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Ethshar #1
The Misenchanted Sword
Ethshar and the Northern Empire have been at war for hundreds of years. Hardly anyone alive remembers why, or over what. The tempest, turmoil, and war are endless, and the killing more endless still. The war has become not just a way of life, but an institution; no one dares to dream that it could end. Not even Valder of Kardoret, Ethsharitic Scout, trapped behind enemy lines.
But now everything has changed: at a moment of great need, a hermit wizard crafted Valder a magic sword called Wirikidor - a blade at once cursed and enchanted, a misenchanted blade that makes him unbeatable.
Soon the tides of battle will turn, and once they've turned they'll turn forever.
But now everything has changed: at a moment of great need, a hermit wizard crafted Valder a magic sword called Wirikidor - a blade at once cursed and enchanted, a misenchanted blade that makes him unbeatable.
Soon the tides of battle will turn, and once they've turned they'll turn forever.
228 pages, Paperback
First published August 12, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 191 reviews
June 26, 2022
Lawrence Watt-Evans is sitting at his writing desk, staring dreamily into space. "What if... " he ponders, excitement brewing as he senses he's onto something, "what if I were to write a fantasy novel, except -" and here he pauses, falters, the idea about to fade away. But in the next instant, he's grasped it - "What if I were to make it NOT shitty?" He scrambles for a pen, jotting down notes as they flow in a rush, hurriedly, before he loses it all: "Instead of describing in pain-staking detail every last minor encounter, I'll only refer to much of the action after it's happened, not belaboring events that only add hundreds of pages without actually moving the plot along. And, if there's going to be magic, well, why don't the people in this magic-containing world use it like any resource, in a practical manner, like any other skill or ability... of course that would have some interesting effects on how the civilization functions. Just because there's magic, doesn't mean that everyone has to stop thinking for the rest of history... in fact, what if my main character actually isn't obnoxious, idiotic, or even heroic? What if he actually has sensible reactions to the situations he finds himself in, and is an actual, admirable human being and the story itself doesn't hold up foolish, dangerous notions of bravery and adventure to be desirable, but rather supports a life philosophy that would actually be worth following?"
Breathless, he drops the pen, satisfied. But only for a moment. Because then it occurs to him, "Oh no. Even a non-shitty fantasy novel has to have a love interest doesn't it? But that will ruin everything. Make it all shitty again. Unless... romance doesn't even have to be in most of the story does it? No, of course not! That can come later - and the love interest and the main character can choose each other, as equals, rather than one winning the other over, or being fated to be together, or having some kind of true love, or any of that junk."
And so, 'The Misenchanted Sword' was born, leaving only the question: if you remove all the shitty elements from a fantasy novel, is it still truly a fantasy novel?
Breathless, he drops the pen, satisfied. But only for a moment. Because then it occurs to him, "Oh no. Even a non-shitty fantasy novel has to have a love interest doesn't it? But that will ruin everything. Make it all shitty again. Unless... romance doesn't even have to be in most of the story does it? No, of course not! That can come later - and the love interest and the main character can choose each other, as equals, rather than one winning the other over, or being fated to be together, or having some kind of true love, or any of that junk."
And so, 'The Misenchanted Sword' was born, leaving only the question: if you remove all the shitty elements from a fantasy novel, is it still truly a fantasy novel?
July 27, 2016
- Wirikidor? What kind of name is Wirikidor?
- An old one, soldier. It's from a language so old that the name of the tongue is forgotten and no trace remains of the people who spoke it. It means 'slayer of warriors', and it was part of the spell I put on the thing, so now that's its name.
The realms of fantasy are practically infested with magical swords of all sorts but I believe there isn't any to rival this Wirikidor in terms of fickleness and general unreliability. It brings on the head of its wielder, a lowly scout in the armies of Ethshar named Valder, more troubles that its alleged prowess in battle would suggest. Probably our man Valder should have been more careful not to annoy the grumpy wizard who did the enchantment.
This is my first novel by Lawrence Watt-Evans, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the trip to Ethshar. It probably helped that I went in with no expectations of any kind except picking a nice slim sword & sorcery book for my vacation. In a lucky coincidence, Watt-Evans fits in nicely between the previous forays in the sub-genre (Leiber, Moorcock) and the more recent crop of authors who seem so enamoured of the dark and gritty aspects of magical adventures. Published in the mid-eighties, "The Misenchanted Sword" benefits from some of the charm of traditional fantasy (according to some information I found on the internet, the world of Ethshar was first developed for a table-top strategy game) and from the editors more strict control of page count. It is also an attempt to modernize the genre by borrowing from science-fiction in its structure and by offering a highly unconventional type of hero in Valder.
while the setting is pure fantasy (two empires locked in a centuries-old conflict, dragons, wizards and sorcerers, gods and demons), the plot made me think of SF through the way Watt-Evans prefers to explore in detail the implications of an idea rather than go for the usual quests made popular by Conan, Fafhrd or Elric.
He turned down offers that ranged from dull and dangerous to downright bizarre, requests for aid from silk-robed aristocrats and starving children - the latter leaving disappointed, but always well-fed. He refused to rescue princesses, slay dragons, depose tyrants, locate lost siblings, kill pirates, loot tombs, battle wizards, terrorize witches, dispose of demons, settle boundary disputes, and search for everything from ancient magical treasures to a missing cat.
Instead of a new technological advance, the central idea of the story is the one given in the title: how will the magical properties of the sword Wirikidor affect the life of Valder the soldier? Will he become another Elric, a brooding nexus of wrath and wholesale destruction? Will he become a king like Arthur, feared and respected by the mighty lords of Ethshar? Will he crave power, wealth and fame?
The answers are to be found within the pages of this first book in the world of Ethshar, following Valder over the decades as he struggles to maintain his sanity and his common sense when faced with supernatural circumstances.
As an added enticement, I would mention that the novel is also structured as a stand-alone story, so there's no need to be wary of having to read a multi-volume saga like Wheel of Time to get to the point. There is some room left for a sequel, and I hope Valder or somebody like him will be part of the next Ethshar adventure.
Want to read
April 19, 2025Haven't read this book yet, but I'm adding some notes to remind my old brain when I do pick it up.
Found it mentioned on a reddit post looking for other books similar to my own. The poster said:
I have found that he and his books have a certain charm that is very difficult to replicate, unfortunately. Closest is a relatively unknown author (but one of my favorites) named Lawrence Watt-Evans. Author of the Ethshar Chronicles. Mostly stand alone books in the same world. First one is The Misenchanted Sword. My favorite was With A Single Spell. He combines the same lore rich world with varied stakes, with relatable and fun people that make me think of Royce and Hadrian.
Found it mentioned on a reddit post looking for other books similar to my own. The poster said:
I have found that he and his books have a certain charm that is very difficult to replicate, unfortunately. Closest is a relatively unknown author (but one of my favorites) named Lawrence Watt-Evans. Author of the Ethshar Chronicles. Mostly stand alone books in the same world. First one is The Misenchanted Sword. My favorite was With A Single Spell. He combines the same lore rich world with varied stakes, with relatable and fun people that make me think of Royce and Hadrian.
April 26, 2011
I’ve read reviews of Watt-Evans’ work as being “pedestrian.” Meaning that nothing truly spectacular happens. Nothing earth-shattering or even exciting. This is true about this book, definitely.
Valder gets an enchanted sword, and he doesn’t do anything with it. This is kinda refreshing, though it might have been nice for something to happen as a consequence. Instead there’s a lot of musing on things that might and could happen as a result of this enchanted sword, but we don’t get to see any of it. In fact, there are lots of passages where the narrator presents possibilities, but nothing ever becomes of them and without these long passages of possibility the book would be half as long.
Why? Because this is a story about an ordinary life, and as we all know very little of great importance happens in ordinary, everyday life. There’s very little to keep you interested once the Great War ends. We don’t get to know Valder very well, so his ordinary life is about as interesting as a pedestrian passing you in the street. This makes the book easy to put down. All this potential and Valder spends 40 years as an innkeeper. It seems like a waste of an adventure, but it is as realistic as you can get.
Really...if an ordinary person were given a magic sword, would he build his life around it or would he settle for something simpler? We all want adventure in our lives, but if we got it would we want to live that way forever or would we choose to run an inn instead? And if we were granted immortality, would we do exciting things, travel to distant lands, take enormous risks, or settle for a quiet life?
It’s disappointing and pedestrian--not very interesting but not totally boring either (that’s life). If a random person on the street named Valder just out of blue started telling you his life story you wouldn’t hate the man, but you probably wouldn’t care that much about him either.
Valder gets an enchanted sword, and he doesn’t do anything with it. This is kinda refreshing, though it might have been nice for something to happen as a consequence. Instead there’s a lot of musing on things that might and could happen as a result of this enchanted sword, but we don’t get to see any of it. In fact, there are lots of passages where the narrator presents possibilities, but nothing ever becomes of them and without these long passages of possibility the book would be half as long.
Why? Because this is a story about an ordinary life, and as we all know very little of great importance happens in ordinary, everyday life. There’s very little to keep you interested once the Great War ends. We don’t get to know Valder very well, so his ordinary life is about as interesting as a pedestrian passing you in the street. This makes the book easy to put down. All this potential and Valder spends 40 years as an innkeeper. It seems like a waste of an adventure, but it is as realistic as you can get.
Really...if an ordinary person were given a magic sword, would he build his life around it or would he settle for something simpler? We all want adventure in our lives, but if we got it would we want to live that way forever or would we choose to run an inn instead? And if we were granted immortality, would we do exciting things, travel to distant lands, take enormous risks, or settle for a quiet life?
It’s disappointing and pedestrian--not very interesting but not totally boring either (that’s life). If a random person on the street named Valder just out of blue started telling you his life story you wouldn’t hate the man, but you probably wouldn’t care that much about him either.
December 13, 2025
The Misenchanted Sword, which I first read forty years ago introduced me to the idea of mundane high fantasy. Its setting is a high magic fantasy world, yet the stakes are personal rather than epic. Its protagonist, Valder, is just a regular guy dealing with the complications that magic introduced to his life. He’s not the chosen one, doesn’t have a hero arc, goes on no quests. He’s just a guy who stumbled into becoming magically attached to a powerful and dangerous enchanted sword that he can never escape, and must somehow learn to live with.
We pick up Valder’s story from when, as a young scout in his nation’s army trapped behind enemy lines, a cranky wizard enchants his sword to help him escape. This leads his superior officers to reassign him as an assassin — a job he hates — which becomes the first way the sword complicated his life. He musters out of the army at war’s end wanting to leave the violent life behind, and becomes an innkeeper for the next forty years, but still cannot escape the fact that his doom is permanently linked to his enchanted sword.
The Misenchanted Sword is story driven, its strength being the clever idea of the wonky enchantment of the sword and the way that shapes Valder’s life. But its characters are paper thin, with no one outside of the protagonist having enough reality to even much think about, much less care about. And its world building is strictly perfunctory — the minimum necessary to give Valder a world to be knocking about in. Because of this I can’t give this book above a three stars I liked it rating, despite the fact that the clever story concept stuck with me for four decades.
We pick up Valder’s story from when, as a young scout in his nation’s army trapped behind enemy lines, a cranky wizard enchants his sword to help him escape. This leads his superior officers to reassign him as an assassin — a job he hates — which becomes the first way the sword complicated his life. He musters out of the army at war’s end wanting to leave the violent life behind, and becomes an innkeeper for the next forty years, but still cannot escape the fact that his doom is permanently linked to his enchanted sword.
The Misenchanted Sword is story driven, its strength being the clever idea of the wonky enchantment of the sword and the way that shapes Valder’s life. But its characters are paper thin, with no one outside of the protagonist having enough reality to even much think about, much less care about. And its world building is strictly perfunctory — the minimum necessary to give Valder a world to be knocking about in. Because of this I can’t give this book above a three stars I liked it rating, despite the fact that the clever story concept stuck with me for four decades.
April 26, 2012
Light, engaging fantasy at it's best. In the Misenchanted Sword, Lawrence Watt-Evans has created a fun story that's hard to put down. Valder is a likable character that I found it easy to identify with and found myself caring about what happens to him next. Whether it's figuring out what properties the crazy swamp wizard imbued his sword with or escaping from an adolescent dragon that chases him directly into the middle of an enemy encampment, the fun rarely ceases in this novel.
I had read this book once before when I was in Junior High School and I remembered it fondly. Rereading it again now, I found it to be just as enjoyable. Even when the pace of the book slows down, I was still turning pages to find out what happens next.
This is a fun read and I recommend for anyone who enjoys fantasy/sci-fi and needs a break from heavier fare.
I had read this book once before when I was in Junior High School and I remembered it fondly. Rereading it again now, I found it to be just as enjoyable. Even when the pace of the book slows down, I was still turning pages to find out what happens next.
This is a fun read and I recommend for anyone who enjoys fantasy/sci-fi and needs a break from heavier fare.
February 24, 2011
Reviews Of Unusual Size!
Re: Accidentally finding himself behind enemy lines, Valder the Scout stumbles across a crotchety old hermit in the swamp. After his bumbling brings the enemy who destroys the hermit's home, which is also his wizard's workshop, the old man enchants Valder's sword to get him back home and out of his hair. But the sword has a few quirks...
Outstanding: Everything about this story is unique. The hero doesn't want to do anything but settle down and be comfortable. He doesn't want to be a leader or a legend. He just wants some ale and dry socks. This is Watt-Evans first foray into the fantasy land he calls Ethshar, and he creates a world fully rounded and familiar, but different enough to be a lot of fun to explore.
Unacceptable: Nothing. Seriously.
Summary: In my opinion, this may be the greatest lighthearted fantasy novel ever written. I've re-read it dozens of times and had at least three copies of the book stolen from me by smitten new fans. (I have a tendency to pick up any copies I can find in used book stores to give to people) The hero is original and relateable and he lives in a magical world that has spawned 9 additional novels. And the spell on that titular sword? Hilariously wicked, creative and awesome.You should go out and buy this today.
5/5
Notes: Unfortunately, with sales lagging, the Ethshar series was canceled by Watt-Evans' publishers a few years back. So the author started selling it himself in a creatively awesome way - He posts the chapters on his website in serialized installments as each chapter is paid for. Then, once the novel is complete and released, he does an edit and releases it in a full form. I love it.
http://reviewsofunusualsize.blogspot....
Re: Accidentally finding himself behind enemy lines, Valder the Scout stumbles across a crotchety old hermit in the swamp. After his bumbling brings the enemy who destroys the hermit's home, which is also his wizard's workshop, the old man enchants Valder's sword to get him back home and out of his hair. But the sword has a few quirks...
Outstanding: Everything about this story is unique. The hero doesn't want to do anything but settle down and be comfortable. He doesn't want to be a leader or a legend. He just wants some ale and dry socks. This is Watt-Evans first foray into the fantasy land he calls Ethshar, and he creates a world fully rounded and familiar, but different enough to be a lot of fun to explore.
Unacceptable: Nothing. Seriously.
Summary: In my opinion, this may be the greatest lighthearted fantasy novel ever written. I've re-read it dozens of times and had at least three copies of the book stolen from me by smitten new fans. (I have a tendency to pick up any copies I can find in used book stores to give to people) The hero is original and relateable and he lives in a magical world that has spawned 9 additional novels. And the spell on that titular sword? Hilariously wicked, creative and awesome.You should go out and buy this today.
5/5
Notes: Unfortunately, with sales lagging, the Ethshar series was canceled by Watt-Evans' publishers a few years back. So the author started selling it himself in a creatively awesome way - He posts the chapters on his website in serialized installments as each chapter is paid for. Then, once the novel is complete and released, he does an edit and releases it in a full form. I love it.
http://reviewsofunusualsize.blogspot....
June 21, 2011
I had forgotten how much I really enjoyed this book. I'm landing this one at 4 and a half stars.
Valder, the protagonist, is a character that I find difficult to comprehend at times. He strikes me as a man cut from the same cloth as a certain Mr. Baggins – and is about as successful at avoiding adventure. He is portrayed as calm and turns out to be quite the homebody by the time all is said and done.
The story coves a great deal of time and ground, but I don't know that I would term this an “epic”. I think it's an excellent fantasy and still comes in at less than 300 pages. I'm not sure publishers today would bother with a fantasy that wasn't at least a trilogy of 600 page doorstops. I like the simple fact that this book stands on it's own. It's a rich and clearly developed world, but there aren't 16 other series describing in great detail the town Valder once walked through. I find that refreshing.
This is a fine book on it's own without needing to become a franchise. I was lucky enough to encounter the author at a recent convention. He confirmed that this is consistently his best selling work. I certainly think it's worth it. IF you have the chance to pick one up, do so. You'll enjoy the read.
Valder, the protagonist, is a character that I find difficult to comprehend at times. He strikes me as a man cut from the same cloth as a certain Mr. Baggins – and is about as successful at avoiding adventure. He is portrayed as calm and turns out to be quite the homebody by the time all is said and done.
The story coves a great deal of time and ground, but I don't know that I would term this an “epic”. I think it's an excellent fantasy and still comes in at less than 300 pages. I'm not sure publishers today would bother with a fantasy that wasn't at least a trilogy of 600 page doorstops. I like the simple fact that this book stands on it's own. It's a rich and clearly developed world, but there aren't 16 other series describing in great detail the town Valder once walked through. I find that refreshing.
This is a fine book on it's own without needing to become a franchise. I was lucky enough to encounter the author at a recent convention. He confirmed that this is consistently his best selling work. I certainly think it's worth it. IF you have the chance to pick one up, do so. You'll enjoy the read.
October 12, 2009
"cute" idea, not much character building. Just a "fun" story to frame an interesting idea. Instead of the gold ring the wizard needed to use he used a lesser metal to enchant a sword. The sword works great and will slay any enemy...the first 100 that is. then it will slay it's current user....ouch.
May 2, 2025
This felt like a plot summary of an interesting novel rather an actual novel.
December 20, 2016
Valder the scout is trapped behind enemy lines and is saved thanks to the intervention of an irate hermit who just happens to be a powerful wizard. To get rid of Valder the wizard enchants his sword - but neglects to inform him of the specifics of the enchantment before leaving the scout to find his way back to friendly territory. By the time Valder returns he's (barely) managed to kill several enemy troops, including a demonic shatra - thought to be unbeatable in single-combat. The corps of wizards determines that his sword has been given an array of powerful enchantments which make it virtually unbeatable one-on-one, but also that the enchantment will only last until Valder has used it to kill 99-100 men, at which point the sword will only be usable by somebody else and will turn on him as its next victim - and will then go on to kill the next 98-99 men - and so on.
In fact until the sword has a new owner Valder will be effectively immortal and unkillable, since he cannot die until his allotment of victims is used up. Valder is therefor assigned duties as an assassin - least until he loses track of the number of victims the sword has killed at around 80 or so, and retires to private life as an inkeeper at The Crossroads Inn. Unfortunately while the sword's perverse enchantment won't let Valder die, it doesn't prevent him from aging and becoming more and more decrepit and infirm.
Valder has to find some way around the magic of "The Misenchanted Sword," and by the story's end he does; in fact as a consequence of Valder's solution, he and his Crossroads Inn are visited or at least given a passing mention in virtually all the books in Lawrence Watt-Evans's "Magic of Ethshar" series, which covers a span of centuries. By the end of the book Valder learns just 'why' the sword's enchantment turned to be so perverse from the wizard who "misenchanted" it himself.
In fact until the sword has a new owner Valder will be effectively immortal and unkillable, since he cannot die until his allotment of victims is used up. Valder is therefor assigned duties as an assassin - least until he loses track of the number of victims the sword has killed at around 80 or so, and retires to private life as an inkeeper at The Crossroads Inn. Unfortunately while the sword's perverse enchantment won't let Valder die, it doesn't prevent him from aging and becoming more and more decrepit and infirm.
Valder has to find some way around the magic of "The Misenchanted Sword," and by the story's end he does; in fact as a consequence of Valder's solution, he and his Crossroads Inn are visited or at least given a passing mention in virtually all the books in Lawrence Watt-Evans's "Magic of Ethshar" series, which covers a span of centuries. By the end of the book Valder learns just 'why' the sword's enchantment turned to be so perverse from the wizard who "misenchanted" it himself.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2013
Popcorn novel. Pick it up and read it for entertainment: it isn't life-changing and certainly not filling and one feels vaguely guilty for having spent time reading it later.
The main character is a Gary Stu (author self insert) and never does anything until events or the plot force him to change. He's "desperately unhappy" about his lot in life and killing people ( supposedly- doesn't stop him from butchering over eighty people with his magic sword) but is a morally reprehensible character since he does nothing about his situation, blaming it on the war, his job, his bosses, his sword and the ancient hermit wizard rather than actually growing up and taking charge of the story. His relationships with the other characters are equally shallow, and the romance toward the end of the book is a bit pitiful. Also, drinking that potion? Not something I would have done given some of the ingredients, freely given or oherwise. In addition, his war- buddy and associated family got a really raw deal at the end of the book, too.
Good bits: one point of view, no flashbacks, relatively well written for what it is, the modern pulp fantasy. Just read a Conan the Barbarian story recently and realized now while writing this how remarkably similar they are. Moral of the story is this: don't accept a free gift unless you know what you are getting, or, be careful what you wish for.
The main character is a Gary Stu (author self insert) and never does anything until events or the plot force him to change. He's "desperately unhappy" about his lot in life and killing people ( supposedly- doesn't stop him from butchering over eighty people with his magic sword) but is a morally reprehensible character since he does nothing about his situation, blaming it on the war, his job, his bosses, his sword and the ancient hermit wizard rather than actually growing up and taking charge of the story. His relationships with the other characters are equally shallow, and the romance toward the end of the book is a bit pitiful. Also, drinking that potion? Not something I would have done given some of the ingredients, freely given or oherwise. In addition, his war- buddy and associated family got a really raw deal at the end of the book, too.
Good bits: one point of view, no flashbacks, relatively well written for what it is, the modern pulp fantasy. Just read a Conan the Barbarian story recently and realized now while writing this how remarkably similar they are. Moral of the story is this: don't accept a free gift unless you know what you are getting, or, be careful what you wish for.
May 23, 2019
The first book from perhaps my favorite fantasy series. The Ethshar books aren't particularly epic or heroic. Magic is another resource, available to those with coin, and society has some differences because of it. When I first read this, I imagined D&D much more like this world than Middle Earth or Narnia.
There are many books set in this world, but each stands alone nicely. This book is more episodic than epic, and the story of a common warrior and a sword enchanted in haste spans over a hundred years. The main character sometimes reacts with his gut, and other times thinks through his plans, much like any of us. In the end, he is both a common and a good man.
Already a successful writer of fantasy and science fiction, Lawrence Watt-Evans wanted to write "something lighter in tone", and I would say he succeeded. According to the author, this has been his most successful book to date (as of 2017). The series contains fourteen published novels and eleven stories, now collected into one volume. I've only ever read the first six, and plan to reread (and review) all of them. 4½ stars.
There are many books set in this world, but each stands alone nicely. This book is more episodic than epic, and the story of a common warrior and a sword enchanted in haste spans over a hundred years. The main character sometimes reacts with his gut, and other times thinks through his plans, much like any of us. In the end, he is both a common and a good man.
Already a successful writer of fantasy and science fiction, Lawrence Watt-Evans wanted to write "something lighter in tone", and I would say he succeeded. According to the author, this has been his most successful book to date (as of 2017). The series contains fourteen published novels and eleven stories, now collected into one volume. I've only ever read the first six, and plan to reread (and review) all of them. 4½ stars.
November 1, 2021
Holy carp, I'm sorry to say this, but this was the most boring book I've read, not just this year, but in the last 20 years at least! The only reason I'm not giving it a one star, because it was not insulting or outright unreadable. Also the epilogue made me nose-exhale, so my final rating will be 2.5 rounded down to 2.
So what was so wrong with this book? Let's look at the plot first, or rather, it's lack of existence. Because, there is no real plot to speak of. The "plot", if you will, is Vader's life, but only the boring parts. You see, lots of exciting things DO happen in this book, like assassinations gone wrong and all that, but you don't get to read about any of that. Nope, you only get to see Valder being unhappy and lounging about and then later on, Valder being content and lounging about.
When I started reading this, judging from the cover with the castle and the dragon flying about and the time it was written, I expected some heroic fantasy, maybe along the lines of Dragonlance with a bit more humor mixed into it (hence the humor tag). Nope, none of that. To sum the story up: Valder gets magic sword that's bound to him, he gets back to his army, he gets special assignments cause of magic sword (which you only get to hear about, never actually see) and then after a while he turns into an innkeeper and tries to figure out his complicated situation that was caused by said magic sword. That's it, that's the story. The end.
This whole thing wouldn't be THAT bad if Valder at least had some semblance of interesting personality, but he is as boring as stale tap water. The only things I learned about him, that he is quite a chill dude, hates killing people and just wants a peaceful life. That's all. I mean, don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying a good MC has to be this dramatic personae to be interesting, but this one is lacking... everything. He has virtually no personality traits besides what I've listed above. None. It's okay to read about an everyday MC, but even everyday people have more color than this 2D paper cutout does.
I'll give the book this though, it's quite progressive considering when it was written. But I can't understand where the humor tag came from, because apart from a few nose-exhale moments, nothing humorous really happened to warrant it.
I think I would best describe this as some sort of fantasy slice of life thing. But the thing is, I've consumed enough of the slice of life genre to say, this even sort of fails at that. Since nothing really exciting happens throughout the book, it's lacking any sort of arc and just meanders in a semi-straight line, which even for a slice of life story, is just boring as hell.
So yea, I don't think I'd recommend this book with a clear conscience to anyone, except if they are specifically looking for something with zero excitement. And I'll probably be skipping the rest of the books in this series and from this author, because it seems I don't vibe well with his writing style.
So what was so wrong with this book? Let's look at the plot first, or rather, it's lack of existence. Because, there is no real plot to speak of. The "plot", if you will, is Vader's life, but only the boring parts. You see, lots of exciting things DO happen in this book, like assassinations gone wrong and all that, but you don't get to read about any of that. Nope, you only get to see Valder being unhappy and lounging about and then later on, Valder being content and lounging about.
When I started reading this, judging from the cover with the castle and the dragon flying about and the time it was written, I expected some heroic fantasy, maybe along the lines of Dragonlance with a bit more humor mixed into it (hence the humor tag). Nope, none of that. To sum the story up: Valder gets magic sword that's bound to him, he gets back to his army, he gets special assignments cause of magic sword (which you only get to hear about, never actually see) and then after a while he turns into an innkeeper and tries to figure out his complicated situation that was caused by said magic sword. That's it, that's the story. The end.
This whole thing wouldn't be THAT bad if Valder at least had some semblance of interesting personality, but he is as boring as stale tap water. The only things I learned about him, that he is quite a chill dude, hates killing people and just wants a peaceful life. That's all. I mean, don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying a good MC has to be this dramatic personae to be interesting, but this one is lacking... everything. He has virtually no personality traits besides what I've listed above. None. It's okay to read about an everyday MC, but even everyday people have more color than this 2D paper cutout does.
I'll give the book this though, it's quite progressive considering when it was written. But I can't understand where the humor tag came from, because apart from a few nose-exhale moments, nothing humorous really happened to warrant it.
I think I would best describe this as some sort of fantasy slice of life thing. But the thing is, I've consumed enough of the slice of life genre to say, this even sort of fails at that. Since nothing really exciting happens throughout the book, it's lacking any sort of arc and just meanders in a semi-straight line, which even for a slice of life story, is just boring as hell.
So yea, I don't think I'd recommend this book with a clear conscience to anyone, except if they are specifically looking for something with zero excitement. And I'll probably be skipping the rest of the books in this series and from this author, because it seems I don't vibe well with his writing style.
December 20, 2023
Reading this is like being the dungeon master for a D&D game where the player just refuses to interact with the adventure that you are running and just wants to run an inn instead of fight the cool monsters you came up with.
A lot of fictional heroes resist the call to adventure but the main character here makes an art of it. Most of the action in the novel is early on and takes place off-screen and the rest of the novel is just the main character trying as hard as he can to do absolutely nothing. The whole thing is then wrapped up in an unsatisfying deus ex machina.
This is certainly very different from most fantasy that I have read but, like a Rian Johnson Star Wars movie, it tries too hard to subvert your expectations and ends up being unsatisfying.
A lot of fictional heroes resist the call to adventure but the main character here makes an art of it. Most of the action in the novel is early on and takes place off-screen and the rest of the novel is just the main character trying as hard as he can to do absolutely nothing. The whole thing is then wrapped up in an unsatisfying deus ex machina.
This is certainly very different from most fantasy that I have read but, like a Rian Johnson Star Wars movie, it tries too hard to subvert your expectations and ends up being unsatisfying.
January 14, 2025
This was a hard one to review. There was a lot of good here, but finally and narratively it was all over the place.. just stumbling from point to point. If book remakes were a thing, this would be a good one.
May 17, 2008
This is my favorite book in the Magic of Ethshar series,closely followed by The Blood of a Dragon. I recorded most of them, including this one, in 50-55 minute installments for my local Golden Hours radio service for blind or reading-impaired listeners. I also made CD copies for myself.
Valder is an Ethsharitic Scout who has been cut off by a Northern Alliance offnsive, trapped behind enemy lines, and is pursued by an enemy patrol which includes at least one wizard and possibly a shatra, a demon warrior which is more than a match for any single swordsman. He comes upon a hermit living in a swamp and the enemy patrol destroys the hermit's hut and most of his supplies, but the hermit turns out to have powerful magic of his own and is able to protect them, but this still leaves Valder alone, miles behind enemy lines, and with only his sword and sling to defend himself with.
In order to get rid of him, the hermit wizard uses what few supplies he has left to cast an enchantment over Valder's sword, telling him only its name, Wirikidor, and to not unsheath the sword until he has departed the swamp, nothing more.
It is left for Valder to discover the nature of the enchantment on Wirikidor -- a blade at once cursed and enchanted, a misenchanted blade that makes him unbeatable.
He learns that once drawn, Wirikidor can't be sheathed until it his drawn blood. In fact not merely drawn blood, but KILLED, and that it will always kill the first opponent it faces, and will not settle for wounding or incapacitating its "victim." On the other hand, Valder learns that it can then be sheathed, recharging itself to kill the next time it is drawn.
Wirikidor is not compelled to kill women or beasts, but it does enhance Valder's swordsmanship enough for him to fend off a young dragon long enough to escape up a tree. Then he learns that Wirikidor is even powerful enough to defeat a shatra in single combat, once it has drawn demon's blood.
This unprecedented feat brings Valder safely back through Ethsaritic lines, and to the attention of the Wizarding authorities, who take Wirikidor away from Valder to examine its properties, that is until one of the other charms on it compells its return to Valder by the quickest means possible.
Once the wizards have finally completed their investigation they give Valder the bad news:
[Warning Spoiler Alert - Read the book for yourself to learn Wirikidor's secret - or proceed at your own cost.]
1) Wirikidor means man-killer or warrior killer and it will always kill the first man or man-like person it encounters once it is drawn, and cannot be sheathed until it has killed.
2) Wirikidor is bound to Valder by a spell of true-ownership, which will compell its return to him by any means possible, even using earthquakes, tidal waves, or tornados if necessary to return itself to him. The true-ownership spell will also protect Valder himself from dying, but not from being harmed, unfortunately.
3) Wirikidor's blade has a spell which will keep it ever-sharp, and protect it from being damaged by anything short of a major catastrophic spell, a spell that would likely kill the wizard who casts it, along with anybody else within several hundred yards of Wirikidor.
4) The above spell of true-ownership has been corrupted somehow, and will only last until Valder has drawn Wirikidor approximately 100 times, plus or minus one or two, which means that after Valder has used the sword's power to kill 98 to 102 times, he will then be the only person in the entire world UNABLE to draw Wirikidor, and the first person who does draw the sword will immediately kill Valder with it and thereby become its master (or its slave) until it has claimed one fewer victims for its new owner.
5) This chain of circumstances will continue until 98 (or 102) of the sword's owners have died on Wirikidor's blade along with approximately 5100 other victims of its enchantment, and the sword's final owner is forced to turn Wirikidor on himself.
What aghastly spell!
The rest of the story involves Valder's use of Wirikidor to conduct clandestine assassinations of the Northern Alliance's top wizards and generals, until that is Valder realizes he has lost count of Wirikidor's victims and that he is in any case too close to the sword's magic number for comfort.
He decides to go into retirement, becomes an innkeeper, and discovers the last of Wirikidor's unfortunate curses: while he cannot die as long he owns Wirikdior, he does age, and undergo the usually bodily deteriorations of aging, and Valder doesn't care for the implications of that one bit!
Most of the story revolves around the various ethical dilemmas posed by ownership of "The Missenchanted Sword," and how Valder resolves each one in turn, and how he ultimately acheives contentment and happiness, which is not always true for a Lawrence Watt-Evans hero.
Finally, Valder learns how the spell became corrupted, from the wizard who cast the spell in the first place.
Valder is an Ethsharitic Scout who has been cut off by a Northern Alliance offnsive, trapped behind enemy lines, and is pursued by an enemy patrol which includes at least one wizard and possibly a shatra, a demon warrior which is more than a match for any single swordsman. He comes upon a hermit living in a swamp and the enemy patrol destroys the hermit's hut and most of his supplies, but the hermit turns out to have powerful magic of his own and is able to protect them, but this still leaves Valder alone, miles behind enemy lines, and with only his sword and sling to defend himself with.
In order to get rid of him, the hermit wizard uses what few supplies he has left to cast an enchantment over Valder's sword, telling him only its name, Wirikidor, and to not unsheath the sword until he has departed the swamp, nothing more.
It is left for Valder to discover the nature of the enchantment on Wirikidor -- a blade at once cursed and enchanted, a misenchanted blade that makes him unbeatable.
He learns that once drawn, Wirikidor can't be sheathed until it his drawn blood. In fact not merely drawn blood, but KILLED, and that it will always kill the first opponent it faces, and will not settle for wounding or incapacitating its "victim." On the other hand, Valder learns that it can then be sheathed, recharging itself to kill the next time it is drawn.
Wirikidor is not compelled to kill women or beasts, but it does enhance Valder's swordsmanship enough for him to fend off a young dragon long enough to escape up a tree. Then he learns that Wirikidor is even powerful enough to defeat a shatra in single combat, once it has drawn demon's blood.
This unprecedented feat brings Valder safely back through Ethsaritic lines, and to the attention of the Wizarding authorities, who take Wirikidor away from Valder to examine its properties, that is until one of the other charms on it compells its return to Valder by the quickest means possible.
Once the wizards have finally completed their investigation they give Valder the bad news:
[Warning Spoiler Alert - Read the book for yourself to learn Wirikidor's secret - or proceed at your own cost.]
1) Wirikidor means man-killer or warrior killer and it will always kill the first man or man-like person it encounters once it is drawn, and cannot be sheathed until it has killed.
2) Wirikidor is bound to Valder by a spell of true-ownership, which will compell its return to him by any means possible, even using earthquakes, tidal waves, or tornados if necessary to return itself to him. The true-ownership spell will also protect Valder himself from dying, but not from being harmed, unfortunately.
3) Wirikidor's blade has a spell which will keep it ever-sharp, and protect it from being damaged by anything short of a major catastrophic spell, a spell that would likely kill the wizard who casts it, along with anybody else within several hundred yards of Wirikidor.
4) The above spell of true-ownership has been corrupted somehow, and will only last until Valder has drawn Wirikidor approximately 100 times, plus or minus one or two, which means that after Valder has used the sword's power to kill 98 to 102 times, he will then be the only person in the entire world UNABLE to draw Wirikidor, and the first person who does draw the sword will immediately kill Valder with it and thereby become its master (or its slave) until it has claimed one fewer victims for its new owner.
5) This chain of circumstances will continue until 98 (or 102) of the sword's owners have died on Wirikidor's blade along with approximately 5100 other victims of its enchantment, and the sword's final owner is forced to turn Wirikidor on himself.
What aghastly spell!
The rest of the story involves Valder's use of Wirikidor to conduct clandestine assassinations of the Northern Alliance's top wizards and generals, until that is Valder realizes he has lost count of Wirikidor's victims and that he is in any case too close to the sword's magic number for comfort.
He decides to go into retirement, becomes an innkeeper, and discovers the last of Wirikidor's unfortunate curses: while he cannot die as long he owns Wirikdior, he does age, and undergo the usually bodily deteriorations of aging, and Valder doesn't care for the implications of that one bit!
Most of the story revolves around the various ethical dilemmas posed by ownership of "The Missenchanted Sword," and how Valder resolves each one in turn, and how he ultimately acheives contentment and happiness, which is not always true for a Lawrence Watt-Evans hero.
Finally, Valder learns how the spell became corrupted, from the wizard who cast the spell in the first place.
June 7, 2015
I'm glad to have read it, for a couple reasons. First, it was interesting to read a fantasy plot with a protagonist who was not tortured, or conflicted, or ambitious - just a decent guy who wanted to do his duty and live a peaceful, content life. Also, the story clearly has a lot of world building behind it. On the other hand, the emotional range throughout the book felt improbably flat - in particular, lacking in humor, though it is possible that it just wasn't on my wavelength. I'd love to know what happens next to the world of Ethshar, but I'm not in a hurry to read other books in the series to find out.
July 17, 2024
[Rating: 4.0/5.0] My first encounter with Watt-Evans. The story is meandering and spits in the face of three act structure, but also engaging and enjoyable. I had no idea where it was going for most of the story which gave it a certain verisimilitude. The central premise of the cursed sword was very interesting. Watt-Evans also shows off some incredible world building. For such a chaotic story it ended a little neatly for my taste, but the last paragraph is amazing.
December 26, 2015
Delightful. Possibly a bit episodic, although everything follows on in a natural way. Whether intentionally or not, the reader ends up trying to puzzle out the "rules" of the enchantment. There are a number of interesting and amusing twists.
October 15, 2025
Good book. I would have liked more sub characters to support the story of the main character. The story is a bit too much just all about him. I loved the use of magic users, feels very D&Dish and the transportation tapestry was awesome.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2021
This book I have read twice. It is interesting and funny. Great adventure with some really neat twists.
February 10, 2017
I really liked the first third of this book, but then it seemed to lose its plot.
Valder was a scout lost behind enemy lines and pursued by sorcerers when he came across a wizard. One exploded house later, the wizard foisted an enchanted sword on Valder to get rid of him. I loved the vivid details of the marsh and the swordfights, and Valder's experiments to figure out the limits of the magic.
But the rest of the book was just boring.
It felt like it had a lot of potential to be a great story, but it kept sullenly turning away from plot points to plod through dull, vaguely described domesticity. I wouldn't even mind the domesticity if it were funny or had any emotional weight, but this was just tedious.
Valder was a scout lost behind enemy lines and pursued by sorcerers when he came across a wizard. One exploded house later, the wizard foisted an enchanted sword on Valder to get rid of him. I loved the vivid details of the marsh and the swordfights, and Valder's experiments to figure out the limits of the magic.
But the rest of the book was just boring.
It felt like it had a lot of potential to be a great story, but it kept sullenly turning away from plot points to plod through dull, vaguely described domesticity. I wouldn't even mind the domesticity if it were funny or had any emotional weight, but this was just tedious.
October 29, 2023
As I come to do this review I've already read several other books in the series (thanks, Covid), so I'll do a bit of a series intro as well as reviewing this specific book.
This is an early-Terry Pratchett-style series, in that characters and locations recur, but each book stands alone and is about a new protagonist. These protagonists are, to varying degrees, young (from early teens to early 20s, usually), and the books are basically coming-of-age stories. Typically, the protagonist starts out with an obvious fault such as a young person might credibly have: they're lazy, or selfish, or dishonest, for example. Over the course of the book, they grow and change from being an unpromising Everyperson to a solid character who we (generally) like and cheer for, and who achieves something remarkable.
The style is light and amusing, without ever becoming outright comedic.
The editing varies from not terrible to quite good; mostly the issues are simple typos, missing words (often "the"), and misplaced apostrophes where the noun is plural, and the latter is occasional rather than consistent.
In this case, the protagonist is a young soldier in a war that's been going on for centuries. (I found the multi-century war a bit hard to swallow, along with the idea that there were no prisoner exchanges. Also, )
He's a scout, and gets separated from his unit and stuck behind enemy lines, where he meets a wizard who, to get rid of him, enchants his sword. The enchantment... has its fishhooks, for sure, and while the biggest problem gets solved for him, he does protagonize trying to get out of his newly complicated situation.
One of the best features of the protagonist is that he doesn't actually want to kill people; he wants a quiet, peaceful life, and instead of this being a "reluctant protagonist" situation, it becomes a good motivator for him to overcome some obstacles. The resolution, despite the assist from a new character, is satisfying, and the character will have several cameos in future books in the series.
This is an early-Terry Pratchett-style series, in that characters and locations recur, but each book stands alone and is about a new protagonist. These protagonists are, to varying degrees, young (from early teens to early 20s, usually), and the books are basically coming-of-age stories. Typically, the protagonist starts out with an obvious fault such as a young person might credibly have: they're lazy, or selfish, or dishonest, for example. Over the course of the book, they grow and change from being an unpromising Everyperson to a solid character who we (generally) like and cheer for, and who achieves something remarkable.
The style is light and amusing, without ever becoming outright comedic.
The editing varies from not terrible to quite good; mostly the issues are simple typos, missing words (often "the"), and misplaced apostrophes where the noun is plural, and the latter is occasional rather than consistent.
In this case, the protagonist is a young soldier in a war that's been going on for centuries. (I found the multi-century war a bit hard to swallow, along with the idea that there were no prisoner exchanges. Also, )
He's a scout, and gets separated from his unit and stuck behind enemy lines, where he meets a wizard who, to get rid of him, enchants his sword. The enchantment... has its fishhooks, for sure, and while the biggest problem gets solved for him, he does protagonize trying to get out of his newly complicated situation.
One of the best features of the protagonist is that he doesn't actually want to kill people; he wants a quiet, peaceful life, and instead of this being a "reluctant protagonist" situation, it becomes a good motivator for him to overcome some obstacles. The resolution, despite the assist from a new character, is satisfying, and the character will have several cameos in future books in the series.
October 11, 2021
Quick light read and standard 80s fantasy with an interesting twist/perspective.
The fantasy of this era is heavily influenced by the D&D gaming system, and this book is no exception. We have the standard wartime feudal economy with common soldiers and wizards alike drafted to fight the evil Empire TM next door.
The twist is that we imagine how the common NPC soldier would react to being gifted with a powerful enchanted sword where the wizard enchanting it failed a couple of dice rolls and put some interesting ‘ extra’ not-exactly-desirable features on it.
What follows is almost a satirical romp as the soldier in question tries to get rid of the sword and its unwanted ‘ gifts.
There are several things keeping this story from being 4 or a 5 star book however.
1: rather uneven development of the characters and storyline.
We don’t see a lot of emotional growth other than a general desire to not be a soldier by the main character. He is portrayed as a general NPC Everyman who doesn’t enjoy killing.. but goes on to kill almost 80 people with his magic sword..while telling us he doesn’t want to keep doing that..( also drags a bit around the 2/3 mark)
2: attempts to make this a satirical commentary either on the nature of politics in time of war, or even the genera of D&D fantasy are weirdly juxtaposed against serious commentary on the nature of death, war, and immortality. The author doesn’t succeed on either front as a result.
3: one of the suppositions made by the plot is that a full on war time economy could be maintained for centuries without any actual progress made during the war. Such an economy would be bankrupt within a decade at most and collapse. I don’t ask much given it is “ fantasy”..but this unsolved issue really bugged me.
Worth the read if you stumble across this in either your library (or used book store like I did).. but for better fantasy satire I would go with Terry Pratchett or Jim Hines ..for just straight up D&D go with R.A. Salvatore. Those authors offer the 4 and 5 star stories that this one doesn’t quite get to.
The fantasy of this era is heavily influenced by the D&D gaming system, and this book is no exception. We have the standard wartime feudal economy with common soldiers and wizards alike drafted to fight the evil Empire TM next door.
The twist is that we imagine how the common NPC soldier would react to being gifted with a powerful enchanted sword where the wizard enchanting it failed a couple of dice rolls and put some interesting ‘ extra’ not-exactly-desirable features on it.
What follows is almost a satirical romp as the soldier in question tries to get rid of the sword and its unwanted ‘ gifts.
There are several things keeping this story from being 4 or a 5 star book however.
1: rather uneven development of the characters and storyline.
We don’t see a lot of emotional growth other than a general desire to not be a soldier by the main character. He is portrayed as a general NPC Everyman who doesn’t enjoy killing.. but goes on to kill almost 80 people with his magic sword..while telling us he doesn’t want to keep doing that..( also drags a bit around the 2/3 mark)
2: attempts to make this a satirical commentary either on the nature of politics in time of war, or even the genera of D&D fantasy are weirdly juxtaposed against serious commentary on the nature of death, war, and immortality. The author doesn’t succeed on either front as a result.
3: one of the suppositions made by the plot is that a full on war time economy could be maintained for centuries without any actual progress made during the war. Such an economy would be bankrupt within a decade at most and collapse. I don’t ask much given it is “ fantasy”..but this unsolved issue really bugged me.
Worth the read if you stumble across this in either your library (or used book store like I did).. but for better fantasy satire I would go with Terry Pratchett or Jim Hines ..for just straight up D&D go with R.A. Salvatore. Those authors offer the 4 and 5 star stories that this one doesn’t quite get to.
January 3, 2026
Whimsical. Mysterious. Has the vibes of a classic but a very distinct story that subverts expectations through the MC’s motivations. It’s a satisfying read.
There’s so many elements I liked about this book. It has such a foggy, mystical sense to it. It’s such a good introduction and set-up for the rest of the series. It hints at so much history without showing all the cards by using the perspective of one ordinary man who just happens to get a magic sword from the most powerful wizard in the land. The MC is a mundane character with humble motivations, and that is actually one of my favorite parts of the book because the author writes it so well. All the guy wants to do is live in peace and work an ordinary job, but he was born into a world of war. I love that we’re able to follow him for such a long stretch of his life and see him have a happy ending amidst all the crazy events happening to the world in the peripheral. I love that those peripheral events are so colossal in scale, and that subsequent books deal with their consequences. I do wish I knew more about the history of the world first set up in this book, but I also haven’t read the 10th book (& beyond) in this series yet because it’s been hard for me to find The Vondish Ambassador. Regardless, this book in particular has a different vibe than the rest because the people at the time of this book had more powerful magic than later in the world’s history. I enjoy that the rest of the books deal with smaller, more complex forms of magic, but this book is special because the rules are so different. And it’s also interesting to read all from the perspective of a guy just trying to deal with one simple but inescapable problem. Like Sanderson, Jordan, or Hobb; this author is really good at telling the small story of an individual within the greater story of a world ticking on.
There’s so many elements I liked about this book. It has such a foggy, mystical sense to it. It’s such a good introduction and set-up for the rest of the series. It hints at so much history without showing all the cards by using the perspective of one ordinary man who just happens to get a magic sword from the most powerful wizard in the land. The MC is a mundane character with humble motivations, and that is actually one of my favorite parts of the book because the author writes it so well. All the guy wants to do is live in peace and work an ordinary job, but he was born into a world of war. I love that we’re able to follow him for such a long stretch of his life and see him have a happy ending amidst all the crazy events happening to the world in the peripheral. I love that those peripheral events are so colossal in scale, and that subsequent books deal with their consequences. I do wish I knew more about the history of the world first set up in this book, but I also haven’t read the 10th book (& beyond) in this series yet because it’s been hard for me to find The Vondish Ambassador. Regardless, this book in particular has a different vibe than the rest because the people at the time of this book had more powerful magic than later in the world’s history. I enjoy that the rest of the books deal with smaller, more complex forms of magic, but this book is special because the rules are so different. And it’s also interesting to read all from the perspective of a guy just trying to deal with one simple but inescapable problem. Like Sanderson, Jordan, or Hobb; this author is really good at telling the small story of an individual within the greater story of a world ticking on.
August 19, 2019
This is an odd little book, reminding me of classic sci-fi but in D&D clothing. There is a clear "what if?" scenario at work here, rather than an actual plot, and it works as a study in trope-twisting rather than a story in itself. It might have worked as both had the writing been a bit more engaging and the characters more than cardboard, but it trundles along at a decent pace (often skipping what would be the interesting bits in other books) and occasional action. The book has a lively fascination with possibilities and some novel ideas (mixed with a lot of standard-issue fantasy concepts), but doesn't always convince in the execution, and he characters are more there to service the ideas than really connect with the reader. It also takes a while to get to he interesting part of the story, though I suppose you have to set it up a bit before pulling the rug out.
The main drawback comes from one of the central ideas, in that the hero is purposefully unexceptional and unmotivated by anything but finding himself a quiet life. This is an intriguing change in theory but actually quite dull to read about (again not helped by the writing itself). He can also seem quite selfish, if not in a cruel way, lacking even the generosity of spirit that makes an ordinary man heroic.
So why am I giving it a generous four stars? Just because it's different, and I love something different. It's great to see authors playing with tropes back in their heyday, though it does amaze me that Watt-Evans published quite so many books when someone like Eve Forward (whose similarly trope-twisting Villains by Necessity is head-and-shoulders clear of this) had so few. I may well have to look a few more of them up, though, to be fair!
The main drawback comes from one of the central ideas, in that the hero is purposefully unexceptional and unmotivated by anything but finding himself a quiet life. This is an intriguing change in theory but actually quite dull to read about (again not helped by the writing itself). He can also seem quite selfish, if not in a cruel way, lacking even the generosity of spirit that makes an ordinary man heroic.
So why am I giving it a generous four stars? Just because it's different, and I love something different. It's great to see authors playing with tropes back in their heyday, though it does amaze me that Watt-Evans published quite so many books when someone like Eve Forward (whose similarly trope-twisting Villains by Necessity is head-and-shoulders clear of this) had so few. I may well have to look a few more of them up, though, to be fair!
January 22, 2025
You've probably read a book about the inexperienced farm boy who got a magic sword. Or maybe it was a reluctant pig herder? An blacksmith's apprentice? An orphaned castle boy? Any of this ringing a bell?
We all know at least one of these tales as they are the backbone of the monomyth itself, the hero's journey. Our Johnny Everyman is called to a life of adventure, and no matter how much he might try to resist the call he's swept along the currents of fate and is forever changed into a hero.
But what happens if he somehow manages to refuse the unrefusable? What becomes of Johnny Everyman? And what of his magic sword?
There might be other books that explore these questions, but I'm willing to bet few of them are as thorough in the answer as The Misenchanted Sword.
Valder the scout doesn't want a magic sword. He's no hero, nor is he all that interested in even being a soldier. And right when it seems like he might be unwittingly sent into the belly of the beast the war ends, the demons all die off screen, and he's free to do whatever he wants.
And that's the book. It's dry, and most of the action happens off screen. It's sometimes funny - usually intentionally, though it's hard to be sure - but it's not satirical. There's a very interesting world that's always pulsing in the background, but Valder is not very interested in any of that, and thus neither are we.
This is a book about a man who encounters extraordinary circumstances and decides that's not a life he wants. It's a likable one of those, but you have to be sure that's something that you want. Because that's all you're going to get.
We all know at least one of these tales as they are the backbone of the monomyth itself, the hero's journey. Our Johnny Everyman is called to a life of adventure, and no matter how much he might try to resist the call he's swept along the currents of fate and is forever changed into a hero.
But what happens if he somehow manages to refuse the unrefusable? What becomes of Johnny Everyman? And what of his magic sword?
There might be other books that explore these questions, but I'm willing to bet few of them are as thorough in the answer as The Misenchanted Sword.
Valder the scout doesn't want a magic sword. He's no hero, nor is he all that interested in even being a soldier. And right when it seems like he might be unwittingly sent into the belly of the beast the war ends, the demons all die off screen, and he's free to do whatever he wants.
And that's the book. It's dry, and most of the action happens off screen. It's sometimes funny - usually intentionally, though it's hard to be sure - but it's not satirical. There's a very interesting world that's always pulsing in the background, but Valder is not very interested in any of that, and thus neither are we.
This is a book about a man who encounters extraordinary circumstances and decides that's not a life he wants. It's a likable one of those, but you have to be sure that's something that you want. Because that's all you're going to get.
May 29, 2025
I first read The Misenchanted Sword back in the mid-80s, while serving overseas. At the time, it was exactly what I needed—an entertaining fantasy novel that filled downtime in the field. Rereading it now, decades later, I can still appreciate the nostalgic pull, even if my reading tastes have matured.
The book offers a quick, accessible read and a clear window into what 1980s fantasy often looked like—straightforward prose, a solitary protagonist, and a magical twist that drives the plot. The premise is genuinely intriguing, and the setup hooks you early. But on reflection, the story doesn’t dig as deeply into its potential themes—duty, honor, mortality—as it could have. The enchanted sword, which is central to the narrative, ends up removing much of the tension that typically gives fantasy its emotional weight.
Dialogue is sparse, largely due to the loner nature of the main character, which may make the story feel a bit thin by modern standards. That said, the book has its charm. If you’re in the mood for something light and uncomplicated—a weekend read that captures the flavor of early sword-and-sorcery fantasy—this one does the job.
It’s not where I’d point someone new to the genre, especially those coming from today’s more complex or darker fantasy. But for those with a soft spot for classic fantasy or an interest in seeing how the genre used to feel, it might be worth your time.
The book offers a quick, accessible read and a clear window into what 1980s fantasy often looked like—straightforward prose, a solitary protagonist, and a magical twist that drives the plot. The premise is genuinely intriguing, and the setup hooks you early. But on reflection, the story doesn’t dig as deeply into its potential themes—duty, honor, mortality—as it could have. The enchanted sword, which is central to the narrative, ends up removing much of the tension that typically gives fantasy its emotional weight.
Dialogue is sparse, largely due to the loner nature of the main character, which may make the story feel a bit thin by modern standards. That said, the book has its charm. If you’re in the mood for something light and uncomplicated—a weekend read that captures the flavor of early sword-and-sorcery fantasy—this one does the job.
It’s not where I’d point someone new to the genre, especially those coming from today’s more complex or darker fantasy. But for those with a soft spot for classic fantasy or an interest in seeing how the genre used to feel, it might be worth your time.
November 6, 2017
This... is a deeply odd book. Born in the 1980's fantasy novel craze, it lives in its own space between the high fantasy of Tolkein, the low fantasy of Thieves World and the funny fantasy of Myth Adventures. It's... Mundane Fantasy. That requires a little unpacking: The Ethshar books (at least the 3 I've read) are about ordinary young men who want to live ordinary lives, are thrust into circumstances that would normally be the starts of heroic careers, and then claw and kick and drag themselves back to perfectly normal, unexceptional lives. Generally good-hearted, moderately heroic, often not incredibly bright (not stupid, but not brilliant either), they muddle through until they can discharge their responsibility.
This first book in the series gives you a lot of detail on the world's history, and while it is perfectly obvious that this was based on Watt-Evans' D&D campaign, it is a very neat world for that sort of setting, full of lots of places to go and adventure, that our heroes can... not go to.
This has been one of my comfort books since college, and I think this is my 5th or 6th reread. it's not art, the story lacks a lot of drive, the prose repeats key enough times that you wonder if it started a series of short stories, some of the genre tropes are tired, but it is... pleasant. And sometimes we really need pleasant.
This first book in the series gives you a lot of detail on the world's history, and while it is perfectly obvious that this was based on Watt-Evans' D&D campaign, it is a very neat world for that sort of setting, full of lots of places to go and adventure, that our heroes can... not go to.
This has been one of my comfort books since college, and I think this is my 5th or 6th reread. it's not art, the story lacks a lot of drive, the prose repeats key enough times that you wonder if it started a series of short stories, some of the genre tropes are tired, but it is... pleasant. And sometimes we really need pleasant.
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