The Story
In the storm-drenched city of Verdigris, home to indolent sorcerers and undead hotels, something is dreadfully wrong. Buildings are starting to crumble due to the kidnapping of their hobs, the many-legged house spirits that keep each home in order. In such times, one would ordinarily blame the Devil, but he has been enchanted by a new and enticing evil: The jackbooted villainy of Gwendolyn Gooch, who has taken the hobs for her latest diabolical scheme--apartments for rent. As the hobs retrofit the gaudy Gooch Towers, the fate of the city lies in the hands of the arboreal Professor Green; his rare, complete set of the Household Gramarye; and its famulus, the prim Mrs. Bobkins.
A delightful new novel in a series "perfectly cut to fit the Pratchett-shaped hole in my heart" (C. M. Waggoner), The Devil and Mrs. Gooch is witty, imaginative, and brimming with charm.
The Household Gramarye series may be read in any order you wish, as wizards care little for strict sequentiality.
Author: Oliver Darkshire
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 05/12/2026
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.88lbs
Size: 8.36h x 5.52w x 1.19d
ISBN: 9781324124467
Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/01/2026 pg. 51
Booklist 05/01/2026
About the Author
Darkshire, Oliver: - Oliver Darkshire is the author of Once Upon a Tome, a best-selling memoir about being an antiquarian bookseller at Henry Sotheran Ltd, and the first Household Gramarye novel Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil. He lives in Manchester, England, with his husband and his neglectfully curated collection of books.
Description
In the storm-drenched city of Verdigris, home to indolent sorcerers and undead hotels, something is dreadfully wrong. Buildings are starting to crumble due to the kidnapping of their hobs, the many-legged house spirits that keep each home in order. In such times, one would ordinarily blame the Devil, but he has been enchanted by a new and enticing evil: The jackbooted villainy of Gwendolyn Gooch, who has taken the hobs for her latest diabolical scheme--apartments for rent. As the hobs retrofit the gaudy Gooch Towers, the fate of the city lies in the hands of the arboreal Professor Green; his rare, complete set of the Household Gramarye; and its famulus, the prim Mrs. Bobkins.
A delightful new novel in a series "perfectly cut to fit the Pratchett-shaped hole in my heart" (C. M. Waggoner), The Devil and Mrs. Gooch is witty, imaginative, and brimming with charm.
The Household Gramarye series may be read in any order you wish, as wizards care little for strict sequentiality.
Author: Oliver Darkshire
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 05/12/2026
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.88lbs
Size: 8.36h x 5.52w x 1.19d
ISBN: 9781324124467
Review Citation(s):
Library Journal 04/01/2026 pg. 51
Booklist 05/01/2026
About the Author
Darkshire, Oliver: - Oliver Darkshire is the author of Once Upon a Tome, a best-selling memoir about being an antiquarian bookseller at Henry Sotheran Ltd, and the first Household Gramarye novel Isabella Nagg and the Pot of Basil. He lives in Manchester, England, with his husband and his neglectfully curated collection of books.
