The Witchstone

By: Henry H. Neff

Narrated by: Ramiz Monsef

An unforgettable, high-stakes, laugh-out-loud funny novel, The Witchstone blends the merciless humor of The Good Place with the spellbinding fantasy of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods.

Meet Laszlo, eight-hundred-year-old demon and Hell’s least productive Curse Keeper. From his office beneath Midtown, he oversees the Drakeford Curse, which involves a pathetic family upstate and a mysterious black monolith. It’s a sexy enough assignment—colonial origins, mutating victims, et cetera—but Laszlo has no interest in maximizing the curse’s potential; he’d rather sunbathe in Ibiza, quaff martinis, and hustle the hustlers on Manhattan’s subway. Unfortunately, his division has new management, and Laszlo’s ratings are so abysmal that he’s given six days to shape up or he’ll be melted down and returned to the Primordial Ooze.

Meet Maggie Drakeford, nineteen-year-old Curse Bearer. All she’s ever known is the dreary corner of the Catskills where the Drakeford Curse has devoured her father’s humanity and is rapidly laying claim to her own. The future looks hopeless, until Laszlo appears at the Drakeford farmhouse one October night and informs them that they have six days—and six days only—to break the spell before it becomes permanent. Can Maggie trust the glib and handsome Laszlo? Of course not. But she also can’t pass up an opportunity to save her family, even if it means having a demon as a guide …

Thus begins a breakneck international adventure that takes our unlikely duo from a hot dog stand in Central Park to the mountains of Liechtenstein. As the clock ticks down, tough-as-nails Maggie and conniving Laszlo will uncover a secret so profound that what began as a farcical quest to break a curse will eventually threaten the very Lords of Hell.

©2024 Henry H. Neff (P)2024 Blackstone Publishing

Best book I've read in such a long time

Loved this book so much. I could say that it's like if Neil Gaiman and Douglas Adam's had a demonic baby... but it's better even than that. The bureaucracy of hell was intensely funny, the main character Lazslo was simply fantastic (one of those characters who I will literally never forget) and now everyone needs to read this book so I can make funny references that people will understand. The world building was also superb. It would make a great movie. Reeeeead it. You definitely won't regret it.

Evil curses, Demons, and Hell as a corporation - What more could you need!

The hilarious, cozy, adventure fantasy books just keep coming this year but The Witchstone may be one of my favorites of the year though!

I had so much fun listening to this book ( I smiled during the entire epilogue) but the substance was not lacking at all. The narration is so so well done! The story follows Laszio, a nepo-baby demon who works for the society of curse keepers (think of Hell like a corporation) and Maggie Drakeford, a human who is next in line to be cursed by the very curse that Laszio keeps. Laszio is in some tough shit at work so he decides to “work with” Maggie and her brother, Lump, to save himself. The partnership leads to a laugh out loud, descriptive adventure that takes our characters all over the world.

Some how Neff is able to create an incredible story and world while also developing Laszio, Maggie, and Lump! Maggie’s development over the course of the story was so wonderful, and there were moments that felt so real and true. The supernatural elements and supporting characters are also so well done and add to the story in every single way. Finally, this book is ridiculously funny- not only just the dialogue but also the character description (Clarence will always be my fav)!

So Much Fun

This book made me inordinately happy. I loved the larger than life characters. I adore the snarky irreverence. I am giggling at the visuals of a dapper Laszlo in Gucci loafers traipsing around in the mud. For some reason I am reminded of Heide Goody, Ian Grant and Mark Cain. It is especially satisfying to realize that Henry H. Neff has written other books that I will be reading. Ramiz Monsef as narrator was exceptional and added fullness to each of the characters.

Not hilarious but very entertaining

I don't see why anyone would consider this book hilarious. There are certainly funny moments, but perhaps glib is a better descriptor. If you only listened to the first few hours you may think this book is shooting for humor, but once Lazlo meets the Drakefords all humor goes out the window. As a matter of fact, i pretty much hated Lazlo for a good deal of the first half.
But i would council you to stick with this book. It gets better and better as you go along.
Last note: this book's star and heroine is really Maggie and not Lazlo. Her growth is very interesting.

surprisingly good

Great characters. Funny with heart. Make this into a movie now. or series. Part Beetlejuice part family drama, all entertaining.