A hugely imaginative and magical novel from the Godmother of British fantasy, Diana Wynne Jones.

When Howard Sykes comes home from school and finds the enormous Goon in the kitchen, his life turns upside-down. The Goon has come to demand the two thousand words of nonsense that Howard's father allegedly owes a mysterious figure named Archer.

As Howard unravels the truth, he uncovers that their town is run by seven megalomaniac wizards, each desperate to rule the world - and each convinced that his father's words are the key...

Can Howard find a way to stop the wizards before they wreak chaos?