The Good, the Bat, and the Ugly — Paul Magrs

Frank Lurcher and Tolstoy the Long-Eared Bat! Twenty years ago they were the biggest names in ventriloquism, stars of stage and screen. But now, Frank Lurcher's a washed-out, grumpy has-been and his scraggy puppet Tolstoy is stuffed away in the loft. When Frank suddenly declares that his teenage son Jason must follow in the family tradition and get a puppet of his own, someone's got a shrewd idea who that puppet should be. Someone with green eyes, moth-eaten velvety wings, a snarling snout and two extra-large ears... Tolstoy tha Long-Eared Bat is out for another shot at TV superstardom, and a gruesome revenge on his showbiz enemies. Can Jason fight his evil controlling power? Will the lovely Lisa Turmoil, hair-stylist to the stars, help him in his battle - or just go off and give someone a perm? And if you cook a puppet ostrich in a microwave oven, does it count as MURDER?