This was kind of an odd one, although I think perhaps that's to be expected from Anderson. Anyway, it's about an uptight elven historian who is sent (via barrel and catapult) as an ambassador to the goblins to deliver a gift to help reaffirm their peace agreement. Unknown to him the elven king has other plans for the gift. It's kind of an odd couple thing, as the ambassador is housed by a goblin historian who has to protect him from his social missteps.

Fantastic novel for older children and teens (and adults who haven’t left those ages behind). This immensely creative and complex book is a combination of words and pictures, where the words tell part of the story and the pictures tell a very different version of the story. Except that sometimes the pictures are completely wrong.

Brangwain Spurge is an Elfin historian, picked to carry a treasure to the King of the Goblins, ostensibly to help begin peace talks. He is to stay with Werfel, a Goblin historian, in order to share historical insights and promote cultural exchange. But Spurge has a secret assignment to spy on the Goblin capital city. Neither historian understands the other’s culture, so complete confusion reigns. When Spurge accidentally insults various Goblin warriors and gets caught trying to spy, Spurge and Werfel must flee for their lives. The cultural misunderstandings are often hilarious, especially in the proper etiquette of insults. But most of the humor is more Swiftian as we see the way each race thinks of the other as the villainous group who started all the wars.

The pictures are fascinating and require a lot of attention. Some sections of the plot are ONLY told in the pictures. But many of the pictures are actually the results of Spurge’s frightened imagination and tell a false story.

A delightfully fun deconstruction of ethnocentrism and skewed perception starring an archivist and a historian. Each is an expert on the long history of hatred and war between the elven and goblin kingdoms, paired together as part of a diplomatic mission. The elf's story is told through wordless illustrations, the goblin's through pictureless text, and even though they are recording the same events they tell wildly different stories. Plus there might be more to the mission than either knows, espionage and subterfuge in which they are unwitting pawns. The serious underlying themes are gradually revealed through humorous narration and sometimes silly events, as the cultures involved in this clash are easily lampooned without fear of offense. It makes for a unique, enjoyably off-kilter, and ultimately humanizing tale.

I liked this a lot. It feels like hums it's own version of a tune Terry Pratchett played. I want smoked pickles after reading this. I also really enjoyed the pictures.