Asprin, Robert & Friesner, Esther. E. Godz.

ASPRIN, Robert & FRIESNER, Esther. E. GODZ. Baen. 309p. c2005. 0-7434-9888-7. $6.99. SA

Light fun with a touch of Carlos Castaneda; slightly fluffy, but with underlying meaning and some zinger lines. Edwina Godz, CEO of E.GODZ, Inc., decides the time has come for her two children to assume some responsibility in her company, which provides tax benefits and profits for select nonprofit magical organizations. Unfortunately, the siblings despise each other and are only interested in making each other look bad. Edwina sets them up in competition for the entire company, telling them she is dying. They each race around the country, contacting as many of the big-money holders in the corporation as possible for backing. In the process, they find out more about themselves and their own values. In the end they decide to work together, which was Edwina's original goal. Dysfunctional siblings Peez and Dov are unusual main characters, but Asprin and Friesner make it work with lines like "Peyote and Presbyterians didn't mix worth a damn." The spells they visit upon each other are purely Machiavellian. Peez hexes Dov with not only the Lost Luggage spell but also an ability to set off any security checkpoint like Krakatoa, hence the line, "by the end of his trip he'll be announcing his engagement to a pair of latex gloves!" Dov, not to be outdone, has conjured up the human magnet for every bore on the planet to drop on Peez. "The spell's power to attract tedious, rambling, unstoppable chitchat was quadrupled when it detected that its victim was in an escape-proof situation, such as a moving vehicle of any kind." Fun fare. Sherry Hoy, Media Spec., Tuscarora JHS, Mifflintown, PA

S--Recommended for senior high school students.

A--Recommended for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help extend KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries.