The Spell of the Black Dagger (Legends of Ethshar) [Paperback]

Lawrence Watt-Evans (Commentary)

Book Description

Series: Legends of Ethshar | Publication Date: February 4, 2003

Tabaea the Thief stole something more precious than Dragons' Blood from the enchanted old house: evesdropping on the doddering wizard who owned the place, she stole the secret of wizardry itself.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Tabaea was an ordinary thief, sneaking and prowling and stealing for a living. Then one night while burgling a house, she witnessed a wizard teaching his apprentice a spell -- the creation of a magic dagger.

Tabaea decided to try the magic for herself. But even though she could feel the power rising around her as she went through the steps of the ritual, something had clearly gone wrong. The apprentice's dagger had glowed; it had resisted attempts to pick it up; and there had been a blinding flash at the end of the ceremony.

But Tabaea's dagger didn't do any of those things. And it wouldn't free her from bonds, or heal her wounds -- it didn't seem to be magical at all. It just turned black.

Then, by chance, Tabaea discovered that her dagger indeed had its own kind of unusal magic -- a dark, powerful magic that promised invincibility to its bearer.

But magic can be dangerous even in the hands of an expert -- and for Tabaea, magic and power could spell disaster . . . --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (February 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587153602
• ISBN-13: 978-1587153600
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,682,600 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've been writing fantasy for thirty years... no, my fantasy's been published for thirty years. I've been writing it since I was eight. It's what I always wanted to do for a living, and I've been very fortunate in that I've been able to manage that. I try to write fantasy with an element of common sense to it -- not so much mythic archetypes as sensible people.

Other than my job, my life's pretty ordinary -- a nice house in a quiet neighborhood, a wife, two grown kids, and an overweight cat.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well thought-out fantasy tale, December 1, 2003

By 

Maddi Hausmann Sojourner "madhaus" (Silicon Valley, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spell of the Black Dagger (Legends of Ethshar) (Paperback)

Young Tabaea the Thief becomes Tabaea the Empress in this installment of Lawrence Watt-Evans' Ethshar series. The point of view begins with Tabaea overhearing the secret of wizardry and how to create an athame, the magical dagger that all wizards use to channel their power. But with no training and no patience, her spell goes awry and her dagger appears worthless.

But when she uses it as a weapon, she finds that if it kills someone, she inherits all their power and ability. So Tabaea goes on a wizard-killing spree to become the strongest of them all, and then installs herself of Empress of Ethshar of the Sands.

What LWE does well is show how fantastical elements impact real people, in terms of politics, relationships, and day to day living. Many of us might have had daydreams where we take over a castle, but which of us thought it through enough to realize that you need the support of all those retainers and servants to keep the place running? LWE did, and shows the results of an impetuous teenaged monarch with no one to receive her orders.

Several reviewers mentioned the switching point of view between Tabaea and Lady Sarai, who investigates the serial murders. I agree the book would have been more effective if LWE stuck with one or the other, or at least not told us so much of Tabaea's doings in advance of Sarai's discovering them.

Note: this book is contemperaneous with Watt-Evans new Ethshar novel, _Ithanalin's Restoration_. However, as with most of the Ethshar series, they stand alone well and can be read in any order.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great Ethshar book!, November 1, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spell of the Black Dagger (Legends of Ethshar) (Paperback)

Tabaea of Ethshar of the Sands has led a rather unfortunate life, and becoming a thief hasn't particularly helped. However, when she spies on a wizard teaching his apprentice how to make a magical dagger, she decides that magic is the life for her. When she makes her dagger, though, everything seems to go wrong, and the result is a seemingly ineffective black dagger. But, botched magic can have strange results, and this one results in the creation of one of the most powerful magical devices that the world has ever seen!

Lady Sarai's ability to solve mysteries has landed her the jobs of Minister of Investigation and acting Minister of Justice. When a series of magicians start turning up murdered, all in the same, seemingly ritualistic, way, Lady Sarai investigates. The magical traces found by magicians point to a coven of magicians of various schools...or do they? The Guild of Wizards is worried...Lady Sarai is worried...and they have good reason to be worried!

This is another great Ethshar book! In certain ways, it is different than the other Ethshar books that I have read, focusing in on two major characters (Tabaea and Sarai). But, as with the others, it is an exciting story, with lots of intrigue, magic, and nail-biting adventure. If you like stories of wizards, powerful magic and high adventure, then I highly recommend this great book to you!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but I liked the bad guy too much., April 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Spell of the Black Dagger (Legends of Ethshar) (Mass Market Paperback)

I liked the book, but I seemed to keep wanting the thief to win. I liked her too much. I felt the rulers were mean.