This is one of those fantasy titles that have been looking at me from the shelves in every bookstore I've visited over the past couple of years. Looking at me and calling my name. I resisted the temptation for a long time as I wasn't sure whether it was really the sort of fantasy title appeals to me, but in the end I gave in and decided I'd give it a go. 
 In a nutshell, it's not a bad story with some very good ideas, but the way that it's told doesn't really appeal to me. 
 Why not? Well, the main thing was that every time anyone spoke, it was always full of underhanded insults aimed at whoever they were speaking with. Almost all the speech consisted of the characters being rude to each other and reacting in an over-the-top manner to the insults being thrown back and forth. I think it was supposed to be a form of absurd, but in the end rather than coming across as a literary style it just came across as being genuinely absurd. It made me feel tired just reading the conversations. It also made it harder to pick up on when there was actual tension being woven into the conversation as all the others were full of artificial tension. 
 This is the story of Gerald Dunwoody, a level 3 wizard with a government job and a far-from-pristine track record. When he manages to accidentally blow up the world's most important staff production factory (inadvertently unlocking powers within himself that he doesn't really understand), he is fired from his position. After having being fired from three jobs by the tender age of 23, it is unlikely that he'll ever find another job in wizard society. Luckily for him, one desperate Princess Melissande of the desert oasis country New Ottosland is willing to overlook his past if he'll just be her brother the King's new Court Wizard. Gerald accepts the position but soon discovers that King Lional is insane and determined to put his country on the map by whatever nefarious means necessary. 
 The world building is very well done. It's not bogged down in details but clear enough that the reader can build up a good picture of how things are done in Ottosland / New Ottosland society. This second world is technologically advanced with some interesting inventions powered by the magic the wizards wield. It was a very interesting world that contrasts well with the other, more humble desert nomad society we're introduced to here. 
 The book is a curious mix of light, tongue-in-cheek humour and darker story telling. I found this to be a nice balance, though maybe I would have preferred more of that darker part of the story. The humour just didn't work for me, especially when the author tried to weave it into the conversations. 
 The characters are a mix of naive (Gerald), obnoxious (Melissande), likeable (Monk), intriguing (Reg), and manic (Lional). The other royal brother, Rupert, was the biggest puzzle due to the vague hints he would drop from time to time. I liked his devotion to his butterfly collection, though! 
 At the end of the day, I found the story to be well plotted and intriguing, but the humorous side of the execution to be lacking. At this point in time I'm not sure whether or not I liked it enough to continue on to book 2.