Werfel the Archivist gladly serves his goblin nation as a gracious host to scholar Brangwain Spurge, who has been sent as an elfin emissary. In spite of their mutual interests in history and culture, the two have vastly different world views shaped by the propaganda of their respective kingdoms. As a guest, Brangwain constantly tries Werfel’s nerves, but Werfel is determined to be a good host. For his part, Brangwain finds everything about the goblins horrifying—the food, the music, the clumsy attempts at honoring elfin culture. It all reinforces his determination to complete his mission, which is actually one of spying and subterfuge, not diplomacy. To underscore the two characters’ vastly differing perspectives, the book’s creators brilliantly use words and pictures in opposition to each other, with Werfel’s point of view conveyed in the prose narrative, Brangwain’s in the art, although readers must deduce this on their own. Gradually, the two narratives begin to align as Werfel and Brangwain slowly realize they are each pawns in their leader’s respective plots and join forces against political machinations in this ingenious, rollicking good story. Everything about the book is exceptional, from its appropriately old-fashioned design to its inventive use of narrative and illustration, original characters, gripping plot, and subtle social satire. (Ages 10–14)

“Both moving and hilarious. Spurge is not just an unlikely hero — it’s hard to know if he’s a hero at all. But that only makes the finale of this political satire all the more surprising.” — The New York Times Book Review

Uptight elfin historian Brangwain Spurge is on a mission: survive being catapulted across the mountains into goblin territory, deliver a priceless peace offering to their mysterious dark lord, and spy on the goblin kingdom — from which no elf has returned alive in more than a hundred years. Brangwain’s host, the goblin archivist Werfel, is delighted to show Brangwain around. They should be the best of friends, but a series of extraordinary double crosses, blunders, and cultural misunderstandings throws these two bumbling scholars into the middle of an international crisis that may spell death for them — and war for their nations. Witty mixed-media illustrations show Brangwain’s furtive missives back to the elf kingdom, while Werfel’s determinedly unbiased narrative tells an entirely different story. This National Book Award finalist and hilarious, biting social commentary is rife with thrilling action, visual humor, and a comic disparity that suggests the ultimate victor in a war is perhaps not who won, but who gets to write the history.