Inappropriate Magic (Magic of Magic)

Twenty-five years ago, a wizard knocked on Chauncy Little's door to make him a hero. His grandmother told the wizard to take a hike. And that, dear reader, is how the end of the world began.

Chauncy is thirty-five now. He sells cheap "magic" trinkets that nobody believes in, has never once done anything dangerous or interesting, and — to his lasting regret — has never done anything romantic either. So when destiny comes knocking a second time, he slams the door on it, too. Destiny responds by knocking him out, tying him up, and kidnapping him. (Destiny, it turns out, does not take no for an answer.)

He'd long since given up on his own life ever starting — which made him exactly the wrong man to save everyone else's.

Now, with the deeply unhelpful guidance of two alarmingly amorous octogenarian wizards, Chauncy has to become the great and powerful wizard he was supposed to be a quarter-century ago. This turns out to involve far fewer fireballs and far more getting out of his own way — ideally before the real threat does it for him. Because the thing actually out to end the world isn't a dark lord. It's a corporation. And it's winning.

To save magic itself, the least likely hero alive has to stop waiting for his life to start, grow a spine he's never used, and learn that the most powerful magic of all is the inappropriate kind.

If you love the gleeful crudeness of Christopher Moore, the cosmic absurdity of Douglas Adams, and the warmth Terry Pratchett always hid under the jokes, start the Magic of Magic comic fantasy series now — eight books, and yes, dear reader, every one of them earns the title.

DISCLAIMER: This one's for grown-ups who never grew up. Expect crude language, shameless innuendo, lewd octogenarians, and magic in places magic was never meant to go. Underneath all of it, though, is a story about a man finally showing up for his own life — so if you want your filth with a little heart, welcome home.