Customer Reviews

The Crusading Wizard (Wizard in Rhyme, A)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This isn't Matt's book, although he's in it. The book is really about Balkis, the infant set adrift in a river by her mother, hoping to save the babe from the barbarian horde. Saved by water sprites and dryads, who turn her into a cat and teach her how to survive, Balkis spends her formative years knowing nothing of her past. Finally, after learning all she can about magic from a kindly witch, she goes to Matt to try to learn more. She ends up rescuing him multiple times, and helps him to retrieve his kidnapped children. She is a fascinating character, and I hope she returns in future books, after she's had a chance to mature a little and grow into her powers fully.

All in all a pretty good book. I like the new character addition of Balkis and am looking forward to the next book. The first few books in the series were great, but a lot of the storylines in the last couple books have seemed to have the same basic concept. This book adds a little more with the addition of Balkis being a major character and not just someone who shows up now and again. I only have one fault with the book. That being how the Caliph got to Damascus with Talas bin Daoud and his army arriving later, when earlier in the book the Caliph was held up outside of Bagdad and Talas had already arrived at Damascus. Other than that, the book was altogether a good read.

This was a very good book of mister Stasheff's, but as all books in series become, it gets a bit formulaic. (I know I cant spell that word) And there were some characters that I just didn't really get (like fortune, what's with the spinnig plates and darts?) Anyway this was a very good book and probably my second (my first is Her Majesty's Wizard) favorite book in the series.

I could not put this book down! The unification, at least temporarily,of forces of Christendom and Islam to protect the Holy City,Jerusalem, was a masterstroke by Stasheff. If you love the historical "what if" he puts into this series then this is his best work to date! The story unfolds with a little girl being given up by her mother in the care of the Elements [literally] to protect her from the evil Horde! Now an orphan in the world,little Balkis is cared for by Nymphs and Dryads. Most of the old favorite characters make appearances and there are several new ones introduced, most importantly we get our first real glimpse of Matt's children.

The first book in this series, "Her Majesty's Wizard", is excellent. This book is not. Contrary to the cover and the opening chapter, Matt plays a supporting actor, not the title role. Matt's interesting personality, actions, and introspection do not appear in this book.

"The Crusading Wizard" focuses on a girl wizard who can change into a cat. Her personality is flat and uninspired, both as girl and cat. Much of the charm of the first book in this series was the portrayal of a midieval society through another mind set: angles & devils are living creatures, "good" and "evil" are absolutes, and kings rule by divine right. Discarding that whole notion, "Crusading Wizard" is simply another midieval fantasy world with magic, nicely executed but bland.

I bought the book because I loved the series, and the fact that Matt was going on Crusade - well I HAD to read it. But the plot is a disppointment. Not that I regret Prester John and coffee, or Kaprin as nursemaid to Alice and the baby djinn, but otherwise the book lacks the excitement and amusement that was so prevalent in the earlier books, The Witch Doctor excluded because I didn't like Stasheff changing his POV there either. The Wizard in Rhyme series is cool because there's always this sense that Matt is way in over his head and has to get rescued by Alisande and God, with help fom Stegoman and Narlh and Sir Guy, and his own Faith. Unfortunately, this book was mor serious than most, and giving Balkis so much attention just made it less enjoyable.

As an ardent fan of all that Stasheff has written in the Fantasy genre, I have enjoyed this universe the most, (second to the original Warlock series). I have enjoyed watching as a semi-devout Catholic career student became a world's most powerful practicing Wizard. I have been tolerant as the series became formulaic, with the occasional hidden lesson in historical theology thrown in (most of Stasheff's works contain SOME bits of education, hell, he illustrated HOW in one of the Warlock books). He has managed to keep some level of character growth, but in doing so, he seems to have lost sight (or maybe, has failed to make it as obvious to US, the readers)of the premise.

In "The Crusading Wizard", Matthew Mantrell becomes enmeshed in what has to be the oddest Combination Crusades. In an effort to prevent the onslaught of the Mongolian Hordes, and locate a special kind of kidnapper, Matthew must once again leave his wife's castle and wander about without a clue. A central point in this story is to introduce the plot device of Stasheff's next book "The Feline Wizard", Balkis.

It is nice to have a soceress of no small abilty help, but does Matthew have to get hit in the back of the head every thirty pages to prove how helpful she is? Could we take it for granted that he has learned something of the power of religious symbols in this world? It seems as if all those blows to the head have stupified Matthew to the point that he NEEDS the help of various Djinn, Personifications, and Pontiff's to come up with a good rhyme.

If you were wondering, this is not one of the better Wizard in Rhyme books... it is much improved over "The Haunted Wizard", and serves as a decent prelude to "The Feline Wizard", but one hopes that Stasheff is done with Balkis as a protagonist, and is willing to go back to the real struggle. Matthew is there to tip the scales when TRUE EVIL is attempting to exert itself, he IS the most powerful wizard in this world, St Moncaire chose him for that reason.

New readers should take heed, this book is not indicative of the quality of the entire series. Stick with the books PRECEDING "My Son, The Wizard". With any luck, this book serves as the background for an Evil that requires countering by someone as powerful as Matthew. Matthew certainly needs to be reminded of what he is capable of, and Stasheff needs to do the reminding soon.

Book after book, Matt Mantrell (from our Earth) has been saving Merovence (France) from evil. Now, he has to save civilization from the mongol hordes. He and his wife Queen Alisande lead the Frankish armies to join in a Crusade allied with the Arabs, against the Turks and Huns.

Unlike some of the WIZARD AT RHYME series, this does not go much into the Catholic way. It suffers, however, from Matt having too many friends, all powerful, and all willing to pitch in and help out. I'm a fan of Stasheff and think this is one of his better series but I agree with the authors who say that it's getting old. Introducing new characters (especially Saul way back in Book 3) helps (I'm not that big on Matt's parents--they sort of remind me of the left-over lovers in a Romance Novel sequel), but I think Stasheff will want to leave Matt alone and focus on other characters altogther if he doesn't want this to become just another hero wading through evil series.

The first three of these Wizard in Rhyme books were great fun.

This book does the job of wandering around the landscape, and getting our hero and heroine into trouble. There are also "Meanwhile, back at the ranch" passages that are ok, though I have some objections to Matt's parents. The writing, as always with Stasheff, is neat and clean.

This book didn't happen to have the one great laugh line he usually manages to pack into his books, just a couple snickers. Overall, not great, but readable. It's not the book to give a new Stasheff reader. If you are a regular reader...

Stick a fork in it, it's done already.

Stasheff rides a concept until long after it has gone to its eternal reward. He did it with the Warlock in Spite of Himself books, and he's doing it here. The plot line is identical to the last three or so, with an identical didactic purpose. By now it is established that being faithful to one's marriage is a good thing, and casual sex is bad. Fine. What I know about Zoroastrian belief and worship is reasonably extensive, and he doesn't do violence to it. Fine. But, god save us, get us a new plot, and take another tack.

Also, this universe has become a course (lightly done) on comparative religion. It will work well enough for a teenager, since Stasheff can never be accused of bad writing.

However, when I want a course on religion, I will go take one.

The book was very good, and I am a huge fan of Chris Stasheff, but the plot is wearing a bit thin. Satan has gotten his followers together, they march on Merovence, Alisande must get her army together and go out to fight them; only to discover that Matt has already done most of the work. He explains to the evil ones why they should go home and they fully understand and agree with him. *sigh*