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Omnivoracious book blogger Jeff VanderMeer pays tribute to the "Mad Genius of Walter Moers:"

"The Overlook Press should get some kind of special dispensation from Heaven for bringing readers so many great books, and especially the work of German genius Walter Moers. For pure reading pleasure, nothing really beats his The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear, Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures, and The City of Dreaming Books. It's not just the incredible level of imagination on display in the text--it's also the stunning artwork that not only complements the writing but helps, in its own way, to tell the story. And what stories! Twisted, wild, brutally humorous and at times more serious than you might think, Moers as storyteller is a true original, a one-off whose sensibility and talent cannot be duplicated.

Now he's back with The Alchemaster's Apprentice. In this new crackpot adventure, set in Malaisea, a backward town of Zamonia, Echo the Crat is forced into a contract with Ghoolion the Alchemaster that calls for him to be rendered for his fat in a month's time. Yes, you read that correctly. Fat-rendering will occur, unless Echo can find some way out of the contract--which he attempts by consulting with creatures far and wide. Echo, you see, can speak in the language of every species. What species? Well, this is Moers, so they include Leathermice, Cogitating Eggs, the Cooked Ghost, and more!"

The Mad Hatter's Bookshelf, one of our favorite sci-fi and fantasy blogs, pays tribute the new novel by Walter Moers, The Alchemaster's Apprentice: "There are few authors who get me as excited about a new release as Moers since his The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Blue Bear is probably my favorite comic Fantasy of the last decade. A new Walter Moers book means I put aside whatever I am doing and start reading with a profuse amount of breaks for laughter. I'm always amazed by how good the translations by John Brownjohn are for these books as Moers is known for creating words and tweaking many others to his twisted pen. Accompanied by dozens of illustrations by Moers The Alchemaster's Apprentice is the fourth Zamonia novel after The City of Dreaming Books ,which keeps to the same high quality as previous books. The series to this point has been far sweeping stories that explore the lost continent whether it be across the land or under it, however the latest entrant breaks from that mold as it stays in the just one place, which is the unhealthiest city in Zamonia, Malaisea, where the resident Alchemaster Ghoolian reigns over the sickly populace. The Alchemaster's Apprentice is the most intimate and shortest tale to date, but is no less entertaining for its brevity. . . The Alchemaster's Apprentice is a dark fairy tale for adults that keeps you laughing even through the most gruesome of parts. The ending was a bit expected, but the journey to get there what the fun is all about. I give The Alchemaster's Apprentice 9 out of 10 Hats."

The Alchemaster's Apprentice is the new novel from Walter Moers, the world renowned German author of novels and comics. Following in the steps of The 131/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear, Rumo, and The City of Dreaming Books, The Alchemaster's Apprentice takes readers back to that favorite place: Zamonia.

Publishers Weekly has given the new Walter Moers novel The Alchemaster's Apprentice a starred review in next week's issue: "Moers’s elegantly written fourth stand alone comic fantasy set in Zamonia (after 2008’s The City of Dreaming Books) takes us to the city of Malaisea, where everyone is sick except for two characters: Echo, a Crat (a talking cat, more or less), and Ghoolion, an evil alchemist likely responsible for Malaisea’s afflictions. Crat and alchemist cross paths when the starving Echo is offered a month of food, entertainment and alchemical secrets, after which Ghoolion will kill him to boil down his fat. Ghoolion proves a magically masterful chef, and Echo quickly becomes fascinated by Ghoolion’s work, particularly the morphic meals that seem to transform Echo into different creatures. Secrets are revealed, old bodies unearthed and strange allies made in this entrancing tale of darkness, determined survival and incredibly luxurious cuisine."

New in paperback this month is another zany adventure in the land of Zamonia from Walter Moers: The City of Dreaming Books. Moers got the idea to write this novel after visiting second-hand bookshops on the East Coast of the United States. The German version was released in Fall 2004, and the English version from Overlook followed in Fall 2007. Publishers Weekly called The City of Dreaming Books "an uproarious fantasy, a delightfully imaginative mélange of Shel Silverstein zaniness and oddball anthropomorphism à la Terry Pratchett's Discworld. . . .Enchanting illustrations by the author compliment a wonderfully whimsical story that will appeal to readers of all ages."