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Wiz #1-2
The Wiz Biz
Q: How does a shanghaied computer geek conquer all the forces of Darkness and win the love of the most beautiful witch in the world?
A: By transforming himself from a demon programmer into a programmer of demons!
It all began when the wizards of the White League were under attack by their opponents of the Black League and one of their most powerful members cast a spell to bring forth a mighty wizard to aid their cause. What the spell delivered was master hacker Walter "Wiz" Zumwalt. The wizard who east the spell was dead and nobody -- not the elves, not the dwarves, not even the dragons -- could figure out what the shanghaied computer nerd was good for.
But spells are a lot like computer programs, and, in spite of the Wiz's unprepossessing appearance, he was going to defeat the all-powerful Black League, win the love of a beautiful red-haired witch, and prove that when it comes to spells and sorcery, nobody but nobody can beat a Silicon Valley computer geek!
Published in parts as Wizard's Bane and The Wizardry Compiled This is the first unitary edition.
A: By transforming himself from a demon programmer into a programmer of demons!
It all began when the wizards of the White League were under attack by their opponents of the Black League and one of their most powerful members cast a spell to bring forth a mighty wizard to aid their cause. What the spell delivered was master hacker Walter "Wiz" Zumwalt. The wizard who east the spell was dead and nobody -- not the elves, not the dwarves, not even the dragons -- could figure out what the shanghaied computer nerd was good for.
But spells are a lot like computer programs, and, in spite of the Wiz's unprepossessing appearance, he was going to defeat the all-powerful Black League, win the love of a beautiful red-haired witch, and prove that when it comes to spells and sorcery, nobody but nobody can beat a Silicon Valley computer geek!
Published in parts as Wizard's Bane and The Wizardry Compiled This is the first unitary edition.
615 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 1, 1997
38 people are currently reading
359 people want to read
About the author
Rick Cook
34 books81 followersRick Cook is a journalist, computer hacker, and fantasy author best known for his "Wiz" series of books. Since his hospitalization in 2000 he has not resumed fiction writing.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
July 5, 2018
Let me start by saying that I am a software developer by profession. Let me also say I only read "Book 1" of this book.
The premise of the book is quite intriguing. The idea that programming is a lot like magic really works in many ways. Even to this day, people often consider what I do to be some form of "magic." The execution of this premise, however, was lackluster in my opinion. You really don't get much exposure to the "programming" magic until very late into Book 1. I think the subject should have been introduced earlier and fleshed out further. When it was finally introduced, it felt rushed and some ideas lacked proper explanation. Lastly, being that the book was written a couple decades ago, the programming references are quite dated. I, personally, have only heard of the language FORTH but have never actively used it. It didn't detract too much from the ideas but it can be a bit cumbersome.
The plot outside of the programming aspect was VERY generic and cliche. It hit on many fantasy/hero story tropes and was very predictable in its outcome. There were not many, if any, "twists" that I didn't see coming. I do give it credit for concluding the story of Book 1 nicely instead of ending on some major cliffhanger. I, personally, am not a fan of the first book in a series ending on a major cliffhanger. The first book should be valuable on its own merit outside of the series.
There were a number of typos in the book, most of them insignificant. There was one passage describing some characters and it kept getting the characters' names confused or jumbled up. That definitely took me out of the story for a minute.
Overall, I feel like this book is an example of an author who came across a great idea but didn't know how to properly flesh out the idea or write a good story around it. It was an okay read but not worthy of me continuing on with the series.
The premise of the book is quite intriguing. The idea that programming is a lot like magic really works in many ways. Even to this day, people often consider what I do to be some form of "magic." The execution of this premise, however, was lackluster in my opinion. You really don't get much exposure to the "programming" magic until very late into Book 1. I think the subject should have been introduced earlier and fleshed out further. When it was finally introduced, it felt rushed and some ideas lacked proper explanation. Lastly, being that the book was written a couple decades ago, the programming references are quite dated. I, personally, have only heard of the language FORTH but have never actively used it. It didn't detract too much from the ideas but it can be a bit cumbersome.
The plot outside of the programming aspect was VERY generic and cliche. It hit on many fantasy/hero story tropes and was very predictable in its outcome. There were not many, if any, "twists" that I didn't see coming. I do give it credit for concluding the story of Book 1 nicely instead of ending on some major cliffhanger. I, personally, am not a fan of the first book in a series ending on a major cliffhanger. The first book should be valuable on its own merit outside of the series.
There were a number of typos in the book, most of them insignificant. There was one passage describing some characters and it kept getting the characters' names confused or jumbled up. That definitely took me out of the story for a minute.
Overall, I feel like this book is an example of an author who came across a great idea but didn't know how to properly flesh out the idea or write a good story around it. It was an okay read but not worthy of me continuing on with the series.
August 1, 2016
A computer programmer ends up in a fantasy setting where magic behaves like a programmable computer. It sounded really good to me, because I like both fantasy and programming, but it ended up disappointing me. Not that it's a bad book, I just wanted a better one.
I wanted a lone hero (or group of heroes) going up against impossible odds, fighting for freedom, love, truth and puppies, but I ended up with a likeable hero who is forever trying to solve problems he caused himself, by his alien way of doing magic. Maybe that's a realistic take on the life of a programmer, but if I wanted realism, I wouldn't be reading fantasy.
I wanted a lone hero (or group of heroes) going up against impossible odds, fighting for freedom, love, truth and puppies, but I ended up with a likeable hero who is forever trying to solve problems he caused himself, by his alien way of doing magic. Maybe that's a realistic take on the life of a programmer, but if I wanted realism, I wouldn't be reading fantasy.
May 20, 2018
Ugh. This was two books in one. The first book showed promise, but the second book devolved into a non-plot and misogyny.
June 11, 2022
This turned out to be two books inside of a single cover. I finished the first of them and have no urge to read the second.
The only thing I found interesting was the magic system. The background lore was boring, the characters were frustrating, but at least the main character had a decent character arc. The world and the story contained here are just not interesting enough for me to continue reading about.
I did read the first chapter of the second book and it's a disappointment evolution of the characters that happened between books, seeing as the second book begins about a year after the first one ends.
Magic system good but it doesn't carry the rest of the pieces. Low 3 stars
The only thing I found interesting was the magic system. The background lore was boring, the characters were frustrating, but at least the main character had a decent character arc. The world and the story contained here are just not interesting enough for me to continue reading about.
I did read the first chapter of the second book and it's a disappointment evolution of the characters that happened between books, seeing as the second book begins about a year after the first one ends.
Magic system good but it doesn't carry the rest of the pieces. Low 3 stars
August 6, 2021
These never get old. Of course, much about them is dated, but that just adds charm. I'm pretty sure much of the allure is because I enjoyed them in my youth but equally, although the fantasy stuff is now what we'd call tropes, it really works. My wife also read these and loved them in the early years of our relationship, without being overly techy (although she did ask me for a VPN yesterday: shock! horror!).
nothing quite comforts me like sitting down with an old favourite I know I'm going to enjoy, though. And this volume fitted the bill nicely and is going on my carousel of rereads, obviously.
nothing quite comforts me like sitting down with an old favourite I know I'm going to enjoy, though. And this volume fitted the bill nicely and is going on my carousel of rereads, obviously.
February 12, 2023
I wanted to love this book. I really did. Magic does have a lot of similarities with programming, and exploring those seemed like a nice idea. But ideas don't make good books; you need multidimensional characters and a good story. You can, theoretically, have only good characters OR a good story, but that's hard; without them, you can have a lot of ideas and do a ton of worldbuilding, and it would get you nowhere, and that is where you meet this book.
August 14, 2022
This book is not good; it’s cliched and full of genre conventions. But it feels like a book whose references are written *just for me* (Knights named Donal & Kenneth, really?). I can’t help but give it 5 stars.
June 24, 2019
Maybe this wouldn't be a bad book for someone with a taste for fantasy who is just beginning to read chapter books.
July 16, 2022
First book is fun, light hearted fantasy. The second is angsty and no fun at all. I loved the first book, the second wasn't worth finishing.
October 5, 2022
Got through book 1 and about a 3rd of book 2 when I gave up. This book had so many of the 80s/90s tropes that led me to not read portal fantasy for 10 years. It's almost textbook for how to write portal fantasy for that era. The only thing that redeems it in that respect is that the author - and I thank them profusely for this - didn't do a million wink-wink "real world" references that the characters don't get.
The plot and characters were OK as far as I saw them. It was very early Wheel Of Time type morality and characterization. Fits in well with that era of fantasy.
The plot and characters were OK as far as I saw them. It was very early Wheel Of Time type morality and characterization. Fits in well with that era of fantasy.
June 20, 2025
It was fun. Pacing wasn't the greatest at the end of both books though.
December 12, 2012
How a Master Programer became a Master Spell Writer.
Walter “Wiz” Zumwalt is a bit out of sorts. You see his day started off as normal where he went to his job fixing all the mistakes that the other programers made. It was a bit of a slog but someone usually came up with a entertaining way to make a program crash and Wiz usually came up with a equally entertaining way to fix it. This was also how Wiz got his nick name as it seemed sometimes he was working magic to get things working again. Life was normal and Wiz was content with computers since it meant that he didn't have to deal with people. Unfortunately for Wiz the Universe had other plans.
One minute he is untangling a stubborn line of code and the next he is dodging fireballs, backing away from the still smoldering corpse of the wizard that summoned him and being dragged to safety by a woman that he feels strangely attracted to even though he has never met her before.
What Wiz will find out is that he is a variable in a war that has been going on between the forces of light and darkness for a very long time. This world runs on magic and he has none. Strangely enough though a magic spell looks a lot like a computer program...
Though the premise of this book isn't exactly original it still manages to tell a entertaining tale of a fish out of water or in this case a fish finding itself in water and not quite knowing what to do with it. I liked this story as most of the characters actually seem like they could be real people. They have their flaws and there failings but they try to work through them and don't instantly always do the right thing. As Wiz struggles to find his place in his new world he eventually realizes that his actions have consequences and he has to take responsibility for those consequences, even if he isn’t directly responsible for what is going on. The book moves at a good clip and doesn't really have mood swings from comedy to dead serious like the wizard in yurt series or the rouge agent series. All in all a good read if your looking for a fantasy fish out of water book that is a little different from the norm.ma.c
Walter “Wiz” Zumwalt is a bit out of sorts. You see his day started off as normal where he went to his job fixing all the mistakes that the other programers made. It was a bit of a slog but someone usually came up with a entertaining way to make a program crash and Wiz usually came up with a equally entertaining way to fix it. This was also how Wiz got his nick name as it seemed sometimes he was working magic to get things working again. Life was normal and Wiz was content with computers since it meant that he didn't have to deal with people. Unfortunately for Wiz the Universe had other plans.
One minute he is untangling a stubborn line of code and the next he is dodging fireballs, backing away from the still smoldering corpse of the wizard that summoned him and being dragged to safety by a woman that he feels strangely attracted to even though he has never met her before.
What Wiz will find out is that he is a variable in a war that has been going on between the forces of light and darkness for a very long time. This world runs on magic and he has none. Strangely enough though a magic spell looks a lot like a computer program...
Though the premise of this book isn't exactly original it still manages to tell a entertaining tale of a fish out of water or in this case a fish finding itself in water and not quite knowing what to do with it. I liked this story as most of the characters actually seem like they could be real people. They have their flaws and there failings but they try to work through them and don't instantly always do the right thing. As Wiz struggles to find his place in his new world he eventually realizes that his actions have consequences and he has to take responsibility for those consequences, even if he isn’t directly responsible for what is going on. The book moves at a good clip and doesn't really have mood swings from comedy to dead serious like the wizard in yurt series or the rouge agent series. All in all a good read if your looking for a fantasy fish out of water book that is a little different from the norm.ma.c
June 22, 2019
Denne boken, eller skal jeg si disse bøkene, er utrolig morsomme. Jeg er veldig glad i humoristisk fantasy og synes denne gjør seg godt i det selskapet. Den er skrevet på et ganske lett engelsk, hvor jeg hopper litt over noen ord og uttrykk, men som var avslappende å lese. Den er spennende, med både mange uventede og mange fine øyeblikk innimellom. Wiz klarer seg, selvfølgelig. Men etterhvert må han forholde seg til andre trollmenn og deres politikk og det sliter han med. Også forholdet til heksen blir satt på alvorlig prøve. Bøkene anbefales både for fantasy fans og for fans av humoristiske bøker, og spesielt for dem som har en liten nerd gjemt unna!
Hele min omtale finner du på bloggen min Betraktninger
Hele min omtale finner du på bloggen min Betraktninger
May 31, 2009
This is a fun amalgam of computer games, programming, and fantasy. Not all of it makes sense, but that doesn't stop it from being entertaining. I particularly enjoyed the computer in-jokes. Having worked in the field for over 30 years, I couldn't help but laugh at many of the comments, especially the ones at the beginning of each chapter. Well done.
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September 6, 2011This is actually two books, Wizard's Bane and The Wizardry Compiled. Both are set in a land of magic, an intrepid computer programmer was summoned there and quickly determines that he can write code for magic spells. Things go awry and a Silicon Valley solution seems to be the only way out. Geeky fun!
November 9, 2010
Very good story. Lots of typos and formatting problems, unfortunately. Much more so than with most books. But good writing despite the editing problems. I liked it well enough to buy the next installment in the series and read that too.
January 19, 2015
It was all right.... A bit angsty but the story was interesting and not to technical for those of us who aren't programmers. Flowed well and had some intriguing notions about magic. All in all a fairly good way to spend a day
August 11, 2015
This was a book written to accommodate computer programmers who love fantasy, or fantasy enthusiasts who like their fiction interspersed with technology. It's a perfect mix of the two, and the romantic and comedic aspects are not heavy handed but are perfectly balanced to complement the theme.
February 5, 2016
I read this book while still in high-school and I still remember it as one of the funnest fantasy romps I ever had. It reads like a bad fanfic / role-playing campaign written by a true geek but it's done with such humor and light heart prose that its a joy.
October 29, 2007
Trite. Fun, but trite.
June 1, 2011
This book took a while to get my interest but once it did I really enjoyed it. I especially like the why the way WIZ cast the new spells. This book was downloaded from http://www.baen.com
April 8, 2014
I couldn't finish it. I really didn't like this book. I stopped about halfway through.
April 25, 2014
This book was throughly entertaining and thoughtful.
November 4, 2015
Not too bad.
December 11, 2018
Very geeky fantasy tale about a programmer who gets summoned to a fantasy realm and finds out that magic and programming have a lot in common.
January 25, 2012
Combined my interest in computers with my interest in fantasy.
September 26, 2012
Mac-ebooks
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September 8, 2018Interesting plot - what use would a computer programmer be in a land where magic is all important, where the good guys are fighting the bad guys? What would YOU do if you were spirited into such a world, and the person who got you there got killed before he could tell you what he wanted you to do?
Read this online at
http://www.baen.com/library/067187846...
Read this online at
http://www.baen.com/library/067187846...
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews