Customer Reviews

The Unwilling Warlord

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Watt-Evans, one of my favorite authors, writes another story in the world of Ethshar. Not really connected with any of the others, still a very good read. It has the same style as "The Misenchanted Sword", the same feel to it. I liked both the novels, and highly recommend them both.

This is really a very excellant read. It is not very serious in tone but the writing is clean and the plot entertaining. I do wish Lawrence Watt-Evans would write more Esthar novels.

Sterren had always been lucky at dice, and was content with the life of a gambler in busy Ethshar of the Spices. However, when he is practically kidnapped to one of the Small Kingdoms, and proclaimed their hereditary warlord, he finds that his luck has run out. Facing a war against two larger kingdoms, Sterren has incompetent generals, a small and poorly trained and equipped army, and the knowledge that defeat in battle means the execution of the losing warlord. Unwilling to abandon his new country to destruction, Sterren takes the course of action preferred by any Ethsharite, and hires some magicians to solve his problems. However, magic rarely takes care of all problems, and in this case the cure seems to be worse than the disease!

Once again, this is another wonderfully exciting Ethshar book! Lawrence Watt-Evans loves writing stories that throw a young person in at the deep end, leaving the reader to watch as he or she struggles and overcomes, often with courage, luck, ability and a good dollop of humor! This is a great Fantasy book of wizards and spells and high adventure. I highly recommend it to you.

This was a light, and ultimately very forgettable read. I don't quite understand why it has received such positive reviews. The book is only average, at best. I found the prose to be rather weak, the characters not very interesting and the setting difficult to visualize. The plot was interesting, and quite original. It certainly did not end up going anywhere even close to the direction I expected it to. However, the ending felt very anti-climactic.

It's an okay book to pass the time. Would make a fun book to read on a long plane journey or something like that. If you're interested in giving it a try, I recommend that you don't pay too much for it. It's not really worth it. I got my copy used from Amazon Marketplace, and am glad I didn't pay much. I would have been more critical with this review if I had paid more.

I've only read two books by Lawrence Watt Evans ( The Unwilling Warlord and The Vondish Ambassador). I love his writing style, the way he captures the main characters and makes their emotions very real. It's so well done, in my opinion, that the reader knows Sterren, the main character, better than he knows himself.
The Unwilling Warlord was a fantastic story, and one I highly recommend to friends and family who are fans of fantasy.

This is one of my favorite of the Esthar books by Lawrence Watt-Evans. This is a well written story that exhibits much of the same humor and insight that make most of LWE's books a delight.

In an Unwilling Warlord we get (as usual) a very unlikely hero. Before Sterren is an impossible task. He must win a war against multiple enemies, all of which larger then his kingdom. He must accomplish victory with incompetent generals and no magic. Poor Sterren then has to compensate for an incompetent King.

Don't feel too bad for Sterren though. The adventure he has in this book is a rollicking good time and one you will enjoy sharing with him!

This is one of my favorite of the Esthar books by Lawrence Watt-Evans. This is a well written story that exhibits much of the same humor and insight that make most of LWE's books a delight.

In an Unwilling Warlord we get (as usual) a very unlikely hero. Before Sterren is an impossible task. He must win a war against multiple enemies, all of which larger then his kingdom. He must accomplish victory with incompetent generals and no magic. Poor Sterren then has to compensate for an incompetent King.

Don't feel too bad for Sterren though. The adventure he has in this book is a rollicking good time and one you will enjoy sharing with him!

Let's see: This is an Ethshar series book and is therefore an excellent read. That may sound like a bold statement, but it is a fact. Before you run out and buy it I recommend that you start at the beginning with the first book "The miss enchanted sword", that way you will understand what is going on. Get the whole series and enjoy many hours wasting time reading about a world of total fantasy.

Note: This applies to every book in the series, I have read them all.

I have probably read this book more than any other in the series, and I enjoy it more each time. While the Misenchanted Sword is the primer, and Single Spell sets the tone for the rest of the novels, this book gives the best examples of all the varieties of magic in this world. It also has a likable character forced into extreme circumstances who uses brains he never knew he had. A real treasure.

Predictable plot, sketchy locale, good dialogue, sterotypical characters individuated by anachronistic twentieth century quips in an otherwise medieval mileau. The author has written this book several times under different titles with re-named characters in various locales. Reminiscent of Heinlein's "Glory Road" without fully realized characters. If you haven't already read one of Lawrence Watt-Evan's books it's definitely worth the price, worth reading for enjoyment, not worth re-reading. If you have read one of his books you know what your getting. Buy it, if you want more of the same. I borrowed my copy.