The Disappearing Dwarf
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| The Disappearing Dwarf | |
 Fourth edition cover |
|
| Author | James Blaylock |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Darrell K. Sweet |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Ballantine |
| Publication date | February 1983 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 275 |
| ISBN | 0-345-33089-7 |
| Preceded by | The Elfin Ship |
| Followed by | The Stone Giant |
The Disappearing Dwarf (1983) is James Blaylock’s second published book, and the second of the trilogy that started with The Elfin Ship. The characters are mostly drawn from the first book, while the plot revolves around another encounter with the villain Selznak. The tone is more serious, for example, the comic character Dooly now has a minor role. As before, the world has magic well as pseudo-science, and scientific explanation depends on tongue-in-cheek scientific concepts.
[edit] Plot summary
The story starts with a river trip through the territory of the previous book, this time the voyage being organized by the Professor as a vacation. Following adventures in what was formerly Selznak's stronghold, cheesemaker Jonathan Bing and the Professor learn that their dwarf friend, the Squire, has mysteriously disappeared to a land called Balumnia.
The scene shifts to Balumnia, and to travel down a river far vaster than that of the previous story. The heroes' hunt for riches meets with mixed success. The dark presence of Selznak and an omnipresent, sinister witch is mitigated by light encounters with a curiously inept stage magician, and an extraordinarily extended panegyric to the virtues of coffee. It is discovered that Selznak's stronghold actually exists in part both in the heroes' home world, as well as in Balumnia. Aided by Dooly's infamous grandfather and the vengeful wizard Zippo, Selznak is once more confronted. The Squire, as usual concerned with little but eating, cheerfully contributes to his own rescue. The story concludes with a voyage home in Dooly's grandfather's submarine.
