From Publishers Weekly

If the members of Terry Pratchett's Night Watch and Robert Asprin's Phule's Company were conscripted into Mary Gentle's Grunts, the result would be something like this caustic genre-parodying second novel from Martinez (Gil's All-Fright Diner). Never Dead Ned is an accountant whose only talent is self-resurrection. Chosen to lead the notorious Ogre Company, Ned ingratiates himself by dying before the senior officers can finish conspiring to kill him, and comes back to life just in time to be caught up in a battle with Rucka, the world's most powerful demon. Martinez loves turning conventions upside-down: Ned is unbearably uncharismatic, Rucka is 19 inches tall, the wizard Belok is allergic to magic. That makes the predictable elements-the self-sacrificing supernatural guardian, the inevitable love triangle, Ned's world-changing destiny-seem even more hackneyed, somewhat diminishing the power and fun of the "gotchas." Once Martinez learns to strike that balance, he'll be a humorist to be reckoned with.
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From Booklist

Never Dead Ned has died 49 times but can't seem to stay dead. Afraid of death, anyway, he found a safe niche as an accountant for Brute's Legion. Upper management transfers him to command Ogre Company, the legion's dumping ground. He has one advantage over previous commanders: no matter what accident befalls, he comes back alive. And then he finds out why he never stays dead, after which he has to go to any length not to die again. That's harder than it seems when commanding such stellar specimens as a two-headed ogre, an orc who's oversensitive about looking like a goblin, a daredevil pilot goblin (and the not very trainable rocs he flies), a siren, a temperamental Amazon, and an oracle who hears and smells the future. Still, he has six months to whip Ogre Company into shape. Oh, for the love of Ned! Martinez's follow-up to Gil's All-Fright Diner (2005) is as joyfully fast paced and funny. Ogre Company tweaks fantasy cliches most excellently. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From Publishers Weekly

Martinez (Too Many Curses) pokes at big-picture questions, like the nature of the universe and the meaning of life, with abundant, zany humor in this charming tale. Monster, who works in cryptobiological containment, first encounters Judy when he rescues her from a yeti that's trashing the frozen foods aisle of the Food Plus Mart. They meet again when trolls infest her apartment. As an incognizant—someone whose mind can't acknowledge magic—Judy soon forgets the bizarre events, but Monster suspects she's somehow involved with the recent uptick in dangerous cryptobiological happenings. When Lotus, keeper of a stone mysteriously linked to Judy, spirits Judy away, Monster attempts to come to her rescue, only to discover that he's in way over his head. Scary monsters and hilarious scenarios embellish a convoluted plot that suggests even night-shift workers might have a destiny. (May)
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About the Author

A. Lee Martinez was born in El Paso, Texas. At the age of eighteen, for no apparent reason, he started writing novels. Thirteen short years (and a little over a dozen manuscripts) later, his first novel, Gil's All Fright Diner, was published. His hobbies include juggling, games of all sorts, and astral projecting. Also, he likes to sing along with the radio when he's in the car by himself. For more information on the author, check out www.aleemartinez.com.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Martinez (In the Company of Ogres) tickles the funny bone in this delightful, fast-paced mishmash of SF and hard-boiled detective story. Mack Megaton drives a cab in the mutant-infested technotopia of Empire City. It's a step down for a massive killing machine created for world domination, but kindhearted Megaton has bucked his programming, and when his secretive neighbors, the Bleakers, go missing, he begins a search. Young Holt Bleaker has something in his mutant blood that makes him valuable to aliens poised to invade Empire City, and only a giant robot—a robot like Mack Megaton—can break him out of the fortress where he's held prisoner. Soon plans go awry when sinister psychic Grey subverts Megaton's programming, but he finds an unlikely ally in Lucia Napier, an outrageously beautiful and talented media star and roboticist. Eccentric characters, all of whom are clever twists on stereotypes, populate a smart, rocket-fast read with a clever, twisty plot that comes to a satisfying conclusion. (Feb.)
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Review

“Martinez tickles the funny bone in this delightful, fast-paced mishmash of SF and hard-boiled detective story. . . . A smart, rocket-fast read with a clever, twisty plot that comes to a satisfying conclusion.”---Publishers Weekly (starred review) on *The Automatic Detective

“Martinez crafts a private eye in the best tradition of hard-boiled futuristic detection, with plenty of beautiful babes and evil geniuses, and written in classic wise-cracking first-person narrative.”---Booklist on The Automatic Detective

"Reformed warrior robot Mack Megaton searches for a missing family---and a moral purpose---in a city of exotic mutants. . . . Mack's smash-and-grab mission acquires some satisfying philosophical heft."---Entertainment Weekly on The Automatic Detective

“A terrific debut. The fast-paced plot is full of memorable incidents and wonderful observations.”---Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Gil’s All Fright Diner*

From Publishers Weekly

Martinez (The Automatic Detective) staffs this whimsical fantasy with his trademark weird beings and sets it in the mysterious castle of powerful, cruel wizard Margle the Horrendous. Margle's kobold housekeeper, Nessy, who likes order but wants excitement, spends most of her time in the company of curse-transformed wizards and heroes, such as skeletal kitchen slave Decapitated Dan, invisible Echo and Margle's powerful brother, Yazpib, now only a collection of body parts in a jar. When Margle ends up the victim of one of his own spells, Nessy and friends try to reverse their curses while battling the intrusion of evil wizardess Tiama the Scarred. Nifty ideas like a soul-extractor and the Sword in the Cabbage never quite go anywhere, and though Nessy makes a capable heroine, events move only when Tiama is around as a foil. Too insubstantial and smug for adults, this story might do better with teens. (Sept.)
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From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—A magical castle, an utterly wicked wizard named Margle, and Nessy, a kobold who tends the castle, lead the way in this diabolical story of good triumphing over evil. The many residents, all of whom have been cursed by Margle, include a hanged man in the library, Decapitated Dan, unmanned armor, chatty gargoyles, a loyal fruit bat, a silver-polishing gnome, and the very important Door at the End of the Hall. Soon after the wizard dies when one of his curses goes awry, Nessy realizes that the castle is falling apart, and it is her job to bring about order. Her logic and deciphering keep everything in check, but only barely. With the appearance of Tiama, a wizardess who is a living death, things really start to run amok. It is up to Nessy to defeat Tiama and her dastardly plans, and it is through her calm good sense and the assistance of a number of the castle's residents (including the charming monster under the bed) that she ultimately succeeds. Martinez's crisp writing, over-the-top premise, and keen wit conspire to keep readers turning the pages. Further, the macabre cast, nonstop action, and gross detail—along with the themes of loyalty and kindness-will surely have wide appeal.—Jane Ritter, Mill Valley School District, CA
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