Real heroes never die, but the do get grouchy in middle age.
The tag line says it all for young Saanich author Logan Hunder’s new book, Witches Be Crazy: A Tale That Happened Once Upon a Time in the Middle of Nowhere. The satirical take on the once-upon-a-time genre evokes Monty Python-era humour and parodies everything from Les Miserables to South Park.
“It’s hard to say exactly what inspires me since I tend to incorporate a rather eclectic bunch of references in the novel – just whatever pops into my head at the time, really,” says Hunder, who holds a degree in criminal justice.
“Having worked at the (SilverCity) movie theatre (in Tillicum) for six years, I guess you could say that contributed a lot to my love of larger than life tales.”
At its core, Witches Be Crazy is a fantasy novel with a humorous spin.
In his original pitch, Hunder described it as so: Dungar is a surly curmudgeon. Jimminy probably has several undiagnosed mental illnesses. Together they journey across the land to the capital so they can kill the princess instead of rescue her. That is, if they can survive the gladiator arenas, magic trees, gay pirates, malicious wizards and each other.
Real heroes never die. But they do get grouchy in middle age.
“The beloved King Ik is dead, and there was barely time to check his pulse before the royal throne was supporting the suspiciously shapely backside of an impostor pretending to be Ik’s beautiful long-lost daughter. With the land’s heroic hunks busy drooling all over themselves, there’s only one man left who can save the kingdom of Jenair. His name is Dungar Loloth, a rural blacksmith turned innkeeper, a surly hermit and an all-around nobody oozing toward middle age, compensating for a lack of height, looks, charm and tact with guts and an attitude.
“Normally politics are the least of his concerns, but after everyone in the neighbouring kingdom of Farrawee comes down with a severe case of being dead, Dungar learns that the masquerading princess not only is behind the carnage but also has similar plans for his own hometown. Together with the only person senseless enough to tag along, an eccentric and arguably insane hobo named Jimminy, he journeys out into the world he’s so pointedly tried to avoid.”
The book is available at Bolen Books and Chapters in Victoria and at Amazon.com in Kindle, paperback and audible versions.