Maurice Katz has no desire to be a hero, but when he finds a dragon (OK, a hydra) in his flat, he has little choice but to wield his bread knife with heroic aplomb. But then, what the heck is he supposed to do with the thing? I mean, won't the neighbors talk?

So he calls Steve, nee Stephanie, who's still female but prefers a more masculine nomenclature to go along with her military training. And she knows some guys who can dispose of the beast's remains ... at a price.

It's her.

And Maurice, of course, has pined for Stephanie ever since they witnessed a floating doughnut all those years ago in school. And so he searches for her -- as time allows, he does have a job shifting boxes, after all -- but that leads him on a merry chase through the multiverse, along with an introduction to Theo Goldstein, the Pulitzer Prize-winning brain who may have created it all, if only he could remember, but these days he's living -- without his memories, but with a bevy of world-defining theories -- in a pan-dimensional bottle, or jar, that might be a doorway between worlds.

At least one of which has goblins.

Time was when I voraciously sought out everything new from Tom Holt, a master of British wit. I'm not sure why I stopped -- perhaps, after reading and re-reading a few dozen of his books, I subconsciously needed a several-year break. Now I'm back on track with the first new Holt novel in a good, long while -- and I realize I've missed him. I might have to go back and re-read some of his earlier works -- again -- but first I've acquired a small stack of his more recent novels that require my attention.

Tom Holt is damn funny. For those who like comparisons, Holt is to contemporary fantasy what Douglas Adams is to science fiction and Terry Pratchett is to fantasy. If you haven't read him, but you like them, give him a try.

P.S. I understand this is part of a series, which is unusual because Holt's books usually stand alone. If so, I'll find the others, but When It's a Jar seems to get by just fine on its own.