SLAVES OF SPIEGEL: A Magic Moscow Story

by Daniel Pinkwater ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1982

If you went for the Magic Moscow's ice cream special, the Nuclear Meltdown, in Attila the Pun, you'll love proprietor Steve's newest concoction, the Day of Wrath. ""It has a whole eggplant, two slabs of whole wheat pizza dough, all sixteen flavors of ice cream, fresh figs, pistachio nuts, a lobster, and assorted fresh garden vegetables and fruit. The whole thing goes into a freshly laundered regulation army knapsack, and Steve shoves it into the microwave oven."" The fat men from space, title characters of another Pinkwater junkfood spree, like the dish well enough to kidnap Steve, his kid assistant Norman Bleistift, and, miniaturized for the trip in their giant spaceburger Cholesterol, the Magic Moscow building itself. It seems that Steve is one of three top candidates selected by the fat men for a great intergalactic cooking contest on the planet Spiegel. Steve actually wants to win; but as it turns out he's better off coming in second, with a prize of Spiegelian blue garlic and deluxe transportation home. First prize, awarded humanoid slothoform Teseve Noskecnil for his ultimate gross-out the Horthian Florff, is permanent residence on Spiegel--which ""obviously would not make most people deliriously happy."" Consisting of Norman's journal entries, Steve's reports, various speeches and documents, and lots of white space between short chapters, this is about as nourishing as wool ragout, the third-place entry--but probably essential where Pinkwater's every snack-between-banquets is gobbled up.

Pub Date: April 1, 1982

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Four Winds

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1982

Categories: FICTION