Book review: The Song of the Quarkbeast by Jasper Fforde

The fifty-second book I read in 2015 was The Song of the Quarkbeast, the second book The Chronicles of Kazam, by Jasper Fforde.  In this sequel to The Last Dragonslayer, Jennifer Strange and the motley crew of wizards at Kazam must win a magical contest against rival group Industrial Magic to protect the separation of magic and state and prevent iMagic's unscrupulous boss, Conrad Blix, from being named Court Mystician.

Unfortunately, Blix is unscrupulous enough not only to claim unearned accolades -- promoting himself from the Amazing Blix to the All-Powerful Blix -- but also to cheat.  Along the way, Jennifer learns the secret of longevity, meets the formerly-Magnificent Boo, goes behind the Troll Wall to rendezvous with the mostly absent Great Zambini, and finally holds a conversation with the Transient Moose.

The book ends with what feels like a farewell to Kazam -- a list of "where are they now" of the main characters -- but the third book of the series just came out last month, so there's still more chronicling of Kazam to come.