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The Misenchanted Sword
(Ethshar #1)
by
Ethshar and the Northern Empire have been at war for hundreds of years. No one remembers why anymore or over what. No one dreams it could ever end until a wizard creates a sword that makes its user unbeatable.
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Paperback, 228 pages
Published
December 20th 2000
by Borgo Press
(first published 1985)
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Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of The Misenchanted Sword (Ethshar, #1)
Jul 01, 2016
Algernon (Darth Anyan)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
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 hea ...more
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 s ...more
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 s ...more
Nov 23, 2015
Bria
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
People who don't like fantasy
Recommended to Bria by:
Michael Raimondi
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
...more
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 ha ...more
I ha ...more
I first read this back in the mid 80s and it was critical in developing my love of fantasy.
Jun 13, 2011
Eric
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of fantasy not looking for "epic".
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 w ...more
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 w ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
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 d ...more
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 d ...more
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 cha ...more
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 cha ...more
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 spa ...more
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 spa ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This simplistic fantasy, was simple, but adventurous.
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 shat ...more
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 shat ...more
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.
"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.
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. (view spoiler)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. (view spoiler)
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. ...more
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. (view spoiler)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. (view spoiler)
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. ...more
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 fas
...more
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
...more
A great yarn. It was hard to put this down at bedtime. The problem inherent in the enchantment haunts Valder throughout the story -- even after he retires from the army and the assassination trade, which he hated doing. And no one seems to be able to remove the spell without killing Valder and the wizard who was foolish enough to attempt it.
In the meantime, Valdar continues to grow old, with no hope of dying. That alone was enough to keep the tension up, but that wasn't the only obst ...more
In the meantime, Valdar continues to grow old, with no hope of dying. That alone was enough to keep the tension up, but that wasn't the only obst ...more
I had read several other Lawrence Watt-Evens books but I hadn't read any of his Ethshar books. So I started with the first one. This was a fun book. I like his no nonsense approach to magic in his world. Magic works and it has very strict rules which might give you an unbeatable sword with a nasty curse/quirk. The hero of the story goes through a lot of interesting adventures to find a way to get the curse removed that really gives you a good over view of how magic works in his world with out ge
...more
Truly a story that went nowhere.
Author had trouble building up the internal dilemma of the protagonist.
There was so much room to build on from the scrupulous hesitations of the main to the plot movement of when he quits the army.
At least this book doesn't fall into the young boy and prophecy trope.
I thought LWE tried to use the passage of time to evoke strong nostalgic emotions in the reader but did so very poorly. At the end of the book, I was not invested enough in the character ...more
Author had trouble building up the internal dilemma of the protagonist.
There was so much room to build on from the scrupulous hesitations of the main to the plot movement of when he quits the army.
At least this book doesn't fall into the young boy and prophecy trope.
I thought LWE tried to use the passage of time to evoke strong nostalgic emotions in the reader but did so very poorly. At the end of the book, I was not invested enough in the character ...more
This is a simply written book about a scout who is given a sword. We then follow him on his adventures and the set up of the city.
I liked how Valder is simply written - his motivations of a quiet life are clear, and his desire to be an average person (although his clearheadedness is above average). I liked that it was written from his perspective as a scout - and that he remains a minor character in the grand scheme of the country.
It's ultimately a book that feels mundane ...more
I liked how Valder is simply written - his motivations of a quiet life are clear, and his desire to be an average person (although his clearheadedness is above average). I liked that it was written from his perspective as a scout - and that he remains a minor character in the grand scheme of the country.
It's ultimately a book that feels mundane ...more
This book is great in that it examines a consequence not often seen in fantasy novels. It literally starts with a hundreds of years old war that ends a half way through. The action is consistently glossed over in favour of the complications involved in actually owning a magic sword and what happens to the heroes after the war ends. Not ending with the war, the author does a wonderful job providing a different kind of read.
Magic swords. A lot of them exist in fiction, all with long, sparkly names.
Now, suppose a magic sword had all of the traits a usual enchanted sword would have, only there's a catch that makes the sword quite unappealing to use for its owner? A catch so awful that the sword subtly ruins the person's life and they have to build their life around this curse? Then we have this book, which deflates the notion of a magic sword being at all romantic when swords are weapons meant to end a pe ...more
Now, suppose a magic sword had all of the traits a usual enchanted sword would have, only there's a catch that makes the sword quite unappealing to use for its owner? A catch so awful that the sword subtly ruins the person's life and they have to build their life around this curse? Then we have this book, which deflates the notion of a magic sword being at all romantic when swords are weapons meant to end a pe ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was... unexpected. A fantasy book where (almost) everything makes sense, in some way!
It's light reading, and slow-paced, but intriguing.
It's light reading, and slow-paced, but intriguing.
Not a bad read with an interesting problem for the hero of the story. Don't expect any deep or driving plot and you won't be disappointed.
The ex hubby loved this. I thought it was ok.
This is my favorite fantasy novel.
A nice, easy read!
Read it a few times now since the 80s. A nice simple story with some great twists. Some great technical mechanics of magic in there!
Read it a few times now since the 80s. A nice simple story with some great twists. Some great technical mechanics of magic in there!
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