Book Description
SORCERY, SCIENCE, AND SHADOWS

Pel Brown knew nothing about parallel universes, let alone travel between them. Then he stepped through a portal that appeared in his basement--and his life turned upside down.

That first inexplicable doorway took him into a magic world called Faerie, ruled by the evil and mysterious Shadow. Another portal provided escape to a world of science and spaceships--and ruthless space pirates plundering the Galactic Empire.

Imperial forces rescued Pel. They would even send him home--but only after he returned to Faerie and destroyed Shadow. And so, with wizards, spacemen, and swordsmen as his unlikely allies, Pel set out to beard the enemy in its stronghold.

But real life is what happens while you're making other plans--as Pel learned when he uncovered his malign foe's true nature... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

I loved this book!
In this sequel to Out of This World, Pellinore Brown returns from the universe of the Galactic Empire to the world of Faerie, which is his only possible way back to Earth. But, when his group comes under attack by the forces of Shadow, Pel quickly realizes that the only way he will get home is over the Shadow's dead body. And so, with his mixed bag of wizards and swordsmen, spacemen and mutants, and homesick earthlings, he is off to Shadow's stronghold. But, what he finds there will surprise him...and some surprises are nasty indeed!

I must start out by saying that I am a big fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans, and am enthralled by his Three Worlds series. I have enjoyed the way that the author constructed his three universes, and then wove them together. Like the first book, this one lulls you into thinking it's a fun little children's story, but before you know it the author turns up the heat and the story becomes quite serious indeed. If you are put off by stories that include death and dismemberment, then you will dislike this book.

But, as for me, I loved this book! I absolutely love the setting, I found the story to be engaging, and the characters enjoyable. I can't wait to get the next book in the series, and see how it all turns out. This is a great book, by a great author, and I recommend them both to you! ... Read more

Book Description
The sword that Garth had stolen from Dusarra marked him as the chosen of Bheleu, god of destruction, and gave him immense power. This power could only be used to destroy, and Garth wanted to build. He chose to refuse the god's gift. Bheleu did not intend to allow that. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Never Look A Gift Sword In The Blade
In the world of good intentions run afoul of fate, Garth the overman occupies a special place.What started out as a lone overman determined to have some impact on the world has turned into a trail of disasters.It's not that Garth particularly relishes wanton slaughter and destruction, but they seem to follow him around.But his last episode - stealing whatever was on the altars of the seven dark gods in Dusaarra - has left him with an unpleasant legacy.Garth is now the wielder of the sword of Bheleu, and it has no intention of letting go of him.

The sword has a nasty habit of taking over Garth's mind and inciting him to violence.Having barely managed to keep his temper during the long trip back from Dusarra to Skelleth he finds that his wife has laid siege to Skelleth (suspecting that Garth was being held captive.Far from straightening thing out, his arrival inflames a conflict that results in Skelleth becoming the spoils of a war that no sane overman would want to start.Gerth is now faced with trying to find a way to undo the disaster at Skelleth and rid himself of the sword - without asking the King in Yellow for help.

Others have noticed that Bheleu now has a avatar.The priesthood of Aghad would like nothing better than to torture Garth to death for desecrating their temple.And the council of wizard has reconvened to stop Garth before the world has to deal with 30 years of increasing destruction.Needless to say, our overman is in hot water, and wherever he turns, someone is turning up the heat.If he doesn't find a solution he is slated to live a short life for an on of his kind.

At this point it is unclear whether Garth is hero or anti-hero.Occasionally he does a good deed or two, and he never really intends to wipe out whole priesthoods or the guards ofan entire city.But the peculiarities of overman logic make him a crisis magnet.And nothing he tries works out.Lawrence Watt-Evans has created a truly hapless hero and made him surprisingly sympathetic and believable.As the tale has moved along, it has developed a complex story with serious overtones, but it has never lost its sense of the irreverent, and this is what makes this much more than a fantasy adventure story.Recommended.

Intriguing and masterfully done
Having finished with his quest to steal whatever he finds on the altars of the seven dark gods in Dusarra, Garth the overman returns to Skelleth, only to find it besieged by overmen looking for him. Garth would like to find a peaceful solution to this situation, but one of the items he got in Dusarra won't let him - the dreaded Sword of Bheleu, the god of chaos and destruction. Garth is the chosen one of Bheleu; chosen to bear the sword and usher in a new age of destruction. Can Garth restrain the magic sword that is taking control of him, or will he bring upon the world a catastrophe beyond his worst nightmares?

For many years now, I have been a great fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans' wonderful Ethshar series. Having finished all of the Ethshar books currently available, I moved on to his Lords of Dus series, and must say that I am quite happy! This book makes an excellent sequel to The Seven Altars of Dusarra, and is every bit as good as that one. This is a great fantasy story, complete with wizards, gods, and lots of swordplay. In particular, I found the author's use of a non-human as the protagonist to be quite intriguing and masterfully done.

So, if you are a fan of fantasy literature, then you must get this book. You will not be disappointed.
... Read more

Book Description
Science Fiction. 2476 words long. ... Read more

Product Description
Humans crash-landed on this planet 1000 years ago finding peace and happiness until centuries later a holiday expedition of immortal beings sought them out..... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A light, well-done, entertaining short novel, by Lawrence Watt-Evans
________________________________________
This is a light, well-done, entertaining short novel that reads like a
cross between a good Andre Norton and the Lord of Light Zelazny. The
setup is familiar: hi-tech immortal humans (the Powers) are lording it
over lo-tech tribesmen. Here, the immortal Powers are, well, really,
*really* powerful (see Zelazny), but bored, so a few of them went
looking for a lost colony as a lark. They found the colonists, liked
their world, and some of them found out they liked being Gods. But
mostly they relaxed into a nice, slow, 400-year vacation. Until one of
the oldest, meanest, weirdest immortals decides he'd really like to rule
a galactic empire...

Fortunately the old weirdo is pretty dumb, and is brought to heel by a
plucky tribesman and a sneaky immortal. One could quibble with some of
the story logic, but that seems pointless in a book that so nicely
accomplishes its goal of entertaining the reader for a few hours.
Anyway, if you like Norton & Zelazny, you should look for Denner's Wreck.
Recommended.

I read this based on a *very* enthusiastic review from Steve Parker [G00GLE]:

[quote] I don't know exactly *why* I like it so much...it's an excellent
story, great characters, very well told, but there are other books
done similarly well that I don't love so much. I like the theme, but
there've been other with the same theme. I dunno.

I'm giving it an A+, with the caveat that I realize not everyone will
be as affected by _Denner's Wreck_ as I am. [/quote]

Happy reading--
Peter D. Tillman ... Read more

Book Description
To Gudge's bride, Queen Artmeisia of Hydrangea, are born a set of royal triplets. But traditional Gorgorian belief holds that triplets are a sure sign of the mother's adultery--for which the tradition Gorgorian punishment is death. And Gudge is nothing is not a traditionalist.So in secret the Queen sends her faithful servant Ludmilla on a desperate mission, to bear the girl and the younger boy to the secret forest redoubt of the last Hydrangean resistance. The oldest boy will remain, to be raised as the heir.Unfortunately, Ludmilla takes both boys instead.... ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Hysterically Funny.
Don't take this any more seriously than you would a Terry Pratchett novel or a Zena episode.If you like campy, punny, word-based humor, it will push the limits of what you think is too much camp, puns, and downright silliness.

Very Monty-Python, very very silly.The plot romps along, happy, saucy, and raunchy to a pleasant and yet realistic enough conclusion for a book that includes tales of crying cheeses and lots of engaging descriptions of bad smells.Not to be missed.

Not worth the money
I had high hope for this book. I've heard good things about lawrence Watt-Evans and I'm a fan of Friesner. Unfortunately, this book does nether of them justice. The story idea is interesting enough (enough for me to shell out the money for it). A conquered queen gives birth to triplets and has to send two away or be killed, but the old retainer takes the two boys, and leaves the girl. But the actual writing makes me think its aimed for 10 year old maturity level, with a genius vocabulary level. The writing style is not captivating, and I pushed through several chapters after losing interest on the hope that it would get better... It didnt. This is the first time I've not been able to FINISH reading a book I started.

A funny, light read
This book is a hoot!It sends up most of the major conventions of the fantasy genre and has a great time doing it (what else would you expect from these authors?)Read this book a little at a time so you can savor all the zingers.But DON'T read it before bedtime--laughter is not conducive to sleep!

Rather amusing
This is a nicely done comic fantasy book.The characters are fairly shallow, the cliches are rampant and yet the book is an well done poke in the ribs at traditional "serious" fantasy.At times it comes off like a cross between a Monty Python script and the "Who's on first" conversation.

My only complaint is that it takes a little bit (50 pages or so) to ramp up to the truly funny scenarios, and thus initially gives the mistaken initial impression of not being all that entertaining.Once it's warmed up though it's a good fun read.

Funnier than the Tough Guide
This great rip on fantasy cliches predates Dianna Wynne Jones' satire by almost a decade, and it's considerably funnier.I love rereading it every couple of years; it's a keeper. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Magic on the stage and Pirates on the shore all in one book
I enjoyed this collection of two short stories.The first story was well detailed with many theatre references. The second story was alot of fun.The characters were a bit stereotyped, but individual enough to beinteresting.The story had some nice turns in the plot.Veryentertaining. ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
One Man Must Stand Against the Dragon Menace!It all began with Dragon Weather: a wave of incredible heat, oppressive humidity, dark angry clouds . . . and dragons. Dragons with no remorse, no sympathy, no use for humans; dragons who destroyed an entire village and everyone in it. Everyone, that is, except the young boy, Arlian.Orphaned and alone, Arlian was captured by looters and sold as a mining slave. Years later he escaped, fueled by years of hatred for the dragons, bandits, and slavers that took away his youth-and a personal vow to exact retribution from those who have wronged him. Arlian seeks out The Dragon Society, whose sworn purpose is to stand against the dragon menace. What he learns there is shocking: that he may well be the best hope humanity will ever have for defeating the dragons . . . permanently. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

The Dragon Society
I loved this book, it was a great ending to the three Obsidian Chronicles. I liked it so much I got my hubby to read the series. I would reccomend it to anyone who loves dragons and mystery. It comes close to being as good as Lord of the Rings!

Good sequel
While not as compelling as the first book in the series I thought this was an excellent book. It continues right where Weather left off, Arlian's quest for vengence against the Dragons that made him a Dragonheart and that killed his family and town. He also settles his debt with the surviving members of the Dragon Society that he swore vengence on, just not in the way you would think.

Several new plot twists are introduced in this book and I think they fit in nicely and keep the series flowing well. There were no slow spots in the book that I saw and found it hard to put down. My only complaint I guess, was that Arlian would keep realizing something (an idea, a different viewpoint, a sloution, etc.) after it was plain to everyone else or the reader and sometimes he would not think of a consequence of his actions for a long time and be suprised when he does think of it or is faced with it. His indecisiveness did annoy me at times but not too much. Maybe he just isn't the brightest in the world....lol

Anyways, I can't wait to read the third book. Highly recommended.

Old story new twist
Due to the Anne McCaffery books Dragons that used to been "evil" have become good.LWE brings back the old dragons that made them wonderful beasts again.When I first read Dragon Weather I loved it and I thought for sure the next won't be as good it turns out I was wrong I am deeply in love with Arlian and I love the discription getting more involved with the feelings of the main charticter which doesn't happen in many books of this stature.I also love the fact that he doesn't suger coat anything giving the charticters a more realistic feel.

Watt-Evans is no Robert Jordan - thank the stars!!
Arlian comes back from Desolation after participating in the events leading to the demise of Lords Enziet and Drisheen, pondering ways to fulfill his vow of ridding the world of the dragon plague. Immediately we are thrust back into the political machinations of the upper-crusty society of Manfort. Too much time is spent with Arlian thinking "but oh...the dragons...they are evil and must be stopped!". 90% of the novel takes place within the confines of Manfort, where the previous book gave us a more complete picture of Arlian's world.

That said, I got a real feel for the characters, Black and Toribor in particular. Arlian is a tad one-dimensional in his quest. He is MUCH too misunderstood, too martyr-like in his quest to be interesting. Thankfully, the other characters in the novel are significant enough to shoulder the weight of the narrative.

As another poster mention, this definately feels like "the middle book". While there is a definate ending to the book, its not particularly satisfying. The dragons are fleshed out a bit further as a major threat, but we don't see much of them. When one finally does make an appearance, it doesn't feel like the revelation it should be.

But I have faith in Watt-Evans. His "Book of Silence" series with Garth the Overman is my favorite fantasy series of all time and I have high hopes for his latest. I'm sure whatever he comes up with next, it will have made The Dragon Society a worthwhile read.

Outstanding work
I'm the first person to admit I'm a mark for LWE's work, but this series is outstanding.LWE is certainly not the most eloquent writer, but he doesn't have to be because he ALWAYS has a great story to tell, and this one is no different.

The dialogue is fantastic, and the reader is generally left with a sense of impression and understanding about the characters.Each character in Dragon Weather and Dragon Society has a unique role to play for our "hero", and throughout the course of the book, LWE continually provides you with snippets as to each character's motivation.Good stuff from a highly underrated writer. ... Read more

Book Description
Over 24 of the best "furry" fiction stories of the past 15 years.Winner of Furry Fandoms' Ursus Award. Furry fiction revolves around sentient animals or characters who have animal aspects, ranging from genetically engineered creatures to aliens to werewolves.Although related to science fiction, fantasy, and horror, this branch of speculative fiction has a style all its own.This volume, in addition to the wide-variety of entertaining stories, contains non-fiction material explaining the origin and development of furry fiction. Usually taking the form of human characteristics given to animals, anthropomorphics have been with humanity from the earliest cave painting to our modern marketing icons and sports mascots.In the last several decades, the study of and fandom for anthropomorphics (commonly called the "furry" fandom) had been recognized as unique, and deserving of attentions.From Watership Down to Redwall, fantasy fans have flocked to heroic tales of furry heroes. In Furry!, "furry fiction expert" and editor Fred Patten takes readers through some of the best-loved and most memorable furry stories ever written. This anthology of furry fiction features twenty-six of the best stories from long-running literary magazines such as Anthrolations, PawPrints Fanzine, The Ever-Changing Palace, Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe, and Yarf!Included are stories by Lawrence Watt-Evans, Watts Martin, Michael H. Payne, Gene Breshears, Brock Hoagland, Mel. White, Phil Geusz, and many others.The collection also features informative introductions and bibliographies detailing the origins and history of the sub-genre. Editor Fred Patten has a long and illustrious career in fandom, being on of the founders of the first American fan club for Japanese animation, and well asbeing active in science fiction and comic book conventions since the 1960s.He writes "Theriopangrams" for the Furrlough comics series.Patten is a founding member of Furry/Anthropormorphics fandom.He resides in California. "The stories...will make you laugh, the will make you cry...they will make you think.At least some of them will probably make you uncomfortable. Ask yourself what you'd do in one of these situations.Be honest.Share the ideas with you friends if you're bold enough.These are stories you can talk about for hours and not get tired.Most highly recommended."-Elizabeth Barrette, Infinite.com ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Freakish sexual deviation
This book is the literary manifestation of sexual repression and malformation. Coherent stories, decent prose, actual plot and character development, but all in support of repressed bestiality. Though non-furries will find it readable and perhaps even enjoyable as fiction, the true reason behind each and every one of these stories is furthering the spread of the mental abhoration that is furrydom.

Do not support this book or any of its benefactors.

Fantastic Book
This book is the best bargain I have ever gotten.It is a must read for Furries. And Non-Furries will enjoy it just as much.The stories are well written and well catigorised . I will read them again and again.

AKA, Best In Show
FYI, This book is/was also published as "Best In Show" by Sofawolf Press.

This anthology is very good and I heartily recommend it. It contains stories from authors on my "buy-on-sight" list and I had nearly laid out the cash for it before I started reading the descriptions and realized it sounded awfully familiar. It's darn good, but I don't really need two copies. :)

I think the biggest strength of this anthology is its variety. With twenty six different authors, you are almost guaranteed to find something new. I already knew Brian Antoine and Phil Geusz were excellent furry authors. In this anthology, I discovered "The Color Of Rain" by Gene Breshears, "Crucible" by Kim Liu, "Messenger" by Mel White, and more. If you like anthropomorhic short stories, this is for you.

P.S. The Sofawolf version has cover art by Ursula Vernon, which you might prefer. :)

Something different
If you're like me, you're tired of sword-and-magic fantasy, weary of Lord of the Rings clones and you couldn't care any less about Harry what's-his-name.You do not understand what is so fantastic about the medieval period.You are tired of humans getting all the attention.You wish Jurassic Park had been told from the dinosaur's point of view without all those humans getting in the way (and you were rooting for the raptors).We want something different.

This collection of furry stories breaks out of what is considered normal fantasy by making animals the center of attention, and it's a refreshing break!

Fully realized worlds with intelligent, humanized animals.Some by genetic manipulation, some by transformation, and many where there is no explanation.If you're willing to buy into this and get a dose of a different kind of fantasy, this is a great find!These are writers who have broken from the norm and explored the less-traveled road of animal stories for adults.Humanized animals have a nasty reputation as being cartoons exclusively for kids, but these authors write them for adults who are open-minded enough to take them seriously.There's nothing childish about them; they explore themes meant for adult minds and I'm not talking about sex.Yes, there is some (and it's all tasteful), but a lot of these stories will make you think about far-reaching subjects.Some will touch you emotionally, like good literature should.

As with all collections of short stories, the quality varies from story to story, but there are some real gems in here.

Foxy Lady--a very touching love story.It tickles the hormones without ever breaching good taste.Wish it was longer!
Canis Major--great action with a cute ending.
Wings--this one alone is worth the retail price of the book.Emotionally, it is the deepest story of them all.It gets you in the heart.

Secret Weapon--you just don't see dragons portrayed like this!The funniest in the collection.
Mercy to the Cubs--I thought the ending needed to be poignant instead of happy, but it's still a suspenseful read.
Messenger--the Eater is a unique idea.

Find the Beauty--I like foxes, so I have to like this one.An unexpected twist in a transformation story.
Little Monster--the most original take on a werewolf story I've ever read!Real fun!

The rest range from barely passable (only 2 or 3) to very good.I'm glad to find fantasy that does not copy TLOTR and rehash the tired old dethroned-king-peasant-becomes-unlikely-warrior-medieval-politics-group-of-friends-on-epic-journey plots that dominate much of fantasy.We've been there and done all that for over 50 years.It was fresh and original when Tolkin did it, but it's time for something different.Time to view talking animals as something other than childish cartoons.I'm glad I read this.

Great stories spanning 15 years...
... of course, I helped select the stories and wrote one, so I'm rather biased. Nevertheless, we sorted through a pile of over 100 stories that itself was winnowed down from fifteen years of fanzines devoted to anthropomorphic animal fiction, so a lot of work and care went into the selection. The stories range from contemporary fiction with nothing more odd than a werewolf to completely realized fantasy worlds populated entirely with anthropomorphic animal characters. If you liked "Watership Down." C.J. Cherryh's Chanur series, or even just werewolf stories, give it a shot--there's probably something here you'll be glad you found. ... Read more

Book Description
It wa definite -- Dumery had no magical talent at all. He could never fulfill his dream to become a wizard's apprentice. Hurt, angry, and mortally disappointed, he despaired of ever choosing a trade.
But then Dumery spied a so-called great wizard humbling himself before a man selling dragon's blood -- the precious stuff that made difficult spells work. If Dumery couldn't be a wizard, maybe he could become a dragon-hunter and have all those scornful wizards crawling to him.
So, leaving his family, city, and comfortable home, Dumery began trailing Kensher, the man in brown -- even though Kensher said he didn't need a dragon-hunting apprentice. But when Dumery finally caught up with Kensher, he would discover Kensher's great secret of how the precious fluid was obtained -- a secret from which only Kensher's kin could profit.
Once again, Dumery would be left without career or future. Unless . . .Download Description
A quest -- a quest in search of dragons and dragon-hunters, and ultimately the secret that lies beneath all the wizardry in Ethshar. Before it reaches its end, it would uncover the terrible mystery of the dragon-hunters -- and give rise to a scheme that would change the face of Ethsharitic magic forever. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Read It!
Let's see: This is an Ethshar series book and is therefore an excellent read. That may sound like a bold statement, but it is a fact. Before you run out and buy it I recommend that you start at the beginning with the first book "The miss enchanted sword", that way you will understand what is going on. Get the whole series and enjoy many hours wasting time reading about a world of total fantasy.

Note: This applies to every book in the series, I have read them all.

Hardcover please!
All of Lawrence Watt-Evans books are wonderful.Please print these in hardcover though!!! I hope somebody is listening out there.

Interesting and enjoyable low key fantasy
Eventually I will get around to all of Lawrence Watt-Evans's Ethshar novels -- these are uniformly enjoyable commonsensical light fantasy, somewhat in the mode of L. Sprague De Camp, set in a fantasy world distinguished by having multiple, mostly quite different, magical systems.

Dumery of Shiphaven is a 12 year old boy, the son of a wealthy shipowner. It is time for him to choose a trade. He has no interest in the shipping business, and anyway his oldest brother will get the business. Dumery, at any rate, is interested in something else -- he wants to be a wizard. His father agrees to let him try -- but every wizard Dumery meets agrees that he has not a shred of magical talent. Dumery is frustrated and offended -- but then he happens to see a wizard negotiating with a seller of dragon's blood, which is an important ingredient is many spells. He realizes that if he can't be a wizard, he might get a measure of revenge by becoming a dragon's blood seller.

So Dumery tracks down the dragon hunter. Who, it turns out, has no interest in hiring an apprentice. Dumery decides not to give up. He decides to follow the dragon hunter to his home, and to insist on an apprenticeship. Thus, he ends up paying his way on a boat up the river, shoveling cow dung. His parents miss him, of course, and they hire a witch's apprentice to track him.

Both Dumery and the young witch end up following the dragon hunter to his home. The witch learns some secrets about witches and warlocks which (no pun intended!) seem a setup for a further book. Dumery, meanwhile, learns that the dragon hunter isn't quite what he seems. Also, that he still hasn't any wish for an apprentice. Dumery remains stubborn, and almost despite himself -- certainly not through any particular virtue of his own -- stumbles on a secret involving dragons, one in particular, that might just make his fortune.

It's an odd, interesting, book. There aren't exactly any heroes, nor really any villains. Dumery is certainly the central character, and he is in many ways quite an unpleasant young man. He is a thief, he's irresponsible, he's spoiled -- he's not by any means evil, but he's not good. The witch's apprentice is fairly appealing, but in the end a pretty minor character. The other characters are ordinary people, some of whom do pretty bad things -- but mostly through ignorance. The book is enjoyable reading throughout -- Watt-Evans is a very engaging writer. And the eventual solution is both logical (indeed, I thought of it much earlier ...) and in a way heroic.

Highly recommended!
Now that Dumery has reached his 12th birthday, it is time for him to be apprenticed. He's the third son of a wealthy merchant, which means that he inherits...nothing. He has only really been interested in one thing, wizardry, so he offers himself as an apprentice to every magic-user in Ethshar. When they all tell him that he is completely dead to magic, and as such untrainable, he feels crushed. But when he sees the most powerful wizard in Ethshar humbling himself before a man who sells dragon's blood (necessary for so many spells), he decides that he can apprentice himself to the dragon hunter, and force the wizards to humble themselves before him. Oh, but Dumery finds that even this is much harder than he imagined.

I must admit that I consider myself a devoted Watt-Evans fan! I have enjoyed all of his books that I have been able to lay my hands on, this one included. Indeed, Mr. Watt-Evans' world is fantastic and yet realistic, with normal seeming people, going about their business in a manner totally consistent with their world. At least with the stories I have read, his heroes are relatively normal young men, looking for their future in a world of high magic. I highly recommend this book for any fan of fantasy literature!

High fantasy, low Wattage
I read this book, along with all the other Ethshar fantasies, when they first appeared back in the eighties. I must say I always enjoyed the way Watt-Evans approached magic; he could make it at once fantastic and logical.His scenes of magic at work are indisputably fun. Watt-Evans is kind of old school, he has devised a magical world, rules for that world, puts his plots into that context, and relentlessly follows things to their logical conclusion. The thing is, nothing much happens in Watt-Evans' stories. There are no larger-than-life heroes, no derring-do, nohair-breadth escapes, no great truths revealed, and no surprises. As one reviewer of his work pointed out, his characters are pedestrian, which I think is exactly Wat-Evans' point. Just because there is magic in Ethshar doesn't mean people or their institutions will be any different. Folks are still interested in profit and comfort, governments and religions just want to perpetuate themselves, parents still want to control their kids'lives, etc.This adds an element of realism to his work that is lacking in Tolkien-wannabe fantasies.Watt-Evans has managed to create a very magical world, and then his plots render it mundane. As strange as this sounds, I would always scoop up an Ethshar novel as soon as it hit the shelves, devour it in a day or two, and look forward to the next. Yet, I never felt really satisfied after finishing. Kind of like eating Chinese food. ... Read more

Amazon.com
Malledd was "touched by the gods" when he was born; that is, he emerged from his mother's womb bearing a birthmark indicating he was the chosen champion of the gods, destined to one day defend the Domdur Empire.But the empire has long been at peace, and the gods have ceased dispensing their wisdom to humanity, so Malledd apprentices with his father to learn the trade of smithery. When the evil wizard Rebiri raises an army of the dead while simultaneously undermining Domdur's government from within, Malledd reluctantlycomes to realize that he is the one who must rise to the challenge and save Domdur.Book Description
When the baby Malledd is born to an ordinary family in a small country town, the oracles name him the true chosen Champion of the Domdur Empire. Should the Empire find itself at war, Malledd will be the one to lead them to victory, by the gods' decree.But all has been at peace for generations, and Malledd disbelieves the prophecy. He is, he says, just an ordinary smith, and goes about his life being just that.Now, in the dark hills of the Eastern lands, a centuries-old promise has come to its end, and an army of undead soldiers led by a dark magician threatens to topple the Empire. An Imperial Army is quickly gathered, and the Champion sought for. Will he answer his call? Or will the Empire fall because of one man's refusal to be anything other than normal? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A Good Story
I enjoy almost any story written by Mr Wyatt-Evans and this book was no exception. I thought the story came from a different perspective and I enjoyed the way the story moved along. From my view, this is a different kind of "hero saves the world" story.

Good but nothing special
This isn't the best Watt-Evans book I've ever read.The main heroe just doesn't quite manage to get me interested and I find that the characters are pretty much your standard cast. There's your reluctant heroe, a good noble man doing his best for his country, a wife that wants her husband to stay home, a corrupt noble who doese stupid deals and an evil man fo wants to kill the good guys.To Evans credit he does manage to make an intersting storie out of these characters andit keeps you reading til you've finished the book.I thought the end was just a bit to hollywood for my taste and it sort of brings the book down, but hey some people love these kind of endings.I'd recommand people who haven't read any of his work to read first books like Unwilling Warlord, Cyborg and the Sorcerer, and The misenchanted sword.How ever, if you are a fan already then you should read this book it's worth the time.

Unremarkable, and not very imaginative
The main feature to this book is it's mediocrity. It wasn't bad, but it also wasn't very good. The characters seemed likeable enough, but there were too many of them for any of them to be developed at any depth. The plot was fairly standard high fantasy, complacent, peaceful empire vs evil, dark horde, without any surprises or suspenseful moments. The setting was also pretty average, consisting of small agrarian villages and the big walled city (sort of magical/mythical medieval). Those who really love classic high fantasy, such as David Eddings, might enjoy this. Anyone who is looking for something new and different should try something else.

Very Generic
Some of Watt-Evans books are pretty good, so when I saw this one I picked it up.Big mistake.Did he consciously try to write the most generic story possible?Village blacksmith, disliked by his peers, is"touched by the gods" with supernatural powers, and is fated togo forth and save everyone from an evil power, blah, blah, blah.People,just because you like sci-fi/fantasy doesn't mean every such book is great. The other reviewer was right - go pick up a book by Guy Gavriel Kay("A Song for . . ."), George R.R. Martin, or even Steven Brust.

Interesting, engaging fantasy.
Touched By The Gods was consistent with its own rules, the characters were developed in an interesting way, and the plot was reasonable within the framework of the world Watt-Evans presented. Plotdevelopment was adequately complex without turning into a mystery novel. Ienjoyed this book tremendously; my favorite authors are Mercedes Lackey,Andre Norton, C. J. Cherryh, J. V. Jones, and yes, David Eddings. I'veenjoyed this book as much as from these other authors. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great stuff!
I'm not a big sci-fi buff. I mean I LOVE sci-fi, but not the HEAVY stuff. I may get there one day, but for now, the "Ender series" is more or less the most "hardcore" science-fiction books I've read.
Now, this said, it maybe explains why my most favorite theme is time-travel/parallel universes.
Too bad it's one of those less written-about sub-genres in science-fiction.

Anyhow, I think it was almost 10 years ago (I think I was about 16) when I picked an issue of "Amazing Stories", and fell in love with a certain short story there. It was called "The Drifter", written by Lawrence Watt-Evans; A beautiful, parallel-universe short story. It was the best short sci-fi story I ever read. (Again, I never read those "heavy" Asimov stories and the likes..). I liked it a lot, put the magazine away someplace, and didn't give it much thought for a few years.

A few months ago, I found the magazine and read the story. And it rekindled my love for it. But now - I've got Amazon.I logged in and searched for Lawrence Watt-Evans items.

And among various novels he's written, I've found this book - a collection of short stories. One of which is the Drifter!!!Wow... Moreover, there are a couple of stories here that actually won the Hugo award!
I had to have this book!

I got it, I read it, and I enjoyed. All the stories were just right for my love of "soft core" science-fiction and fantasy. Twenty of them.

I enjoyed most of the stories very much. There were a couple of very bad stories as well (Luckily they were very short), that the author himself describe as his early, premature, work.

In short, I can recommend this book. If you want to remember the stories that got you hooked on it as a kid. If you love short, science fiction and fantasy stories, dealing with different aspects not always touched by other writers, time-travel, parallel-worlds, and other cool stuff - buy this book!

Excellent time-travel/alternate-universe short stories.
This is perhaps the best collection I've ever read of short stories on time travel and alternate universes -- all by the same author.In my opinion, some of the tales are as good as anything written by Ray Bradbury. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

SF Detective Story
This was an SF detective story about an insurance "adjuster" (this adjuster uses weapons more than adding machines) trying to solve a locked-room theft - actually, multiple thefts from the locked room. The detective story was routine, and being it was SF, it was flavored with the a futuristic landscape. Not bad, a bit of a neat idea included, but overall not spectacular by any means. Do note that if you enjoy Foster's off-beat Spellsinger books, you should know that Greenthieves is a straight SF detective story.

Loved this book!Fantastically creative!
I really loved this novel, From cyborg to wizard!What a concept!I loved it!Look out Terminator. :)Wish there was a series.. ... Read more