Monty lost his magic? Is he a mere wizard now? How humiliating. OTOH, less destruction is a welcome change.
Note: this is not a stand-alone novel.
Simon and the Mighty Peaches must help Monty regain his ability to access his magic. More, Monty has to use a wizard’s staff—no matter that it was created by Aria, the most powerful of wordweavers. A mage is weapon, so what’s a mage who needs a staff? A wizard-mage hybrid—a “wizage,” suggests Simon.
Then, the Morrígan, the Goddess of Death, manifests before S&M. She’s dressed in “darkness and fear,” but fortunately she’s not in battle crow aspect, Badb Catha. But . . . The Morrígan was requested to fetch them by her partner, Dexter Montague—the beyond-archmage powerful uncle to Monty. The Chooser of the Slain, would be their escort, because Dex was too angry to be in their presence. Wow. Author Orlando Sanchez is off and is he on a tear!
Besides Dex, there are agents of Verity and the High Tribunal, plus a hereto unknown, evil great-uncle to Monty. Albert Montague is a prisoner of the Living Library, which means Ziller appears! A certain lizard—possibly a dragon—is mentioned, but a surprise (!) guest character appears. Simon meets him in an underground garage: “I like the whole under-the-museum thing you have going on here. Very Dark Knight of you. Where do your park the Beast?”
No, the dark mage didn’t dust Simon.