The Crusading Wizard (Wizard in Rhyme, A) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Christopher Stasheff (Author) "The royal family was enjoying one of the rare hours when they could feel like a family..." (more)
Key Phrases: renegade magus, translation spell, velvet paws, Prester John, Ahura Mazda, Angra Mainyu (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

THE WIZARD AT WAR

From beyond the mountains, a monstrous scourge sweeps down the steppes--a bloodthirsty barbarian horde, seemingly endless in numbers and hell-bent on conquest. With each nation that falls before their murderous onslaught, the marauders draw closer to Merovence, where good Queen Alisande rules with the help of her husband, Royal Wizard Matt Mantrell.

Now Matt and Alisande receive an urgent call for help from Jerusalem-- destined to be the barbarians' next target. But when Matt arrives in the Holy City to assess the imminent threat, he makes a shocking discovery: The power-mad khan who rules the ravaging minions is in league with a far greater and more dreadful enemy! With the aid of his old ally the djinn princess, a giant talking bird, and a fledgling enchantress with the power to change into a cat, Matt must call upon every resource, magical and mortal, to defy the triumph of pure evil . . .

From the Inside Flap
THE WIZARD AT WAR

From beyond the mountains, a monstrous scourge sweeps down the steppes--a bloodthirsty barbarian horde, seemingly endless in numbers and hell-bent on conquest. With each nation that falls before their murderous onslaught, the marauders draw closer to Merovence, where good Queen Alisande rules with the help of her husband, Royal Wizard Matt Mantrell.

Now Matt and Alisande receive an urgent call for help from Jerusalem-- destined to be the barbarians' next target. But when Matt arrives in the Holy City to assess the imminent threat, he makes a shocking discovery: The power-mad khan who rules the ravaging minions is in league with a far greater and more dreadful enemy! With the aid of his old ally the djinn princess, a giant talking bird, and a fledgling enchantress with the power to change into a cat, Matt must call upon every resource, magical and mortal, to defy the triumph of pure evil . . .

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (February 29, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345392469
• ISBN-13: 978-0345392466
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #285,761 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cat Who Conquered a Demon, March 8, 2000

By	Wanda Wolfe (Williamsburg, KY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This isn't Matt's book, although he's in it. The book is really about Balkis, the infant set adrift in a river by her mother, hoping to save the babe from the barbarian horde. Saved by water sprites and dryads, who turn her into a cat and teach her how to survive, Balkis spends her formative years knowing nothing of her past. Finally, after learning all she can about magic from a kindly witch, she goes to Matt to try to learn more. She ends up rescuing him multiple times, and helps him to retrieve his kidnapped children. She is a fascinating character, and I hope she returns in future books, after she's had a chance to mature a little and grow into her powers fully.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars New characters add a twist to the routine., June 20, 2000

By	Bill McCarthy (Colorado Springs, Colorado) - See all my reviews

All in all a pretty good book. I like the new character addition of Balkis and am looking forward to the next book. The first few books in the series were great, but a lot of the storylines in the last couple books have seemed to have the same basic concept. This book adds a little more with the addition of Balkis being a major character and not just someone who shows up now and again. I only have one fault with the book. That being how the Caliph got to Damascus with Talas bin Daoud and his army arriving later, when earlier in the book the Caliph was held up outside of Bagdad and Talas had already arrived at Damascus. Other than that, the book was altogether a good read.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Crusading Wizard, May 24, 2000

By A Customer

This was a very good book of mister Stasheff's, but as all books in series become, it gets a bit formulaic. (I know I cant spell that word) And there were some characters that I just didn't really get (like fortune, what's with the spinnig plates and darts?) Anyway this was a very good book and probably my second (my first is Her Majesty's Wizard) favorite book in the series.