Forward the Mage (Joe's World) [Hardcover]

Eric Flint (Author), Richard Roach (Author)

Book Description

Series: Joe's World | Publication Date: February 26, 2002

Bestselling fantasy authors Flint and Roach have again teamed up in "Forward the Mage, " a story of a young artist who arrives in the city of Goimr to paint a portrait of the Amazon radical Gwendolyn, only to find the city in turmoil over a prophetic dream the King has had.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While not as dazzling as Flint's Philosophical Strangler (2001), this prequel from the creators of the Joe's World series affords much the same kind of comic pleasure. The swashbuckling artist Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini arrives in the land of Grotum, hoping for royal patronage. Unfortunately, thanks to sorcerous machinations, the King of Goimr's wits have fled and so has Zulkeh, the sorcerer who holds the key to getting the king and his wits back in time to prevent an Ozarine invasion. With two trusty companions the gorgeous Gwendolyn Greyboar, sister to the strangler and militant revolutionary for the liberation of the dwarfs (and whose scantily clad body on the cover is far more eye-catching than the fully clothed mage or dwarf), and the deceptively affable giant, Wolfgang Benvenuti sets out on a quest to save the king's mental health. Along the way, they enjoy a fair amount of first-class sex and encounter a variety of obstacles that seem chosen more for zaniness than for plausibility. Readers of the earlier novel will be on firmer ground than newcomers, at least to the point of being better prepared for the intensity of the satire and the rather episodic narrative technique. The descriptions in 18th-century prose at the head of each chapter may be a barrier for some, but they do nicely set the tone for the goofiness to follow. Best of all perhaps, this is one humorous fantasy that does not rely heavily on puns. (Mar.)Victory (Forecasts, June 4) and other novels in the Belisarius series.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This is epic fantasy in all the best ways, provided you adore an irreverent and witty take on the genre's cliches and formulas. The ostensibly historical narrative consists mostly of various first-person accounts, documents that range from chatty autobiography to florid "academic" depositions. The primary chronicler--narrator, if you will--isn't what one might expect but certainly a creature well placed to observe all the happenings at close quarters. The premise is simple enough: our, er, hero, Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini, newly landed in Goimr with hopes of finding his fortune as a court artist, has a run-in with a wizard on the run and then another with the law, which change his life forever by getting him mixed up in a rebellion and the theft of a precious relic. Although not exactly the cushy court job he had sought, Benvenuti's new career provides ample fodder for his artistic soul. Furthermore, the fate of the world rests on his and his confreres' actions. Fortunately, it is a thoroughly tongue-in-cheek fate. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (February 26, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743435249
• ISBN-13: 978-0743435246
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 7.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,234,852 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Eric Flint is the co-author of three New York Times best sellers in his Ring of Fire alternate history series. His first novel for Baen, Mother of Demons, was picked by Science Fiction Chronicle as a best novel of the year. His 1632, which launched the Ring of Fire series, won widespread critical praise, as from Publishers Weekly, which called him an SF author of particular note, one who can entertain and edify in equal, and major, measure. A longtime labor union activist with a Masters Degree in history, he currently resides in northwest Indiana with his wife Lucille.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Satire with substance, June 7, 2005

By 

Andarcel - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forward the Mage (Mass Market Paperback)

This book will prove difficult or boring for many people, partly due to the vocabulary and partly due to the scope of background knowledge necessary to really enjoy it. The book parodies not only the prose of eighteenth and nineteenth centuries (as with the page-long sentence on the evils of verbosity) but also the political and philosophical movements of the time. Throw-away references to experimental physics, ecclesiastical history, etc. will probably lose everyone at some point. I'm sure I missed some (or a lot) of the jokes. As well, the authors are overly faithful to the voice of their narrators. If you don't have the background to catch the (often subtle) barbs, many passages will read as unleavened pedantry.

In spite of that, I recommend this book for those with patience. Not as comedy, exactly - though it has hilarious moments, they're not that frequent. Instead, I'd place it more in the hazy area of the Princess Bride - a story superficially impossible to take seriously, but ultimately very serious indeed. Beneath the antics, there's a real message about human nature. The characters may be literally larger than life, but they are complex and compelling.

Having a large vocabulary or a willingness to expand it rapidly will help. So will knowing something about nationalism and imperialism.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Forward the Mage an Alternate Style, March 15, 2002

By 

Peter D Hull (Portsmouth, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forward the Mage (Joe's World) (Hardcover)

Eric Flint has become an established SF Author. However he has more than one style of writing. This book is in an experimental style more related to Rabelais, Cervantes, Voltaire, Swift and Sterne. This book set in "Joe's World" is the second book in this series. Although not main stream in any way it is an enjoyable book and well worth reading. Once read I was hooked into asking "where is the rest of this story", this is quite normal for this style of writing and I await eagerly the next volume.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Lesser, but Worthwhile, Effort, August 6, 2007

By 

John A Lee III "jal3" (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Forward the Mage (Mass Market Paperback)

This piece is a companion to THE PHILOSPHICAL STRANGLER. It is a sequel in that it was written after the original but the story line takes place before that of the original book. It is also a collaboration and differences can be seen.

The biggest difference to me was the higher level of buffoonery. The characters seem less intelligent than in the original as they wander their way through this magical universe.

The wandering in this story is on the part of two principal characters. One is the mage who was called in to interpret the dream of a king. The king goes mad right after hearing what the mage has to say and said mage embarks on a quest to find out who is trying to thwart him.

The second wanderer is the artist, Benvenuti, from the original book. Since he was supposed to be hired by the mad king, he now has nothing better to do than wander around looking for the wizard who drove his patron mad. Eventually the two link up and set off on a greater quest.

This story is not as interesting as the original nor are the characters as likeable. Still, it is an enjoyable read and well worth the time.