrator of the story was talking about how much praise the story itself received in universe.
I also felt that the problem was far too easily resolved and that while Katrina was lauded as being smart and clever, very little was done to actually show her being clever. The more antagonistic characters were also way too quick to change their tune and come around to helping Katrina and Morty.
I know it’s a children’s book so I expect the solution to come more easily but not after a mere two seconds of the characters thinking about it. If My Little Pony is anything to go by, children can handle far more complex characters and struggles and we don’t need changes of heart glossed over with just a couple lines of verse.
That being said I do applaud how the book didn’t shy away from the possibilities of death and thus bringing in a real sense of danger for the characters.
I also found it a fun and refreshing read, especially after the infuriating and boring slog that was Game of Thrones. I probably would have enjoyed this book a lot as a kid, especially since i was such a huge Dr. Suess fan and wish it played around more with made up words and creatures.
Overall i would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for some fun and whimsy in their fantasy novels.
Mars Wulf 