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Ethshar #14
Stone Unturned: A Legend of Ethshar
No good deed goes unpunished!
When Morvash of the Shadows, a journeyman wizard, discovers some of the statues in his uncle's house are real people turned to stone, he sets out to do the right thing. But turning them back is a bigger challenge than he anticipated....
Darissa the Witch's Apprentice wants to help a prince of Melitha defend their homeland against an invasion....
Hakin of the Hundred-Foot Field tries to keep a demon from wreaking havoc....
Before long, the three of them are caught up in battling a mad wizard's scheme that could unleash the greatest monster Ethshar has ever seen!
When Morvash of the Shadows, a journeyman wizard, discovers some of the statues in his uncle's house are real people turned to stone, he sets out to do the right thing. But turning them back is a bigger challenge than he anticipated....
Darissa the Witch's Apprentice wants to help a prince of Melitha defend their homeland against an invasion....
Hakin of the Hundred-Foot Field tries to keep a demon from wreaking havoc....
Before long, the three of them are caught up in battling a mad wizard's scheme that could unleash the greatest monster Ethshar has ever seen!
416 pages, ebook
Published February 13, 2018
10 people are currently reading
113 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 29, 2018
Back to what makes Ethshar my favorite series. It's usually something of a low key series, but the last novel (Relics of War) was so low key that nothing ever happened except a guy and his sister walking in his woods to talk to a half-demon and constantly turning up their palms.
But this, while still fairly low key, actually features things happening. Essentially a wizard moves into his uncle's house (who is renting) and discovers some of the statues are people turned to stone. Being a nice guy, he decided to return them back to life, which of course has entertaining (at least for the reader) complications.
As with all Ethshar novels, it's stand alone, though there are some mentions of other characters from past novels
But this, while still fairly low key, actually features things happening. Essentially a wizard moves into his uncle's house (who is renting) and discovers some of the statues are people turned to stone. Being a nice guy, he decided to return them back to life, which of course has entertaining (at least for the reader) complications.
As with all Ethshar novels, it's stand alone, though there are some mentions of other characters from past novels
April 4, 2022
Do you like knowing all of the intricacies of how magic works? Do you like more personal fantasy stories which aren't about the clash of nations, the fabric of reality, or changing the world forever? Do you want to know what a newly journeyman wizard in Ethshar does when he discovers his rich uncle's rented mansion happens to have dozens of statues which are actually petrified people turned to stone?
If so, then Stone Unturned is definitely for you. Watt-Evans once again spins a tale which does all this and more. When Morvash of the Shadows finds out that he's taken on a task beyond his abilities, he does what every wizard does - applies his education and logical thinking towards how to figure out what to do next. Of course, nothing is simple as a wizard - he needs to find a safe space to experiment, figure out just which spells petrified the people (there's at least 4), and which counterspells would be effective (and he doesn't know any of them for that matter). Along the way, he discovers his altruistic quest to return these victims to life intersects with other stories, which are conveniently told from different point of view characters, and involve a demon, a witch, and the politics of some of the Small Kingdoms. In addition, the intricacies of wizards and demonologists are further revealed in the magical lands around the city states of Ethshar.
Watt-Evans tells the intersecting stories deftly, and his signature style of having his characters be normal people (albeit in a magical world) just practicing their trades (which are sometimes magical as well), and approaching the problems and circumstances they encounter with workman like logic and day-to-day concerns is present throughout. And, once again, he shows that even with a character driven, non-epic story, he can make it just as gripping and engaging as any high fantasy work, and maybe even have a slice of larger world impact develop.
If so, then Stone Unturned is definitely for you. Watt-Evans once again spins a tale which does all this and more. When Morvash of the Shadows finds out that he's taken on a task beyond his abilities, he does what every wizard does - applies his education and logical thinking towards how to figure out what to do next. Of course, nothing is simple as a wizard - he needs to find a safe space to experiment, figure out just which spells petrified the people (there's at least 4), and which counterspells would be effective (and he doesn't know any of them for that matter). Along the way, he discovers his altruistic quest to return these victims to life intersects with other stories, which are conveniently told from different point of view characters, and involve a demon, a witch, and the politics of some of the Small Kingdoms. In addition, the intricacies of wizards and demonologists are further revealed in the magical lands around the city states of Ethshar.
Watt-Evans tells the intersecting stories deftly, and his signature style of having his characters be normal people (albeit in a magical world) just practicing their trades (which are sometimes magical as well), and approaching the problems and circumstances they encounter with workman like logic and day-to-day concerns is present throughout. And, once again, he shows that even with a character driven, non-epic story, he can make it just as gripping and engaging as any high fantasy work, and maybe even have a slice of larger world impact develop.
February 7, 2019
watt-evans is far too under read and under appreciated. anyone who complains about waiting for the next installment of any given epic fantasy and hasn't read the ethshar series doesn't have any credibility in my opinion.
well i suppose light fantasy like ethshar isn't what everyone is looking for when they're waiting on the next high fantasy bestseller, but watt-evans does for fantasy what
becky chambers does for space opera. he brings it down to the level of normal everyday characters dealing with normal everyday fantasy elements.
morvash is a journeyman wizard and his arc doesn't require him to defeat some nameless epic evil. his arc requires him to fix a problem that past magic has left behind. he has to turn some statues back into living people.
darissa is an apprentice witch who doesn't have to have an epic heroine's journey. she just has to figure out what to do about a prince who is into her and maybe she's into him too.
and hakin is a kid living on the margins of a fantasy world whose random encounter with a demon doesn't leave him with an epic struggle of good against evil. it just allows him the opportunity to find a job and a home.
watt-evans takes a big swing with this book and for the most part he connects. he weaves the three strands of the narrative together leaving little evidence of the seams. despite knowing that everything is going to connect, when it does connect he adds just enough plot to keep the story moving.
this book feels similar to one of those comic book crossovers that marvel puts out periodically to move their universe in a different direction. big things happen here and they should change the character of the ethshar universe. i'm excited to see what watt-evans does to build on the events of this novel.
well i suppose light fantasy like ethshar isn't what everyone is looking for when they're waiting on the next high fantasy bestseller, but watt-evans does for fantasy what
becky chambers does for space opera. he brings it down to the level of normal everyday characters dealing with normal everyday fantasy elements.
morvash is a journeyman wizard and his arc doesn't require him to defeat some nameless epic evil. his arc requires him to fix a problem that past magic has left behind. he has to turn some statues back into living people.
darissa is an apprentice witch who doesn't have to have an epic heroine's journey. she just has to figure out what to do about a prince who is into her and maybe she's into him too.
and hakin is a kid living on the margins of a fantasy world whose random encounter with a demon doesn't leave him with an epic struggle of good against evil. it just allows him the opportunity to find a job and a home.
watt-evans takes a big swing with this book and for the most part he connects. he weaves the three strands of the narrative together leaving little evidence of the seams. despite knowing that everything is going to connect, when it does connect he adds just enough plot to keep the story moving.
this book feels similar to one of those comic book crossovers that marvel puts out periodically to move their universe in a different direction. big things happen here and they should change the character of the ethshar universe. i'm excited to see what watt-evans does to build on the events of this novel.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2018
Another ripping great Ethshar yarn
I've been a fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans for more than 25 years, ever since I stumbled across his first Ethshar novel "The Misenchanted Sword" in my school library. Since then I've tracked down pretty muchvery one of his books and I eagerly await each new release.
Ethshar is a classic fantasy world with magic, monsters and some really great storytelling. Light hearted and fun, they still make you think.
Stone Unturned has some new ideas and new writing techniques for Ethshar. Multiple character viewpoints from different eras all eventually blend together into one unified tale.
Some more great exploration of the authors clever ideas around magic systems and some fun new world building. A great stand alone story if you've never read his other works and one to draw you into his world.
For long time fans its yet another great tale.
I've been a fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans for more than 25 years, ever since I stumbled across his first Ethshar novel "The Misenchanted Sword" in my school library. Since then I've tracked down pretty muchvery one of his books and I eagerly await each new release.
Ethshar is a classic fantasy world with magic, monsters and some really great storytelling. Light hearted and fun, they still make you think.
Stone Unturned has some new ideas and new writing techniques for Ethshar. Multiple character viewpoints from different eras all eventually blend together into one unified tale.
Some more great exploration of the authors clever ideas around magic systems and some fun new world building. A great stand alone story if you've never read his other works and one to draw you into his world.
For long time fans its yet another great tale.
July 7, 2018
LWE is back in top form!
Plenty of magical hi-jinx action, interesting characters and viewpoints.
Feels like a return to his epic tales of old instead of a novella.
The story and events there off adds too his world lore instead of just being set in the world.
I love the details about how wizardry works (more please?)
Let’s face it Ethshar is great but we come for the misenchanted swords, pocket universes and flying castles.
Plenty of magical hi-jinx action, interesting characters and viewpoints.
Feels like a return to his epic tales of old instead of a novella.
The story and events there off adds too his world lore instead of just being set in the world.
I love the details about how wizardry works (more please?)
Let’s face it Ethshar is great but we come for the misenchanted swords, pocket universes and flying castles.
June 1, 2019
A wonderful tale, and fitting addition to the Legends of Ethshar universe. The author wove together a number of seemingly disparate threads into a seamless tapestry involving multiple types of magic and believable characters who readers will be happy to root for. The Ethshar world is so large and rich that one hopes there are a large number of these stories still to be written.
April 25, 2018
Another excellent Ethshar volume.
Great story weaving, excellent character development. Wish it were the first in a multi volume work....oh right it’s not the first it’s the latest in an illustrious line of writing.
Great story weaving, excellent character development. Wish it were the first in a multi volume work....oh right it’s not the first it’s the latest in an illustrious line of writing.
February 27, 2018
Very good story!
So far my favourite Etshar story was With a single spell... But this one at least rivaling it. Good and engrossing story!
So far my favourite Etshar story was With a single spell... But this one at least rivaling it. Good and engrossing story!
March 29, 2018
Fun fantasy in the author's Ethshar universe. Characters are likable, the magic and the plot was interesting.
April 26, 2018
Great book
Fast read, witty and fun. My second favorite, with a single spell is still my favorite, but I will gladly return to this one. A couple twists I didn't see coming.
Fast read, witty and fun. My second favorite, with a single spell is still my favorite, but I will gladly return to this one. A couple twists I didn't see coming.
July 11, 2018
I always enjoy new entries in this series. The changes in perspective were a little confusing at first, but eventually, it all made sense. Maybe my fault for not paying enough attention.
August 6, 2018
A good read. Not quite as wonderful as some of the earlier Ethshar books, IMO, but well worth the price and the reading.
September 12, 2018
A typical Ethshar novel. Fun, light and fast read. I love the series
January 11, 2019
Great fun read
April 5, 2021
Cute but not epic. That's okay. Kept me entertained on the plane.
October 26, 2023
Right up my alley: a book full of magic-users, with a (main) protagonist who's simply motivated by doing the right thing, because he's a good person.
The author describes this series as "light-hearted," and if by that he means "not dark and tragic and full of angst" then I endorse that description. It's refreshing to have sword-and-sorcery tales that aren't packed with antiheroes, and I will be checking out the rest of this series (which consists mostly of standalones that can be read out of order).
The setting was originally developed for a game, and the magic-users show their D&D roots, though not to excess. (Mainly it's the names of the spells.)
There are three storylines, with different viewpoint characters, starting in different times, and they eventually merge in pretty much the ways I'd expected. The main plot ends up escalating to stopping a villain, and the solution they come up with for both the villain's scheme and one of the other main story problems is, again, something I saw coming. But the predictability didn't dent my enjoyment much.
Slightly scruffy in the copy editing, with a few missing words and misplaced quotation marks, a continuity error and a homonym slip, but the issues are not constant, and most of them are not too egregious.
On the whole, an enjoyable palate cleanser for more serious books, fun and full of action but not lacking a brain.
The author describes this series as "light-hearted," and if by that he means "not dark and tragic and full of angst" then I endorse that description. It's refreshing to have sword-and-sorcery tales that aren't packed with antiheroes, and I will be checking out the rest of this series (which consists mostly of standalones that can be read out of order).
The setting was originally developed for a game, and the magic-users show their D&D roots, though not to excess. (Mainly it's the names of the spells.)
There are three storylines, with different viewpoint characters, starting in different times, and they eventually merge in pretty much the ways I'd expected. The main plot ends up escalating to stopping a villain, and the solution they come up with for both the villain's scheme and one of the other main story problems is, again, something I saw coming. But the predictability didn't dent my enjoyment much.
Slightly scruffy in the copy editing, with a few missing words and misplaced quotation marks, a continuity error and a homonym slip, but the issues are not constant, and most of them are not too egregious.
On the whole, an enjoyable palate cleanser for more serious books, fun and full of action but not lacking a brain.
June 16, 2020
Excellent addition to Ethshar!
It had been a few years since I caught up with my Ethshar reading, and this is the last of the books I had shelved. This novel recaptures the fun, with twists and turns, hardship and adventure that made me fall in love with Ethshar when I got my hands on the first novel, The Misenchanted Sword
It had been a few years since I caught up with my Ethshar reading, and this is the last of the books I had shelved. This novel recaptures the fun, with twists and turns, hardship and adventure that made me fall in love with Ethshar when I got my hands on the first novel, The Misenchanted Sword
March 10, 2021
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews