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Ethshar #11.5
Tales of Ethshar
Ethshar? Some readers already recognize the name, but if you aren’t one of them, perhaps a brief explanation is in order. “Ethshar” is the invented world that has been the setting for almost a dozen novels from the pen of Lawrence Watt-Evans. Its inhabitants don’t call it that; they call it “the World.” For readers, though, that’s not specific enough. The dominant nation on the World is the Hegemony of the Three Ethshars, while the largest, richest city, where most of the stories are set, is Ethshar of the Spices, so “Ethshar” is close enough. The name itself comes from words meaning “safe harbor.” You don’t need to have read any of the novels to enjoy the stories herein; each one should stand alone. And if you've read the novels, you will enjoy this return to the world of Ethshar with 11 stories... This is the first time they have all been collected in one book!
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2012
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136 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 16, 2020
Like every Ethshar novel the stories in this anthology weave tales around a world where magic is incredibly powerful, but not frequently experienced by the average citizen. These stories appear to take place in the "modern" Ethshar where the majority of novels are set and give snapshots of life as various people see it from a noble princess down to a common shepherd whose village is threatened by a dragon.
May 24, 2018
A delightful collection of short stories set in the world of Ethshar. Some of these act as prequels to some of the novels, some as follow ups to off hand references made in other novels, and many are simply "what if X happened" in the Ethshar world, how would that work. Like most of the Ethshar books, the tone is overall whimsical, yet grounded in internal consistency in a world where magic not only exists, but over a half dozen forms of it thrive, each with their strengths and weaknesses. Humans, however, act the same way we always do, petty, focused on day to day tasks, and how the world around them (including magic) can make their lives easier.
My favorite story in the collection is "The God in Red" not only for it's odd mix of Earth folklore with Ethshar, but for a great expansion on the art of theurgy, which is rarely covered in the Ethshar novels. A fun read for fans of the series, and also a low barrier introduction to the world for fantasy fans in general.
My favorite story in the collection is "The God in Red" not only for it's odd mix of Earth folklore with Ethshar, but for a great expansion on the art of theurgy, which is rarely covered in the Ethshar novels. A fun read for fans of the series, and also a low barrier introduction to the world for fantasy fans in general.
March 8, 2018
A pretty good collection. If you like Ethshar stories, you'll like this one.
The Bloodstone - Very good, and stuck in my mind.
Ingredients - Also good.
Sirinita's Dragon - I really liked this one. It doesn't end like how I expected it to, but it makes sense it ended the way it did.
Portrait of A Hero - I'm pretty sure I've read this one before. Very good.
Night Flight - Amusing.
The Guardswoman - I absolutely loved this one. Woman in a man's job, and very realistic but still very funny and validating.
Weaving Spells - I liked this one.
The God in Red - Ok, this one was pretty funny.
The Unwanted Wardrobe - I didn't honestly get a lot of the jokes? It's an April Fool's joke that's pretty littered with Project Runway allusions, and I've never seen it.
The Warlock's Refuge - Good.
The Frog Wizard - Good.
The Bloodstone - Very good, and stuck in my mind.
Ingredients - Also good.
Sirinita's Dragon - I really liked this one. It doesn't end like how I expected it to, but it makes sense it ended the way it did.
Portrait of A Hero - I'm pretty sure I've read this one before. Very good.
Night Flight - Amusing.
The Guardswoman - I absolutely loved this one. Woman in a man's job, and very realistic but still very funny and validating.
Weaving Spells - I liked this one.
The God in Red - Ok, this one was pretty funny.
The Unwanted Wardrobe - I didn't honestly get a lot of the jokes? It's an April Fool's joke that's pretty littered with Project Runway allusions, and I've never seen it.
The Warlock's Refuge - Good.
The Frog Wizard - Good.
February 11, 2019
I first read 'With a Single Spell' back in the mid-1980's and loved it. I've read a few more of the authors books and always thought he was a good writer. This compilation of short stories in his richly imagined world is no exception. Well worth the read.
May 9, 2017
Many of these stories have published for some time, but in so many various locations, and most have gone out of print. LWE has posted a few of them to his website, The Misenchanted Page but I don't think they have all been available.
Although these are further dives into obscure corners of his Ethshar setting, you don't need to be a diehard Ethshar junkie to appreciate them. (Although this will probably deepen your appreciation of the stories.)
Ethshar - if you have never read the stories in this setting, you can imagine by *starting* with a generic Western European/fantasy/D&D setting, subtracting elves, dwarves and hobbits/halflings/kender/little folk, adding a strong sense of history and geography, and removing all the cardboard characters. Watt-Evans' true strength is having characters who think and act like actual human beings (!) in an extraordinary fantasy setting.
About the "history and geography" I mentioned above - Some folks run in fear hearing this, conjuring up visions of insanely detailed maps, thousand page histories, and heroic sagas. Don't let this put you off - The history and geography are in the incredibly strong background of all the stories. A modern mystery novel or tv show that takes place in LA isn't filled with 20 page digressions on the Spanish colonization of California, but you can feel that history when you see characters talking about La Brea, La Cienega and Sepulveda Boulevards, and more. It's background, but it can add so much depth - and if it is done well, you can immediately feel a difference in a story taking place in LA, NYC, Austin, Sydney or London.
In the same way, the various locations in the Ethshar setting all feel like real places, Ethshar of the Sands is different from Aldagmor, and both are different from Tintallion.
The stories run the gamut, but all are small scale stories - sort of a slice of life exploits on everyday folks in an extraordinary world. I enjoyed them all.
*Note on Kindle Edition - I read a lot on the Kindle App on my phone. I usually use the night setting - black background with white text. This is the first kindle file that has locked the type into appearing as only black. (If I use the night setting, it is black-on-black, and I can't read anything until I go to the sepia or white background.)
This has no impact on the stories, but you might want to know.
**Edited on May 31, 2012 to add:
I haven't heard back from Amazon on this, but when I emailed the publisher, Wildside Press they responded immediately, and send me another copy of the file to load into my phone. It worked fine. Thank you Wildside!
Although these are further dives into obscure corners of his Ethshar setting, you don't need to be a diehard Ethshar junkie to appreciate them. (Although this will probably deepen your appreciation of the stories.)
Ethshar - if you have never read the stories in this setting, you can imagine by *starting* with a generic Western European/fantasy/D&D setting, subtracting elves, dwarves and hobbits/halflings/kender/little folk, adding a strong sense of history and geography, and removing all the cardboard characters. Watt-Evans' true strength is having characters who think and act like actual human beings (!) in an extraordinary fantasy setting.
About the "history and geography" I mentioned above - Some folks run in fear hearing this, conjuring up visions of insanely detailed maps, thousand page histories, and heroic sagas. Don't let this put you off - The history and geography are in the incredibly strong background of all the stories. A modern mystery novel or tv show that takes place in LA isn't filled with 20 page digressions on the Spanish colonization of California, but you can feel that history when you see characters talking about La Brea, La Cienega and Sepulveda Boulevards, and more. It's background, but it can add so much depth - and if it is done well, you can immediately feel a difference in a story taking place in LA, NYC, Austin, Sydney or London.
In the same way, the various locations in the Ethshar setting all feel like real places, Ethshar of the Sands is different from Aldagmor, and both are different from Tintallion.
The stories run the gamut, but all are small scale stories - sort of a slice of life exploits on everyday folks in an extraordinary world. I enjoyed them all.
*Note on Kindle Edition - I read a lot on the Kindle App on my phone. I usually use the night setting - black background with white text. This is the first kindle file that has locked the type into appearing as only black. (If I use the night setting, it is black-on-black, and I can't read anything until I go to the sepia or white background.)
This has no impact on the stories, but you might want to know.
**Edited on May 31, 2012 to add:
I haven't heard back from Amazon on this, but when I emailed the publisher, Wildside Press they responded immediately, and send me another copy of the file to load into my phone. It worked fine. Thank you Wildside!
October 26, 2014
You'll like this collection of short stories if you'd read the earlier Ethshar novels, and probably even if you haven't. This is because the stories make no reference to the characters/ happenings in the other novels, but the geography/ magic are unmistakable. The tale of the dragon pet, female guard, orphan child all have nice delightful twists. The story of the wardrobe tries too hard to be clever by fitting themes of Narnia within. The only thing that spoilt this collection for me was one of the stories was lifted from a chapter in the Unwilling Warlock - while the chapter stood well on its own, it was a bit of a downer to re-read something when I was expecting a new short story.
November 22, 2012
Nice but short . Fills in some of Ethshar's background
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 30, 2013
Nice short stories, necessarily less rich than the novels.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews