The fourth book in the YouSpace series I started around this time last year by reading third book in the series first by accident. Although, in this series it really doesn't matter all that much what order they get read in. While they refer to events and characters in other books, the individual plots are fairly self contained.
In this one, Mordak, king of the goblins, is engaged in a scheme to improve the lives of the goblin nation in the name of . . . evil. He's successful too. Successful in a way that seems unlikely, yet draws the positive attention of the other pillars of the evil community. He has plans for his people, but these plans are disrupted when the humans, in an uncharacteristic show of wealth, start out-bidding the goblins for dwarven made armor. This is a situation that Mordak needs to get the bottom of.
In the mean time, a small human-ish fellow starts setting up shop spinning straw into gold while delivering basic lessons in macro-economics to undereducated princelings.
I'm developing a real appreciation for Tom Holt's books. They are silly and feature that dry British humor that I'm so fond of. Additionally, they take on some pretty thoughtful philosophical ideas. At the core of this one is the idea that concepts of good and evil are relative and how those ideas apply to the idea of identity. Goblins are evil, you see. However, if a goblin saves a universe in the multiverse is it still evil? Can an elf who helps said goblin still be truly good? And so on. It's a fun idea that has a lot of space for exploration in a novel like this.
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