Customer Reviews

The Wizard and the Warlord

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

 

 

This book, Wizard and the War Machine is written by Gerrold and Niven, with Cybord and Wizards - it is fantastic and we want more, Elizabeth Hall Boyer wrote The Wizard and the Warlord which is also a fantastic book but bears no relation to the above reviews, with E H Boyer think Norse Gods, action and reality, you know the type that can make you feel the cold and waves of the sea, as if your there.

Sigurd (the Hero) started out as a suspicious twit, and never changed. Some of the characters are inconsistent. Why would Ragnhild start fawning over the main character, after he helped 'magick' her horse into almost drowning her? I got the book for free, got my money's worth.

Sigurd is neither smart nor clever nor mighty nor noble. He betrays his friends and is easily duped. The main appeal of this story lies in its antagonists: a treacherous wizard, a sly warlord, cunning infant-demon Mori, comical Hross-Bjorn.

Elegant descriptive prose and a fast pace fight to redeem a weak storyline ("What's in the box?") and repetitious dialogue. Deliciously macabre vignettes of opposing the undead monsters of Scandinavian folklore are strung together loosely to create a narrative where character motives are irrelevant to action scenes. Predictable plot twists wouldn't fool a child. Genocide or conquest seem the only solutions to racial unrest between Light Elves and Dark Elves. The denouement, mercifully short, tries to hint at deeper meaning, but misses.

This disaster of a novel is fortunately a quick (but not painless) read. Two stars are given for the gory and entertaining monsters.

I really liked this book, and it's predecessor, the Cyborg and the Sorceror. I wish that the author would write more on Slant and his adventures. The book kind of leaves you hanging at the end. (I am currently looking for another copy,as it is now out of print)