The Wizard and The Frog

by Richard Fierce

An incompetent wizard turned my girlfriend into a frog, and that’s just the beginning.

The name’s Jack and I hunt monsters for a living. I’ve been doing this for a while, but my associate is new. Dormuris is an elf I rescued from a troll, and he's a wizard. Sort of. He’s not the best with magic, and he accidentally turned my girlfriend into a frog.

In order to reverse the spell, we have to seek out a real wizard. The guy who offers to help is an oddball, but so long as he can turn my girlfriend back into a human, I can deal with it. He wants a golden egg and a unicorn. Say what now?

I thought my life as a monster hunter was chaos, but I was about to see just how crazy things could get.

Minotaurs, goblins, a singing sword … yeah, you read that right.

If we don’t get the items the wizard needs quickly enough, my girlfriend will end up being a frog permanently. And that wouldn’t be good for anyone, especially me.

Genres: Fantasy, Audiobook

93 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 9, 2018

About the author

Richard Fierce is a fantasy author with a passion for storytelling that dates back to his childhood. He first ventured into publishing in 2007 and hasn’t looked back since. His books are filled with dragons, adventure, and the kind of epic journeys that transport readers to new worlds.

In 2000, Richard was named Poet of the Year for his poem The Darkness, and his love for literature extends beyond just writing—he co-founded the Acworth Book Festival in Georgia to help bring authors and readers together. Though he originally worked in retail, he eventually transitioned to the tech industry, balancing his career with his writing.

Richard lives in Northwest Georgia with his family and a lively mix of pets, including four dogs (huskies!). He often jokes that his house feels like a zoo, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

His love for fantasy started in high school when he was gifted a copy of Dragons of Spring Dawning by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman—a book that sparked a lifelong love for dragons and epic quests.

Whether he’s writing about dragon riders, lost civilizations, or ancient prophecies, Richard Fierce continues to craft stories that pull readers into unforgettable adventures.

Reviews

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a good fairy tale and this one made me happy.

Jack is a monster hunter. Dormurus, the elf he saved is his new sidekick. Unfortunately, Dormurus is also a wizard. Unfortunately, he is not a very good one. Just moments after Jack finds that he will be saddled with Dormurus, the elf's magic goes awry and Jack finds his girlfriend now a frog. The trio go on an adventure to find the wizard that can change the frog girlfriend back into the human girlfriend. Let the mishaps and the chaos begin...

The story was fun. I will have to see if Richard Fierce has anything more to listen to or to read. I originally gave this 4 stars but after thinking about it, I decided 4.5 stars is where I would put it.

I may have missed something but I see no reason that middle school children and up wouldn't enjoy this story.

[Lea Z. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eine kurze recht lustige Märchen/Fantasygeschichte.

Kurzweilig aber nicht allzu speziell.
Typische Fantasyfiguren treffen auf einen Monsterjäger auf einer Quest. Seine Freundin die in einen Frosch verwandelt wurde, wieder zurückzubekommen.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Duration: 2 hrs 17 mins

The Wizard and the Frog by Richard Fierce is a short fantasy adventure following a rather hapless hero and an equally inept elf as they pursue their quest to return the heroine to human form. The biggest obstacle to fulfillment of their goal is their own talent for finding trouble wherever they go. If something can go wrong, then it will go wrong for Jack and Dormuris...

Audible Summary: An incompetent wizard turned my girlfriend into a frog, and that’s just the beginning.

The name’s Jack, and I hunt monsters for a living. I’ve been doing this for a while, but my associate is new. Dormuris is an elf I rescued from a troll, and he's a wizard. Sort of. He’s not the best with magic, and he accidentally turned my girlfriend into a frog.

In order to reverse the spell, we have to seek out a real wizard. The guy who offers to help is an oddball, but so long as he can turn my girlfriend back into a human, I can deal with it. He wants a golden egg and a unicorn. Say what now?

I thought my life as a monster hunter was chaos, but I was about to see just how crazy things could get.

Minotaurs, goblins, a singing sword...yeah, you read that right.

If we don’t get the items the wizard needs quickly enough, my girlfriend will end up being a frog permanently. And that wouldn’t be good for anyone, especially me.

©2019 Richard Fierce (P)2019 Richard Fierce

Whilst not listed on Audible as a YA novella, this audiobook felt like it would be best suited to a slightly older audience than I first anticipated. There are a few moments of graphic violence, but they are balanced with a lot of humour.

I enjoyed the world building and getting to know the characters, but there were a few too many inexplicable-but-convenient twists. "Why is my sword suddenly singing and announcing our plan to our enemies?", "how did my lost sword magically appear in my hand?" Our hero's cluelessness is endearing in some regards but at other moments it feels a little lazy not to bother with an explanation. Suspension of disbelief has to be earned, and it often takes far too long for Jack to ponder these odd occurrences.

This audiobook felt like a prequel-novella before a series, whose raison d'etre is to introduce the characters and the world more than to tell a standalone story, which is a shame because I think the characters deserved a quest with a bit more purpose. They don't really evolve in the manner that is customary to a hero's journey, and the plot of their next adventure is dangled like a carrot throughout, which only left me wondering why the author didn't write that book instead.

Overall this audiobook was entertaining and I hope the author pursues the series, but that the characters' next outing has a tighter edit and a more satisfactory conclusion.

There were a few issues with the recording quality, too, most notably the very long silences between some chapters while others have barely a pause. At one point the gap was so long that I picked up my phone to check the audiobook hadn't erroneously timed out or paused itself. A little bit of standardisation in the production would have helped it feel more professional.

Jarret Lemaster's performance as the narrator is energetic and enthusiastic. His delivery was sometimes a tad stilted and he would benefit from slowing his overall pace a touch, but Audible's app allows for incremental adjustments to speed and a little tweaking (to 0.95x) made all the difference. He was still fun to listen to and handled the characters' voices well - in speech and song!

This was my first audiobook narrated by Lemaster, and a quick listen to his other work on Audible suggests that he's American. The English accent used for this book is very natural and though it occasionally drifts towards Australian, I liked the choice of a slight regional dialect with northern pronunciations over the standard 'BBC RP' accent, which is the most common interpretation of British speech. Very occasionally his accent reminded me a little of Richard Armitage's East-Midlands dialect, but his voice lacked the softness and depth of Armitage's incomparable baritone. If Lemaster was performing in a non-native tongue in this book, then it was very nicely done. He may not be able to hold his head up quite as high in Scotland, however, but then a frog's vocal chords aren't really designed to accommodate human language, so some distortion is to be expected.

I would recommend this audiobook to anyone looking for a quick, fun, fantasy adventure, providing they don't mind that it ends on something of a cliffhanger.

*I received this audiobook free of charge in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

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[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free. I am voluntarily leaving this review and all opinions expressed herein are my lwn.

I absolutely enjoyed this tale of Jack, who is a monster hunter, his girlfriend and an elf, who is a horrible wizard. Here, Jack saves the elf after defeating a troll and the elf proposes a life debt, which Jack accepts. Jack then travels home to his girlfriend, whom he lost in the forest. Unfortunately, the elf casts a spell which turns his girlfriend into a frog and cannot reverse it. They then travel to the wizard academy - where the elf had been thrown out due to being a horrible wizard - to find a wizard who might help with the frog situation. They are given a list of items they must retrieve in order for such a spell to work and the quest begins.

This is completely charming and family friendly. The characters are fun, funny and the situations they end up in result in one misstep after another but you can't help but root for them to succeed. It's a quick read and I was enjoying so much that I was sorry to have it end. Hopefully the author is planning more adventures for these characters. This story has made me a fan!

I listened to this book -- the narrator was a perfect match for this story - he did character voices and even sang a bit. He was a perfect compliment to this joyful tale! I will be looking for more of his narrations!

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview: Jack is a monster hunter. During a troll hunt, he runs across an elf. As they are leaving the troll's lair Dormuris tells Jack that he is a wizard, and that now he owes a life debt. Perhaps, Jack should have read the fine print, so to speak. Now Jack has to deal with Dormuris's magical glitches, the chief of which is Jack's girlfriend being turned into a frog, while they get the ingredients that the headmaster of the wizard's academy needs. Will they be able to find the ingredients in time to save Palmera from the curse of being a frog? Or will Dormuris accidently get Jack killed? Let's find out.

Dislikes: Palmera is a self-absorbed brat. No, breaking the heel of your shoe is not the same type of danger as having a troll standing on you. Oh, kids are in danger? Well, she has to be human again before Jack can go save the children.

Tom and Berg need to stop fighting monsters. They have no common sense. Sorry the Minotaur Triad isn't going to honor their contract. They both outweigh, and can out hit you.

Likes: Dormuris is able to accomplish a bit of magic when the threat is serious. You just don't want him thinking too much ahead of time.

And Jack has quite a bit of honor. Especially since he has one egotistical monologue running.

Conclusion: This was a fun story. It's a perfect match for fantasy fans who need, or want, a laugh. Enjoy the read.

[Lidia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my review of the audio version as posted on Audible:

It's a very short book - only about two hours of listening, but it's definitely action-packed:) There's a troll, there's a search for minotaurs' gold, there are goblins and unicorns, and there's a damsel in distress - changed into a frog, but still a damsel...:) and there's an ending that turns everything upside down:)

I love the story (though there's a bit too much violence for younger kids - fights against the magical creatures are quite bloody:)) and I love its crazy sense of humour: a bit bitter, a bit ironic, a bit satirical... think Monty Python at their best and you'll get it:)

Narration by Mr Lemaster is great; the voices match the characters' personalities, and the singing... well, that's a nice surprise - Mr Lemaster has a great singing voice (I love it when you suddenly hear a narrator sing to you when there are songs in the story...:)) He is equally good both in narrative parts and in dialogues and the pace of his reading is just perfect.

I can't wait to listen to the next parts of Jack's adventures:)

DISCLAIMER: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Jim Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

This book is worth it for tone and voice alone. Richard Fierce did an amazing job presenting us with a fantasy adventurer who is just annoyed by everything. The story itself is pretty straightforward - a fetch quest to break a curse but every twist and turn will leave you with a smile on your face as mayhem erupts from every corner.

Jarret Lemaster did an amazing job. His voices and accents were distinct and he even got to do some singing. He made the already excellent writing shine.

If you want a short, fun adventure then you need look no further. It is family friendly and I hope that we get to see a lot more of these characters in the future.

[Brianna Belbin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable short story! The Wizard and the Frog is a fast paced tale packed with magic, humor, mayhem, action, and quests. There were references to Jack and the Beanstalk and it definitely had a Dungeons and Dragons vibe going on while still being it’s own unique story. I just wish that it would have been longer and the story could be drawn out more so it didn’t feel rushed.
Jarret did a great job narrating this book! I enjoyed the different voices that he gave each character so it was easy to know who was speaking. His voice was very energetic, kept me entertained until the very end, and brought the story to life.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Paula Dyches · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love mysteries, fantasies and romances so putting the three together sounded like a lot of fun and I was not disappointed! This really was a great first book in a series but be warned you'll need to be ready with book two handy because it does leave off on a cliffhanger. To be honest the style reminds me of Twilight but she grew up in a wizarding home and she's not falling for the vampires she's and being hunted by them. The narration is well done and I really enjoyed listening to it. 

Morality Rating - PG13 - there's some minor graphic violence, bad language and some steamy scenes but no actual sex scenes in this book. 

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

[Fadi Kharoufeh · Rating 3 out of 5]

“An incompetent wizard turned my girlfriend into a frog, and that’s just the beginning”

Main Characters: Jack, Dormius, Theo, Palmyria, Breg.
Monsters: Goblins, Minataur, Dragon, Unicorns.
Places: Medieval England

I gave this 3 stars because:
Nine chapters of fun.

This book is fun to listen to, great for lovers of simple fantasy and medieval England. It is a children's book and good bedtime story over few days. Brings back easy fantasy reading away from those high fantasy books written these days.

In addition Jack and Dormius are a brilliant team, funny, witty and makes the adventure to change back Jack's wife interesting.

[N.V. Cefalo · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This book was given to me by the author at my request, and I provided this voluntary review.*

4/5

I was pleasantly surprised with this novel - a short first person perspective fantasy journey that had me laughing and pulled in through some serious ordeals. Really, the only thing I didnt like was how fast it was read and how short is was.. other than that, I had an absolute blast listening to the whole thing straight through. I definitely recommend to anyone who likes fantasy and wants to a short read, and also to anyone in the LITRPG side too. Well done, Richard!

[RJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and witty short story, which appears to be volume one of a series. I’m not sure what else can be salvaged from the story for a second book. Perhaps the short story aspect is sufficient. There are several references to the Jack and the Beanstalk fable, which I thought interesting but saw no further purpose. The characters are intriguing, especially Jack’s rescued sidekick. Jack’s girlfriend, not so much. This audiobook was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this audiobook free in exchange for a review.

This was a great D&D sort of book. Knight who kills monsters for a living saves a wizard who accidentally turns the knight's girlfriend into a frog. Less than 2 hours long, it was a fun listen.

Narrator Jarret Lemaster is excellent. He chooses to use a voice much like Kobna Holdbrook-Smith in the Rivers of London series which is much different from his voices in other books.

While the story is complete, I hope the writer does more in this series.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Format: audiobook
Narrator: Jarrett Lemaster

Jacks a monster killer and after saving an elf who’s also an incompetent wizard from a troll the elf pledges his life to Jack until he’s repaid the life dept, unfortunately the elf is more of a hazard to Jack than the monsters he faces leading to some comical escapades.
A short read but very fun and entertaining.

The narrator is perfect for this story.

[Holly Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is a funny quick read I like Richard Fierce and this book is about Jack the Monster Hunter there are also Unicorns, Minotaurs, Goblins, a bumbling Elf with spotty magickal ability (Or does he) and a girl who gets turned into a frog and then has to be returned to human making for a rolicking adventure ohhh yes, and a search for a rogue Vampire stealing children I listened to this in audio version the narrator is interesting Lol

[Trevor Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wizard and the Frog might start off feeling a bit light, but it definitely grew on me as I read. It’s a simple story—nothing overly complex or heavy—but that’s part of its charm. The pacing moves quickly, the characters are easy to follow, and by the end, I found myself wanting more. It’s not a perfect book, but it doesn’t need to be. Sometimes you just want a fun, fast read with a bit of magic and heart, and this delivers exactly that.

[Aurora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this light-hearted adventure about a monster hunter and his bumbling wizard sidekick who undertake a quest to save the hunter's girlfriend who's been turned into a frog. Battles, magic (not always quite as advertised) and laughs abound as old and new enemies attempt to interfere in the hero's quest to save the damsel.
Well worth reading, maybe even more than once.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book and I am leaving this review voluntarily. The opinions are my own.

Lots of fun action. I liked this short book quite a bit. I really hope the author continues this series.

[Phi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a fun and charming story! It had humor, magic, a dash of romance, fairy tale vibes, and D&D vibes all meshed together in a fantastic tale! I didn't know what to expect when I read this, but I am so glad I picked it up. It was absolutely delightful!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book of 2025 and this comedy was hilarious. It was like listening to a DND session with an exasperated DM having to send the Warrior and a Wizard through multiple side quests to save the Warrior's girlfriend. And stop the Wizard from casting fireball on everything.

[Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and funny read! I loved the comical characters in this book and will definitely be looking for the next to come out.
Narration was very well done.

[April Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious adventure from start to finish!

[Nadia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, but average. Still, I wouldn't recommend against it.

[youarebymyside]

10 minutes in: "Scream like a woman and run." Dude is being a mysoginistic jerk for this. I don't find the book funny. Immediate DNF.

[Sara Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This listen is perfect for anyone who likes fairy tales or fantasy. At the beginning, I thought it would be pretty straight forward, but at halfway through it went a different direction then what I was expecting. The elf was my favourite character and was great comic relief.

Jarret Lemaster has an amazing voice. I loved all the different voices he did.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request, and I have voluntarily left this review.