Customer Reviews

With A Single Spell

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Tobas has always been considered unlucky. But, when the wizard to whom he is apprenticed suddenly dies, leaving him half trained and with only a single spell, his situation becomes desperate. Setting off to the more advanced lands of Ethshar, Tobas hopes to find make a life for himself. But, what can a wizard do with only one spell? Adventure and danger await Tobas, and it just might be a that single spell will suffice...

This is the third book I have read by Lawrence Watt-Evans, and it is just as excellent as the others. I found the story fascinating, and could not put the book down until I reached the end. I loved the characters, the setting, and Mr. Watt-Evans' fascinating magic system. This is a wonderful story, one that I highly recommend to any D&D or other RPG player, or to any other fan of high-magic adventures!

This book is, perhaps, the best example of what makes the Ethshar series tick: there is a problem and the character or characters work towards resolving it.

It sounds simplistic when put that way, and it IS a very simple concept, but what makes Watt-Evans books in this series stand out is the relentlessly logical and believable way that the problems are addressed.

With a Single Spell is a charming story about an apprentice wizard who has the misfortune of losing his teacher after only learning a single spell (a simple fire conjuration). You can't get any simpler than that. And yet, the book takes off from that starting point and leads us through some truly marvelous terrain, including a dragon hunt and a very, very mysterious castle that seems to have crashed (!) into the ground.

It is a very fun and inventive story that, while not being exactly Tolstoy in depth, is utterly enjoyable to read.

I love this book. It epitomizes some of the characteristics that make Lawrence Watt-Evans' books great. This story presents unorthodox fantasy elements with a seemingly improbably plot and weaves it together masterfully. An aprentice who knows a single spell and is expected to kill a dragon???? As crazy as it sounds, it is an immensely entertaining story with colorful characters, good dialogue, and creative writing. Given it is a light fantasy read, but many of his earlier books should be treated as such. Relax, kick up your feet, and read it in one sitting, enjoying it for what it is.......great fantasy.

This was my first experience with the Ethshar Hegemony and its world. I first read the book about 10 years ago, and have since re-read it many times. From the lazy overage apprentice to the young polygamist wizard, Tobas shows some signs of maturing, all the while illuminating his world for us with an incredibly rich cast and detail, from stupid dragons to smart (if poor) kings with too many daughters, kindly sailors to indifferent wizards, legendary wars and lost spells, beautiful witches and princesses, as well as ugly ones. Ethshar of the Spices is a particularly fascinating city with too many fascinating throwaway ideas to numerate. Just the consultation made by Tobas to an ethsharian diviner at the end of the book opens up new vistas. I recently purchased The Misenchanted Sword, and fell in love with the whole world again, I'm now buying up the rest of the series and can't wait.

Reviews Of Unusual Size

Re: Tobas the wizard's apprentice knows one spell. He can light fires. That was all he learned before his master died, he accidentally blew up the house he lived in and he found himself wandering Ethshar. Without many options left, he joins up with a band headed to the Small Kingdoms to slay a dragon. If successful, he stands to gain a fat purse and a princess as his bride. Tobas is a clever young fellow, witty and fairly brave, but he's pretty unlucky. In the depths of the Small Kingdoms, however, Tobas finds that dragon and far more. He finds adventure, fortunes, strange magics, mysterious secrets and love! Maybe a single spell isn't that useless after all.

Outstanding: I love this book. It may be my favorite of the Ethshar novels (I say that about a lot of them though) The way Tobas wanders blindly into his adventures is smoothly plotted and full of a lot of humor and fun.

Unacceptable: Nothing. I know I say this a lot too, but I love everything about this story. Even the Wildside cover, which I normally hate, it pretty decent.

Summary: This is a quintessential light fantasy novel. It stars a boy without many skills or prospects that sets out to seek his fortunes. He battles dragons, flirts with princesses, explores strange lands and overcomes tremendous hurtles to make his way. What could be better than that?

5/5

Very enjoyable. The typical Watt-Evans hero, a bit bumbling, but smarter than he seems. The author has a wry view of heroes and fairy tales, and our hero goes through some Candide-like experiences while triumphing over both a dead wizard and a rather sad, and hungry, dragon.

When I read this book for the first time I was inspired. Finally an author had imbued originality into Fantasy. Many of the cliche plots needed in fantasy were missing, and to my amazement a character with very little promise or power became a hero.
Here was a boy with the high hope of becoming a powerful mage, but after his teacher dies he is left with only one spell. The way the author turns this into a very interesting yet simple novel intrigued me.
Lawrence Watt-Evans is one of the few Fantasy authors that really explores the fantasy genre, creating different ways to turn it on it's head.
One of the few books that actually made me laugh...how often does a fantasy novel do that and still retain a rich world that isn't comical and foolish.

Tired of epic stories that go on and on and on? Sick of novels in which the Hero saves the world five times and that's just in chapter one? Hate it when you read a book and find out it is number six in a series of twenty and if you read them out of order they will never make sense? Ever have a fantasy novel in which the time line and appendixs take up more space than the story?
Than the works of Lawrence Watt-Evans is for you. Light fantasy, great taste, not boring. Each novel in the Ethshar series uses the same setting, history and magical rules but are not linked in any way. They are a series of stand alone novels! You can pick up any of them and enjoy them in any order you want!
With a Single Spell is where I started and, boy, am I happy I finally opened the pages. I'm not normally into fantasy for many of the reasons above but this book, while not trying to be a comedy, does give us the lighter side of a magical land. We follow Tobas, a young wizard or an old apprentice, who knows only one spell on his way to finding a life. But what can he do with one spell? One SPELL! Yet he has to go make a living in a world where magic is repected but also not that uncommon. Pirates, big cities and dragons, oh my!
I will not give away the ending but I have to say the book did seem to go a tad slow at first. I am going to collect the other books and maybe search out some of his other series as well. Anybody who loves fantasy should get this book.

Watt-Evans, in With a Single Spell, has addressed a problem that's haunted role-playing gamers since the first edition of AD&D: what can a wizard do with only one spell?

Tobas, the main character of Single Spell, has more troubles than the average AD&D character, even. As an apprentice wizard, he only managed to learn one spell before his master died - and that one lights fires. An orphan, he has nowhere to go, and he can't make a living doing what a flint can do almost as well as he can. So, despite his strong disinclination for travel, Tobas just has to adventure - he fights a dragon, saves a princess, learns magical secrets, all while hoping that soon he'll be able to settle down.

Although the plot isn't especially original and many of the characters are basically stock, Watt-Evans has done a fine job with the book; he's made it a very light, sunny romp through a world any reader of fantasy or player of RPGs will recognize. With a Single Spell is ideal reading for fans of Robert Aspirin, invalids in need of soothing distraction, and those who remember playing a first-level mage all too well.

Wonderful. That's about it. A fantastic storyline, very well written. Witty, humorous, excitement.. it has it all. I've head hundreds of Fantasy books/novels, and this one is one of my favorites.