Her Majesty's Wizard

Wizard in Rhyme #1

by Christopher Stasheff, Anne Brant (Illustrator)

Matt didn't know the scrap of parchment was a trap. So he read the runes - and found himself on a world where reciting poetry verses worked magic. His first effort got him locked in a dungeon by the evil sorcerer Malingo. Trying for light, he brought forth a fire-breathing, drunken dragon, who told him Princess Alisande, rightful ruler of Merovence, was also held in the dungeon.

Naturally, he had to free her, himself, and the dragon, using poetry lifted from Shakespeare. And because she was young and beautiful, he swore to serve as her wizard. Then he learned that his job as wizard was to fix it so the three of them could overcome all the dark magic and armies of Malingo!

The addition to the party of a lust-witch and a priest who became a werewolf now and then didn't seem much help. Matt figured he had got himself into quite a predicament.

For once, he was right!

This 25th anniversary eBook edition of this classic story includes a new introduction by the author and new cover art by Anne Maria Brant!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Magic, Dragons, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Humor

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

The late Christopher Stasheff was an American science fiction and fantasy author. When teaching proved too real, he gave it up in favor of writing full-time. Stasheff was noted for his blending of science fiction and fantasy, as seen in his Warlock series. He spent his early childhood in Mount Vernon, New York, but spent the rest of his formative years in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Stasheff taught at the University of Eastern New Mexico in Portales, before retiring to Champaign, Illinois, in 2009. He had a wife and four children.

Reviews

[Nation Hirstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had truly loved this book when I was younger, and forgotten both the author and title, and in fact everything about it except that it was a fantasy book in which magic works by poetry (a concept I still believe to be excellent). Unfortunately, little besides the concept has stood the test, not of time, but of age.



I can still see why I liked it so much. It's breezy and action-packed, the main character is honest and self-deprecating despite his new-found magic, and there is a strong system of morality which presents itself as Stasheff opens his world. What I did not notice as a young reader, however, is that Stasheff's system of morality does not simply present itself through his world; like most propaganda, it imposes itself upon the world and upon its readers.



In the land of Merovence, "Good" and "Evil" are not simply two ends of a very long, very complicated spectrum; they are, instead, the only two choices one can make. There is no such thing as a decision that is partially right and partially wrong. It is a world of absolutes. This is fairly standard in most hack fantasy novels, and in most hack fantasy novels I wouldn't fuss to raise a comment. I do not, however, believe Stasheff is a hack fantasy writer. He is a good fantasy writer. He also happens to be a propagandist.



The morality of Stasheff's fiction is absolute not because he couldn't bother an original idea; he could and did. The morality of his fiction is absolute because he made it that way on purpose, and insists on reminding us of it at every opportunity. I find nothing wrong with a sermon, but I do not typically take my sermons with a side of fantasy literature. If you think you might like to, this may be the book for you.

[Simon Mcleish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog here in October 1998.

There has been a subgenre of light fantasy as long as there has been fantasy. The novels in this subgenre have an air of gentle humour and some elements of parody, though the comedy is not usually so broad as in the currently more fashionable novels of Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt and Craig Shaw Gardner. In my opinion, the master of such fantasy, generally written by Americans, was L. Sprague de Camp; more recent books of this type include Terry Brooks' Magic Kingdom series, the dragon books of Gordon R. Dickson and Piers Anthony's Xanth series.

Her Majesty's Wizard is particularly reminiscent of Dickson's The Dragon and His George with a dash of Alan Dean Foster's Spellsinger. It tells the story of Matt, a second-rate graduate student at an American university, who abandons his research to try and decipher a fragment of parchment which has accidentally come into his possession. As he finally cracks its peculiar linguistic structure, he finds himself magically transported into a world where the recital of verse acts as a magic spell.

This is a pretty typical opening for this kind of novel. Generally, the novel does not stray far from the paradigm, but where Stasheff differs from every other fantasy writer I have ever read is in the way he takes the Catholicism of a medieval setting seriously. In some ways he is not quite successful in this - the ease with which the prayer of a churchman affects events causes some problems in the plot - but it makes the mindset of his characters a lot closer to those in the ultimate source material of a fantasy novel, the medieval romances about Arthur, Charlemagne and so on. He is able to avoid the embarrassment about religious issues which makes so much fantasy rather coy on the subject; it is really unusual to see religion given something of the place it had in the medieval mindset. I particularly liked the way that the Catholic sacrament of confession was given such a strong and influential role, as it maybe should be in works based around a society in which every important person would have their own confessor.

[P.G. Badzey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like some of the other reviewers, it has been a while since I read this, but I still remember clearly the first time I picked it up. The method by which the main character gets to the fantasy world has been used before (in different incarnations) and seemed a bit passé to me. However, once it got going, I was hooked. The concept of poetry invoking magic intrigued me. The characters displayed humor, resolve, heroism and weaknesses, the action kept my interest and the descriptions brought the world to life. I was also (pleasantly) surprised to see Catholicism integrated into a magical world, which I hadn't seen since reading Katherine Kurtz. Stasheff does a great job melding the Church into a world where magic works (though some of the effects seemed a little out of place). Still, in a genre where Christianity (in general) and Catholicism (in particular) are more likely to be pilloried and derided, it was refreshing to see an author pull it off and present it as a force for good (while still peopled with imperfect characters). This series (and in particular this first book) ranks up there with my favorites and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Mantrell is supposed to be working on his doctoral thesis. But he has found a bit of parchment in an old manuscript that he is sure has something important if he can only translate it - figure out what language it is and what it means. He is concentrating so intensely in the coffee shop one morning when it begins to make sense, that he is dazed to wake up and find himself in another world - another universe - that is medieval. And in this universe good and evil clearly matters and counts for a lot. People are convinced he is a wizard and he can make things happen by reciting poetry, but "how" does it work? and what goes into making an effective spell? And when he calls for light in a dungeon cell (tossed their by the kingdom's sorcerer), he ends up summoning a dragon. Then finds the deposed princess is in a cell nearby. That won't do....he has to help her.

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Stephen Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun fact: I bought the sequel and read it years ago. So when I saw I had a chance to finally read the prequel novel, I couldn't turn the chance down.

"Her Majesty's Wizard" has a pretty standard premise: PhD student translates ancient runes, gets whisked away to a fantasy medieval Europe where he discovers reciting poetry does magic and becomes entangled in a rebellion against an usurper. Along the way, there are dragons, demons, a werewolf and an army of nuns, just to mention a few. I enjoyed the world building the most, with the main character trying to untangle and understand the medieval society he has fallen in and it's poetry magic. And hey, any book that has a character reciting Shakespeare to do magic wins points in my book. I also liked the books dealing with morality. In a parody of the genre almost, there is no middle ground, just evil and good, and the novel delights in this polarization, and the main character must reconcile his 20th century sensibilities with this clear distinction.

One small aspect I found irksome is how quickly the main character gets tossed into wonderland. It takes, what, four to five pages for the main character to be shuffled out from our world. It's rather contrived, but I guess it get's us to the good stuff faster? All in all, it's a fast-paced entertaining read that I would enjoy reading again.

[Vincent Trigili · Rating 5 out of 5]

When this book came out 25 years ago, I read it over and over till I the scotch tape could not hold the book together any more. Its a great tale about a ordinary grad student who gets swept away to a world where he is extra-ordinary. It has all the standard trappings of a traditional fantasy novel: wizards, sorcerers, damsel in distress, a kingdom at risk, giants, dwarfs and dragons. Two decades ago this was my favorite book of all time, and now that I am re-reading it its destine to become that way again!

Its an easy read with very few words that would give the average person any trouble. The book feels like it is targeted at the young adult crowd, so do not go looking for deep themes or issues, its just an all around fun book. There are a few errors in the text that look like a product of the PBOOK to EBOOK conversion, but can not swear they were not in the original as its been two decades since I read this book.

The introduction by the author has a few spoilers in it, nothing serious, but I recommend you leave it for last if you have not already read the book.

[River · Rating 3 out of 5]

"For better or for verse"

Though I loved some of the wordplay and the idea of an alternate world/universe where magic is tied to poetry, it was a bit dated of a book for me. The way characters spoke was also difficult to read, though it allowed for them to be very unique and notable.

Not for me, but a good book I'm sure I'd have enjoyed more in my early fantasy days.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some cool ideas but just not my thing

[Anne Patkau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew Mantrell, PhD student, finds memorized and impromptu verses are spells when he translates runes on a scrap of manuscript, and himself to Merovence. Evil sorcerer Malingo imprisons him in dungeon. An attempt for a light brings dragon Stegoman, drunk on fire, so wings torn and exiled by his kind. I remembered beginning, but re-read was continual happy surprise.

Here oaths of fealty are binding, commanding. Devils and Saint Moncraire are real. Typical author lectures, such as when hero visits Hell. Perversity is a demon Matt nicknames Max, needs requests to act. Rightful ruler is Princess Alisande, naturally rescued from "durance vile". Sir Guy is independent black-shield, eager to sign on. Repentant lust witch Sayeesa and werewolf priest Father Brunel are crucial.

Giants good Colmain and bad Ballspear were turned to stone. Emperor Haldishane sleeps with an army in the mountain, like mythical King Arthur, final battle between good and battle when they must awaken to save the world. Battles are bloody and many die.

Moncraire sent spell for Matt. Ballspear fools Matt and gets woken first. Matt heals ogre Breaorgh to handsome, still 8' tall, human, so he brings more ogres to fight. Sayeesa brings convent, Brunel brings monastery, Stegoman brings dragons. Matt raises 1K Greeks from Stegoman's bad tooth, but needs more men.

Sir Guy is descendant of Emperor's secret male line, who fight to keep away Ragnarok, takes Matt to Emperor for knighting ceremony. Alisande can only marry nobility. Sayeesa and Brunel sacrifice themselves at end, distract and kill Malingo. Matt disgruntingly proposes; Alisande angrily accepts; happy ever after.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A Very Catholic Fantasy Novel.
For real. There’s an author’s note at the end about how he doubted Catholic dogma but not faith so he wrote a book about if all of it were more obviously true. This is annoying for several reasons, one of the biggest being that 100% good vs 100% evil and always knowing Good is Right and Will Win is so boring. Do you know the character in the Sandman series who created a medieval fantasy dreamworld because she was sad and alone? The princess character in this reminds me so strongly of her. A second annoyance is the 1980’s sexual religio-garbage. First of all every female character’s first description includes a comment on the quality of her breasts (except the old nuns), and the two romantic subplots were dumb and unbelievable. That said, men are not let off the hook for sexual violence, and there are a number of diatribes about gender politics, giving the whole thing a weird Murphy Brown vibe. The book even kinda passes the Bechdel Test. But I don’t want to read the words “puissant”, “asinine” or “lazy smile” ever again. Every single time a woman tries to seduce a man she gets “lazy” and “languid” attached to her movements and body parts.

Anyway it was a sort-of-fun, weird little book that I have had on my shelf so long there was a bookmark with dated 1993 in it. I can’t remember if I read it as a kid. There’s nothing explicit in it, so maybe, but boy do the Catholic guilt themes rankle me now.

[Lauren Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far the book is intriguing and has piqued my interest enough to continue. My only criticism is that it seems so rushed. The description of the places, especially in the beginning, when they are being compared to historical places just seems to spurt out in a jumbled rushed mess. Its as though Stasheff was running and out of breath trying to speak and deliver the lines as quickly and with as much detail as possible. I do admit a bias when it comes to description of places, I love details about the worlds characters are part of because it helps me to fully acclimate to the book.
Aside from that first feeling of being rushed through information, the book is exciting and fun. The main character seems dynamic and more importantly realistic enough that I find myself inclined to want to shout out suggestions. Reading this book is like watching a movie where you can't help but feeling as though you should tell the characters what decisions to make or what plot twists you've discovered, even though they obviously can't hear you. I love that the book had gotten me so involved!
I have not finished this book yet but I am looking forward to reading it later :-)

[Jacob Cano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gosh this book made me so angry. It had so much potential. Poetry! Does magic!! But alas, it was not meant to be. The main character is a Mary Sue, the poem-magic power system turned out to be very confusing, and it's so heavily ladened with Catholicism. There was a very interesting love story (not the main one), and, very sporadically, did the author have some to say of note about humans and the human condition. The "hero", Matthew, is a linguistics PHD student. He comes across a piece of paper with an unknown language on it. Deciphering the script, he reads it out loud and gets transported to the world of Merovence. It's much like Europe in the early 10th century, except instead of Rome, they had Reme. However they still had Jesus Christ, only he gets mentioned once, and does not play a large part in this.

Matthew has one aspect of character growth over the course of the novel and overcomes every obstacle in his path. A majority of these, as a matter of fact, are not even due to himself doing anything. He does not even defeat the big bad. A re-match that was hyped up for a majority of the novel! The one character trait the author supposedly has him overcome is lust, but it wasn't even that well defined that he had an issue with it in the first place. Also, I'd say his biggest issue is his anger. Matthew is constantly getting angry at someone or something. One of the few chapters I enjoyed, had Mathew have an experience with the author's version of Hell. I imagined the point of this chapter was for Matthew to come out the other side a better person, but he ultimately failed to show any change. The romance between Matthew and Alisande simply made no sense. There is no chemistry. Honestly, I do not think they even like each other. They do nothing but argue and bicker the whole novel. In fact, the word "anger" shows up during almost every single one of their conversations. They are always ANGRY with each other. Matthew is constantly rude to Alisande and Alisande belittles Matthew with passive-aggressive comments as often as possible. This never changes. Literally on the last page of the novel Alisande is being passive aggressive and Matthew, in a fury of anger, proposes to her. I hate it here.

The power structure and laws of Merovence are loose, and the author exploits this more than once to close plot holes or give Matthew an assist. Example; Matthew accidentally de-petrified the Evil giant instead of the Good giant. Two pages later, the Good giant shows up because Matthew "put too much magic force" behind his poem-spell, so it took longer for the Good giant to be de-petrified. Matthew also happens to gain a demon or spirit (it seemed the author was even confused as to what it was) in the middle of the novel that can perform magic spells without poetry, knows advanced physics, and was completely subservient to Matthew! Apparently, as was discovered in the final chapter of the book, granting someone the title of "knight" gives them martial prowess. However, this is not the case with Wizards or Sorcerers. One has to prove themselves to be a Wizard in order to get granted that title (my own assumption, this was not stated). It seemed as if the author was making up rules along the way or forgetting earlier rules.

The author is very obviously Catholic. Merovence is as well, it seems. Every town has a priest and there are Abbots and Abbesses and Monasteries abound. The author's religion is reflected throughout the novel. There is a stark difference between Good and Evil, with very little nuance or overlap. If someone does something Evil, they must repent and become shriven by a priest, or die. My favorite plotline in the novel is between the ex-lust-witch Sayessa and Father Brunel, a werewolf who only wolfs out when he succumbs to lust. Sayessa is on the road to repentance and is also in love with Father Brunel. Father Brunel is also extremely repentant and also in love with Sayeesa, having visited her a few times while she was still an active lust-witch. It's stated pretty explicitly that they ~might~ have kissed or held hands at one point, but that's as far as Father Brunel would allow things to go (being a Priest and all). I was rooting for them to finally profess their love for one another and get married and live happily ever after. The author, it seemed, in his Catholic ways, had a different idea. Sayeesa essentially commits suicide to win the final battle by using her lust-witch powers against the enemy, luring them towards her. Father Brunel, being nearby, immediately wolfs out and obliterates (graphically) anyone getting near Sayessa. This culminates in Sayeesa kissing the Big Evil Sorcerer, draining him of his power, and then Father Brunel rips his throat out. They all die in the process. I'd like to land the plane by starting with a quick excerpt from the battle. 'Malingo [Big Bad Evil Sorcerer] surged toward Sayeesa. She turned toward Brunel. "Come, dog! We're alike enough for me to know. Your life, like mine, is fit only for atonement!"'. Atonement... with... their lives? Does the severity of their sin mean they have to die? Mr. Stasheff, I'd like to introduce you to one Jesus Christ, who famously died for our sins, so that we may be forgiven, live, and love! Meanwhile these two characters were filled with self-hatred, and wished to die. Ironically enough, I think the author does an excellent job of portraying Catholicism in the novel (or at least his own take on it). Personally, I have my own issues with Catholicism, and this book only reinforced those issues.

I adored the concept that poetry works magic. However, I don't think the author did. During the Big Battle to End All Battles, Matthew says a quick two line couplet, and all magic during the battle is nullified. Also, Matthew is the only one who does any poem-magic in the novel, which was explained but still weird.

All in all... 2/5. There were some redeeming moments that often came as one-off quotes, but did not happen anywhere near frequently enough to combat what I described above. I'd recommend this book to my friends just to see if I'm justified in my rating.

Thanks for reading!

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

re-read again in Dec 2009 after having read it...10 yrs ago?

Not as good as I remember. I liked the characters less, and they were more flat than I remember. This is influenced by that fact this is not what I wanted to re-read at the time.

Not really a spoiler:
A medieval fantasy where Christianity's concepts of God and evil are prominant--it's the only book I read where "good" magic is either assisted and backed by prayer and Christian monks and priests (and how sin-free you are), and "evil" sorcerers have sold their souls to the devil. It makes for an interesting culture and society.

It is also interesting to see how the main character, who is from "our" world, utilizes his knowledge of science and technology to help him do magic--a nice juxaposition.

Somewhat of a spoiler:
What fun that the main character's knowledge of classic literature and poetry makes for stronger spells instead of the usual rhyming doggerel.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty sweet book. I keep trying to think of reasons to give this only four stars instead of five... I can't. The unapologetic catholicism built into the world of this book is refreshing during this day and age of religious skepticism. And I'm not even Catholic. The religiousness of the book scarcely factors into the first half, but it makes for some beautifully done world-building overall. It is not didactic or heavy-handed, hence the adjective 'refreshing'.
There are some passages which deal with some very adult lust (which never ends well for the characters), but there isn't what a girl could call 'smut'. Some scary imagery. Some big words. So I'd give it to a discerning teenager, but not younger without having to explain some stuff.
NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT I SERIOUSLY ENJOYED IT, IT MADE ME LAUGH, IT MADE ME CRY, AND I FEEL WILDLY INSPIRED. I MAY HAVE TO READ IT AGAIN - ONLY 5 STAR BOOKS GET THAT LAST BIT. ONLY FIVE STAR BOOKS, PEOPLE.

[Jared · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matthew Mantrell (if I remember his name right -- it' been a few years since I've read this) is a graduate student when he runs across an old manuscript. He reads it and ends up transported to a world where Good and Evil are very literally manifest. Matt finds that in his hands (or voice, anyway), poetry has magical effects in this new land. Matt ends up fighting on the side of Good in a massive battle for ownership of the world, despite his imperfections.

The book is a page-turner, hard to put down. The book is thick with explorations of how personal (im)morality has consequences beyond that person. I like what the book has to say about how there really isn't such a thing as "private" sin -- sin of any kind bleeds over into other aspects of a person's life, and inevitably affects others. It's an unpopular viewpoint today, but largely true.

[BobA707 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Summary: I generally dislike books where the good side is all good and the baddies are all bad (back and white, no shades of grey) - this book does just that deliberately and festoons the whole thing with religious claptrap. If that isn't bad enough it then adds awful rhyming rubbish as the basis of its magic system. Having said all that, the characters are interesting, the plot moves along nicely and the writing is pretty good.

Plotline: Plot is pretty good, although mostly predictable, but a few interesting twists keep it in focus.

Premise: Awful. Really, absolutely nothing to recommend it.

Writing: Simple some good descriptions

Ending: climactic but predictable.

Pace: Never a dull moment. Ish. I was very very tempted to give up, but mainly due to the awful premise.

[Misti · Rating 5 out of 5]

The start of Stasheff's Wizard in Rhyme series which follows Matt of Newark to a parallel dimension where there's no science, only magic worked by poetry. I love this book, it's one of my all-time favorites. There's a strong focus on the application of poetry as an active creator of actions. I love the concept that reciting the inscription on the Statue of Liberty suddenly brings dirty, longing 'teeming masses' to surround you.

The Christian allegory is a bit strong in all Stasheff's books, and he's always been interested in saints and the power struggle between bad and good. If you're not interested in being preached to about Christianity, this can be a bit like forcing a sprig of broccoli down your throat.

[Cheryl Brandt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Her Majesty's Wizard is great book. It's a fast read, because it keeps you wanting to know what will happen next. It introduces the reader to some fantastic poetry and prose modeling as 'spells', and throws in some bad doggerel as well. There's a little bit of science and a bit of philosophy all painlessly ingested while enjoying a wonderful adventure. I've read this book, and this series several times, and enjoy it every time.

My only caveat is that only the first book and the last few books are available commercially as ebooks. The first book was released as a Kindle book in April, 2011. So perhaps eventually they'll be available.Christopher Stasheff

[Anahi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventure, magic, good vs evil, with a touch of romance and sexuality that is still more appropriate for adults than children.
I enjoyed the story, but I prefer fantasy that reimagines our world in a new way, preferably better. Most fantasy today keeps in all the gray areas, humans are neither totally good nor evil, we just are. But I can find that by watching the news. A great fantasy adventure has a true hero, that will do good and be strong and true. I felt Matt was flawed enough to be relatable, but
through his actions he continued to prove he had the character of a hero.
I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys Tolkien , C S Lewis, or Terry Pratchett.

[Arthur Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books. It is certainly tied for the best "otherworlds" story of all time - at least for me. The author wanted to see a certain type of tale and since none were forthcoming decided to write it himself. It was a success. What if morals made a difference? A real difference? What would that be like? What was a real medieval take on life? Especially amidst fantasy creatures? This is a great mix of plot, flawed characters, hope, love, and spirituality. I will continue to read it again and again.

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes an english major out of his world and into a medieval and magical world where things are vastly different from his home. The man meets many very odd characters, all of who have their own flaws. He goes on an amazing adventure and rescues a princess and makes himself a hero. All the while he creates magic using poems. I have learned that poetry and prose can be combined in interesting ways to create unique elements to a story. As this book uses poems to create in the world the literal thing that the poem is describing.

[Chris Middelveen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Matt is much the everyman at first, but when he discovers that in that alternate dimension all that reading (i presume) he did was worth it in SPADES!!!
As the journey goes on, he goes from nobody to wizard, to royal bodyguard, to a damned one, redeems himself, and later becomes a knight!

I i were to analyze it as a recipe, it ha
1/2 cup of romance
2 cups of adventure
1 tbsp of comedy (careful with that, it's VERY concentrated!)
2 cups of action
1/4 tsp of suspense

I reccomend it to anyone who likes a good adventure book.

[Kjirstin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Medieval fantasy done right! At least, the world seems to operate the way that people in our medieval past thought it operated, with the nice addition of magic by poetry. I actually was so absorbed in this book that I almost missed my bus stop when I was getting toward the end. I liked all the characters (particularly Maxwell's Demon) and really enjoyed the idea of a contemporary person trying to figure out the science of magic, when dumped into a seemingly illogical world. I'm glad these have been released as ebooks!

[David Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book before a few decades ago, and some of the scenes really stayed with me. When I tried to think of a book with good light entertainment, that still had a good insight into people, I remembered it. I liked it very much this time. All too few fantasy authors take the concept of sin seriously, and even fewer grasp the concept of redemption. It is very good entertainment, a real page turner; and it also takes people seriously, with all their faults. In the midst of all the action, you still see the characters grow in their friendships, their knowledge and their virtue.

[Dierdre Painter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written, much better than the Warlock series (GASP!) Has a lot of Christian mythos thrown in, though, and can get really preachy. The author's bio is freaky, as it describes basically a mentally ill person wandering around thinking about fantasy. Yikes. Still, it's a fun book whose gimmick works; Basically, anyone with the wizarding gene can cast spells by rhyming. It's a bit silly, but worth a read once.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somebody was watching too much 'Saturday morning television' before getting down to the work of writing this book. Even in audio this comes across as a pop-up book. I have a mental image of the cut-out castle with the princess in the dungeon and a wise dragon, and the wicked sorcerer, and the weirdly evil king. Oh my!

I've endured it for two and a half hours and that's enough.

[Lori Akins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. Dom it became a little complicated, but I really liked it and will read the set. It also cloud have had a few less demons .



Great read, the religion stuff could have been a little more clear for the laymen. I didn't get some of it. I am not Catholic and didn't get s of th references

[Walter Herrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good, but part of the story was almost word for word from part of the first book in this series...

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always enjoyed this series, one of the reasons it lives on my bookcase despite lack of space. Quick read and enjoyable even for a incorrigible atheist like me.