The Song of the Quarkbeast

The Chronicles of Kazam, Book 2

By: Jasper Fforde

Narrated by: Elizabeth Jasicki

Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's Summary

A long time ago magic faded away, leaving behind only yo-yos, the extremely useful compass-pointing-to-North enchantment and the spell that keep bicycles from falling over.

Things are about to change. Magical power is on the rise and King Snodd IV of Hereford has realised that he who controls magic controls almost anything. One person stands between Snodd and his plans for power and riches beyond the wildest dreams of avarice.

Meet Jennifer Strange, sixteen-year-old acting manager of Kazam, the employment agency for sorcerers and soothsayers. With only one functioning wizard and her faithful assistant 'Tiger' Prawns, Jennifer must use every ounce of ingenuity to derail King Snodd's plans. It may involve a trip on a magic carpet at the speed of sound to the Troll Wall, the mysterious Transient Moose, and a powerless sorceress named Once Magnificent Boo. But one thing is certain: Jennifer Strange will not relinquish the noble powers of magic to big business and commerce without a fight.

©2011 Jasper Fforde (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Narrator Elizabeth Jasicki imbues Jennifer's character with the strength and briskness appropriate for a 16-year-old who is entrusted with the financial security of Kazam and the welfare of the world's most powerful wizards. With an accent and surety reminiscent of Emma Watson's Hermione Granger, Jasicki rallies the team of eccentrics against rival company iMagic. She creates charming and earnest voices for Kazam's young assistant and wizard-in-training, as well as an array of fittingly peculiar voices for its wizards. The king and the plotting staff of iMagic are presented with a heavy dose of sanctimony and bravado. The quarkbeast utters only 'quark' but endears himself nonetheless." ( AudioFile)

A light entertainment for Fforde fans.

Where does The Song of the Quarkbeast rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Song of the Quarkbeast sits just above the middle-rank of the audiobooks I've listened to. It is a humorous story that will amuse fans already familiar with Jasper Fforde.

What did you like best about this story?

Fforde is true to form in this story, with scatterings of absurd British alternate history among the well-paced fantasy plot points. The story is best when dealing with the odd magic system and magical animal issues, and falters when exploring the sometimes uninteresting secondary characters.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator was quite good with exposition and the main character, but her male voices tended to slow, as if they were all elderly or mentally challenged.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

"A Ffetching Ffantasy"

Any additional comments?

Don't make this your first foray into the worlds of Jasper Fforde. For Young Adult, start with the first in this series (The Last Dragonslayer) and for mature readers you must read his better series, the Thursday Next novels (The Eyre Affair).

Great storyteller!

Any additional comments?

Fforde is a great storyteller. In this installment, we learn more about quarkbeasts as Jennifer Strange works to foil a coup attempt and keep magic users true to the axioms of their craft. Great listen; can't wait for the next book.

Another glorious adventure for Jennifer Strange

These books have been delightful and I am not one to use that word, but there is really no other way to describe it. Delightful. Absolutely delightful.

really enjoyable listen

Love listening to Elizabeth Jasicki put voice to the Chronicles of Kazam. The storyline is just quirky enough with a mix of magic and Jurassic Park for kids. Perfect for young teenagers and the young at heart ".AUDIBLE 20 REVIEW SWEEPSTAKES ENTRY"

brilliant, funny & exciting!

jasper fforde has a wicked sense of humor that is apparent in almost every paragraph he writes.
Elizabeth jesicki does a fairly good job as narrator, but fails to grasp that she may as well use her normal voice as many times as she does her abnormal ones for the many characters

Another quirky, clever story ffrom Fforde.

Jennifer continues to impress and amuse. As with other books by Fforde the story is compelling and stuffed with clever references.

lovely

I loved this book.
kuddos Mr Fforde.

the reason for the 4 stars was the narrator got a bit annoying on some of the voices...particularly the Once Magnificent Boo.

but who am I to criticize? I could not do HALF as well as she.

clever witty and well read overall

wonderful

just love these books. this one kept me guessing. quick wit make me smile and want more like this

Loved it

Jasper Fforde is one of the most humorous and creative writers of our time, brilliant!

I think it's better than the first book

I can't say whether it's my mood when I listened to the last book or when I listened to this one, but I've laughed out loud several times and smiled quite often which I'm sure has made a few people unnerved on the subway.
Once again, Jennifer Strange, manager of Kazam's group of sorcerers is being thwarted by those in power; the king and the Amazing Blix. While trying to keep Kazam afloat and from being absorbed into Blix's sphere of control she is also trying to help a wild Quark beast come over from Australia when hers died.
The mad cap adventures and utterly entertaining characters are in profusion but it is the wonderful wit of Fforde and makes the story even more delightful.
I highly recommend this one and find you don't need to read the first one to enjoy this one though the details from the previous book of course will add to experience.