A. Lee Martinez

Gil's All Fright Diner — (2005) Publisher: Bloodier than Fried Green Tomatoes! Funnier than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre! Welcome to Gil's All Night Diner, where zombie attacks are a regular occurrence and you never know what might be lurking in the freezer... Duke and Earl are just passing through Rockwood county in their pick-up truck when they stop at the Diner for a quick bite to eat. They aren't planning to stick around-until Loretta, the eatery's owner, offers them $100 to take care of her zombie problem. Given that Duke is a werewolf and Earl's a vampire, this looks right up their alley. But the shambling dead are just the tip of a particularly spiky iceberg. Seems someone's out to drive Loretta from the Diner, and more than willing to raise a little Hell on Earth if that's what it takes. Before Duke and Earl get to the bottom of the Diner's troubles, they'll run into such otherworldly complications as undead cattle, an amorous ghost, a jailbait sorceress, and the terrifying occult power of pig-latin. And maybe — just maybe — the End of the World, too. Gory, sexy, and flat-out hilarious, Gil's All Fright Diner will tickle your funnybone — before ripping it out of its socket!

In the Company of Ogres — (2006) Publisher: An uproarious new novel in the tradition of Robert Asprin and Terry Pratchett! For someone who's immortal, Never Dead Ned manages to die with alarming frequency — he just has the annoying habit of rising from the grave. But this soldier might be better dead than face his latest assignment. Ogre Company is the legion's dumping ground — a motley, undisciplined group of monsters whose leaders tend to die under somewhat questionable circumstances. That's where Ned's rather unique talents come in. As Ogre Company's newly appointed commander, Ned finds himself in charge of such fine examples of military prowess as a moonstruck Amazon, a very big (and very polite) two-headed ogre, a seductively scaly siren, a blind oracle who can hear (and smell) the future, a suicidal goblin daredevil pilot, a walking tree with a chip on its shoulder, and a suspiciously goblinesque orc. Ned has only six months to whip the Ogre Company into shape or face an even more hideous assignment, but that's not the worst of his problems. Because now that Ned has found out why he keeps returning from dead, he has to do everything he can to stay alive... In the Company of Ogres does for fantasy, what A. Lee Martinez's previous novel, Gil's All Fright Diner, did for horror — and elves and goblins may never be the same!

In the Company of Ogres

When I read fantasy comedy, I compare it to Terry Pratchett. In many ways, In the Company of Ogres resembles many of Pratchett's Discworld novels in the sense that a) it actually is quite funny and b) it makes fun of existing fantasy tropes and elements.

A. Lee Martinez, however, has his own distinguishable style which is evident in In the Company of Ogres. His writing style is quite functional and isn't weighed down with flowery prose or detailed descriptions. In fact, perhaps some would say it can be too sparse at times and relies on the reader's familiarity with fantasy clichés.

As for the plot, I was impressed that Martinez manages to successfully juggle three antagonists. And, despite the impression that it's a funny novel, In the Company of Ogres can get dark at times. The moments when the characters are serious are truly dramatic and Martinez is careful about not spoiling the scene by randomly throwing in a satiric episode.

Overall In the Company of Ogres is an enjoyable read full of action and character growth. If you're looking for something to tickle your funny bone that has an actual story, you might want to check out In the Company of Ogres. —Charles (guest)   Comments
FanLit thanks Charles Tan from Bibliophile Stalker for contributing this guest review.

A Nameless Witch — (2007) Publisher: A tale of vengeance, true love, and cannibalism. Being born undead can have its disadvantages, such as eternal youth and flawless beauty —things most unsuitable for a witch. Hiding behind the guise of a grimy old crone, the witch is content living outside Fort Stalwart with her unlikely band of allies: a troll named Gwurm, an enchanted broom, and a demonic duck named Newt. She leads a simple life filled with spells, potions, and the occasional curse. So when a White Knight arrives at Fort Stalwart, the witch knows her days of peace are at an end. The Knight is just days in front of a horde of ravenous goblings, and Fort Stalwart lies right in the horde’s path. But the goblings are just the first wave of danger, and soon the witch and the Knight must combine forces on a perilous quest to stop a mad sorcerer from destroying the world. Filled with menace, monsters, and magic, A Nameless Witch is a properly witchly read by the award-winning author of Gil’s All Fright Diner and In the Company of Ogres.

Too Many Curses — (2008) Publisher: The wizard Margle the Horrendous takes special pride in never killing his enemies. Instead, he transforms them into various accursed forms and locks them away in his castle. His halls are filled with his collection of fallen heroes and defeated villains, along with a few ordinary folk who were just unfortunate enough to draw Margle ’s attention. It’s Nessy’s duty to tend this castle. It’s a lot of work, but she manages, taking pride in housekeeping talents that keep the castle from collapsing into chaos. But when Margle suddenly dies, everything begins to unravel. Nessy finds herself surrounded by monsters, curses, a door that should never be opened, and one very deadly dark wizardess. Nessy doesn’t have might or magic on her side; she’s just a kobold: short, furry, and sensible. Her allies aren’t much better: a voice without a body, an angry fruit bat, a monster under her bed, a wizard in a jar (or some of him, anyway), and a one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple, people eater. It would be smarter to walk away, but taking care of the castle is Nessy’s job, and that’s just what she intends to do. If only she could find time to polish the silver while beating back the forces of darkness.

Monster — (2009) Pest Control isn’t just for the raccoon in your attic, it’s also for the yeti gobbling down ice cream in the freezer of your local grocery store. When Judy has a run in with her first yeti, she calls Monster, the only pest control specialist qualified to handle such a situation. But Monster has his own home-grown problems, like his new workload, a hectoring assistant, and a succubus girlfriend from Hell — literally. With more and more creatures appearing around the city, it will be up to Monster and Judy to throw aside their differences, figure out what exactly is going on in their town, how they can stop it, and why it just might mean the end of the world as they know it.

Monster

In this humorous paranormal fantasy, a young human by the name of Monster works for a subsidiary of the local animal control services. This agency locates and captures cryptobiologicals: "things that go bump in the night." Aptly named Monster hunts and captures trolls, unicorns, yetis, dragons and all sorts of animals with his employee, a sixth dimension paper gnome.

Monster's life is thrown upside down when he meets Judy, a seemingly normal human woman, a bit down on her luck, but otherwise just as incapable of seeing the creepy-crawlies Monster captures as anyone else. But it seems that no matter where Judy goes, more and more cryptobiologicals keep appearing. Meanwhile, an evil old granny by the name of Lotus is seeking to capture and subjugate Judy for a nefarious purpose. It is up to Monster to save Judy and in doing so, save the world as we know it (much as he hates the idea).

Though the plot is simple, it is the plausible world and humorous dialogue that makes this story fun to read. Like Terry Pratchett's Making Money or Going Postal, much of the humor is derived from Monster's exasperation with the events unfolding around him. His succubus girlfriend is driving him crazy with her demands, his paper gnome employee keeps lecturing him about right and wrong, and poor Judy is unable to remember the magical events around her unless she wears a mind altering rune on her forehead. Poor Monster is stuck being the adult — something this beer-guzzling, TV-watching, unambitious man never wanted.

A. Lee Martinez, unlike other paranormal fantasists, explains why people don't see all the crytpobiologicals. For one, magic is leaking out of the world and so they are rarer events. But secondly, it is not so much that people don't encounter magic, it is simply that they are not able to remember the events, due to a shrinking over their lifetime of one part of the brain. This is why children see the goblins in their closet while adults don't. Only magic is able to temporaily overcome this for the "incognizants" such as Judy.

The narrative moves quite quickly from action sequence to action sequence. The story is be no means character driven, although Monster is quite a character. He is not well-rounded, being more of a loser-who-saves-world archetype. That does not mean that the story is in any way unenjoyable. Martinez is perhaps a bit repetitious in what happens to Monster, though the bright spots of humor, such as the final argument between Monster and his succubus girlfriend, take the edge off that repetition. Like a Jim Hines or Robert Asprin, the humor is part and parcel of the story, and each event has its moments of levity combined with absorbing action.

Monster is a good example of why people like this humorous fantasist. The story is full of action, wry humor, and plausible world-building. Monster is an engrossing and funny paranormal fantasy.
—John O. (guest)   Comments
FanLit thanks John Ottinger III from Grasping for the Wind for contributing this guest review.

Divine Misfortune — (2010) Publisher: Like many people in this world, Phil and Terry are just looking for their personal slice of divine assistance. It’s not their fault that they decide to settle on Lucky, a raccoon god of good fortune. At first, everything seems to be working fine. But they will soon learn that the world of divine powers is not to be entered into casually. Lucky, it seems, had a falling out with another ancient god long ago. And while Lucky has moved on with his life, the ancient twisted deity is still nursing a grudge. Add to this a scorned goddess looking for revenge and it starts to become clear that Phil and Terry may have taken on more than they ever bargained for.

Catching the Moon — Forthcoming from Orbit