Touched By The Gods [Hardcover]

Lawrence Watt-Evans (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1997

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?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

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 reluctantly comes to realize that he is the one who must rise to the challenge and save Domdur.

From Library Journal

A new epic fantasy from the author of Out of This World (Ballantine, 1994). After being mercilessly teased his whole life for being selected before his birth as the gods' Champion of the Domdur Empire, Malledd, a blacksmith's son, just wants an ordinary smithy's life. When a dark magician gathers evil forces to destroy the empire, Malledd must decide if he will rise to meet his people's expectations of him as their chosen defender. Watt-Evans gracefully presents the tale of a man's denial of his true calling. Recommended for large fantasy collections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (October 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312860609
• ISBN-13: 978-0312860608
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,113,560 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

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Unremarkable, and not very imaginative, November 13, 2000

By 

dhrachth - See all my reviews

This review is from: Touched By The Gods (Tor Fantasy) (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good book. Never reaches great heights., July 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Touched By The Gods (Tor Fantasy) (Mass Market Paperback)

I expected something on par with The Misenchanted Sword or The Lure of the Basilisk. Not so. This book is a mixed bag for me. I found the writing clean and enjoyable if somewhat lacking depth. The book is very large yet very little seems to be necessary and much that seems necessary is lacking. Over all a good read but a some what bizarre, melancholy and anticlimactic ending.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Very Generic, February 17, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Touched By The Gods (Tor Fantasy) (Mass Market Paperback)

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 to go 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.