Delightful whimsy. Cross-over to fantasy universes are done and done again, but Hawke weaves in groan-inducing puns. a self-aware narrator, and a character who is aware of the narrator! A favorite, and just what the doctor ordered for post-surgery recovery.

Five stars because I'll keep coming back to it. ( )

Dr. Marvin Brewster is a genius working for a corporation that supports him in researching whatever he wants as they make a lot of money off of his patents. Brewster has been working for quite some time on his latest secret project, a time machine. When he goes for a test drive, instead of going back in time, he reaches a parallel universe where magic exists. Brewster's scientific expertise makes it look like he's a wizard in this world - the only problem is that he's not a member of the wizard's guild!

This was a fast read for me. There is a good sense of humor throughout and a few amusing instances of breaking the fourth wall. The one thing that really annoyed me is that I felt it should've gotten further than it did - I really wanted to see Brewster meet up with the wizards of this parallel world, but the book never got there and instead is cut off too quickly with the last sentence asking the reader to continue the tale in The Inadequate Adept.

I vacillated quite a while between 2.5 and 3 stars, finally giving it 3 stars because I do want to know what happens next. ( )