Mallara and Burn: On the Road

by Frank Tuttle

Join the Crown's first female Sorcerer as Mallara patrols the Five Valleys on the lookout for magical mayhem. Accompanied by her faithful (but bodiless) assistant Burn, Mallara is charged with keeping the folk the Valleys safe from arcane threats old and new -- but is a lone Sorceress sufficient to keep the peace? "On the Road" features four Mallara and Burn stories. "The Ringed Round" finds Mallara and Burn face to face with an ancient specter imprisoned for millennia in a ring of stones -- stones which plot to add Mallara to their doomed menagerie. "Night Stand" brings Mallara and Burn to a haunted ruin in need of a magical Cleansing. But as Mallara and Burn soon discover, this is no ordinary haunting. Mallara's only hope is to keep the vengeful wraith at bay until sunrise -- but the wraith is determined to claim Mallara's life before the night ends. "The Asking and the Vow" begins with news of a Troll making a rare visit to a sleepy town square. Will the story end with Mallara failing to deliver on a Vow made hundreds of years before she was born? "The Helpers" finds Mallara and Burn pitted against an army of overly-helpful goblins, who may have more than just sweeping up on their minds! ("Night Stand" was originally published in Marion Zimmer Bradley's Fantasy Magazine. "The Ringed Round," "The Asking and the Vow," and "The Helpers" were all previously published in Spaceways Weekly.) Join Mallara and Burn as they take on the task of patrolling the Five Valleys, and discover magic and mayhem with every turn of the road!

Genres: Fantasy

73 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 9, 2009

Reviews

[Olga Godim · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
Four short stories about a sorceress Mallara and her familiar, a shimmer Burn. Average.

[David E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of fun and imaginative tales

All of Frank Tuttle’s books are clever, slightly cynical, with awesome main characters. I think I own all of them and they make for good re-reads. Treat yourself.

[Maria Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stuff, although not quite the usual depth of character or development that most Tuttle work has. Much of that is because these are short stories, but the good news is that all four of them are about the same characters so it reads more like a book in that you are following several adventures. Unlike a book, you don't get to see the development of the magical system or the development between characters--those are already in place in the first story and continue through the stories as Mallara and her sidekick meet their challenges. There's some interesting "bad guys" and not a one fits the cliched mold. Enjoyed them all.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

kindle edition.

[Mean Mr. Mustard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really, really liked these stories. My only complaint is that there weren't enough of them.