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The Annals of the Chosen #2
The Ninth Talisman
All of the world is kept in a delicate balance under the supervision of the Wizard Lord. It is his duty to govern lightly and protect his domain…but if he should stray from the way of the just, then it is up to the Chosen to intercede.
The Chosen are the Leader, the Seer, the Swordsman, the Beauty, the Thief, the Scholar, the Archer, and the Speaker. These are magically infused mortal individuals who for the term of their service have only one function--to remove an errant Wizard Lord.
The Chosen fulfilled this role when they removed the previous Wizard Lord and exposed treachery from within their own ranks.
Since their last adventure, the world has returned to apparent peace and prosperity. The new Wizard Lord rules benevolently...but with an eye towards modernization through technology, instead of magic.
Do such plans jeopardize the delicate balance of power?
Is a Wizard Lord who is able to rule without magic a threat to the Chosen?
The Chosen are the Leader, the Seer, the Swordsman, the Beauty, the Thief, the Scholar, the Archer, and the Speaker. These are magically infused mortal individuals who for the term of their service have only one function--to remove an errant Wizard Lord.
The Chosen fulfilled this role when they removed the previous Wizard Lord and exposed treachery from within their own ranks.
Since their last adventure, the world has returned to apparent peace and prosperity. The new Wizard Lord rules benevolently...but with an eye towards modernization through technology, instead of magic.
Do such plans jeopardize the delicate balance of power?
Is a Wizard Lord who is able to rule without magic a threat to the Chosen?
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
4 people are currently reading
227 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
March 9, 2020
Better than the first one, ended on a cliffhanger and I've ordered book 3. Sadly my library only had the first two.
December 2, 2008
Another brilliant offering from Watt-Evans, a favorite author of mine for some time. The story flowed very smoothly & even as it drew to a conclusion, I wasn't entirely certain what would happen. I enjoyed some of the moral questions posed about the concept of 'progress,' and how a single person's viewpoint can be very influential!
April 11, 2021
‘The Ninth Talisman’ is the second volume in ‘The Annals Of The Chosen’ series, following ‘The Wizard Lord’. In that book, ordinary village bloke Breaker became The Swordsman, one of the Chosen who act as a check on the Wizard Lord who rules the land of Barokan and have the duty to either remove him from power or kill him if he does wrong. The Chosen are the Leader, the Seer, the Swordsman, the Beauty, the Thief, the Scholar, the Archer and the Speaker. Each carries a talisman that bestows an exceptional talent, in Breaker’s case, making him the best swordsman in the world.
By the end of the last book, Sword, as he is now known, was beginning to wonder if the whole system needed scrapping. The Wizard Lord’s function was to take care of the weather in Barokan, punish outlaws and stop rogue wizards from causing trouble. But there are no rogue wizards now and hardly any wizards at all, less than twenty. Furthermore, the primary source of trouble over the past few centuries has been rogue Wizard Lords, not rogue wizards. Why not scrap the role and the Chosen along with it?
Perhaps because magic is part of the very landscape. There are spirits, called ler, who inhabit every natural creature and plant. There are ler of earth, air and water, too. In Sword’s home village, they negotiate with the ler of barley to make the barley grow and each village or town has its own ler, some more demanding than others, with which treaties and bargains are made and maintained by the village priest or priestess. In between, settlements are wild areas and wild ler and, although there are guides who have made pacts with them and can take you from one place to another, travel is rare.
Six years into the reign of a new Wizard Lord, Sword still hasn’t settled the issue in his mind. He lives peacefully in his isolated home village of Mad Oak, tending the barley crop with everyone else. Then a road crew arrives. They have battered their way through the countryside, defying wild ler by wearing ara feathers which protect against them and thus made a road to the next village. It turns out that they have been making roads all over the land, connecting villages and towns and bringing increased prosperity by trade. Hitherto, only the bargemen could get goods from other villages via the river. Now traders and merchants can take a cart from one settlement to another.
Rich fabrics from faraway places and exotic fish from the sea are finding new markets. Everyone thinks it’s excellent and blesses the Wizard Lord, who made it all happen. Sword isn’t sure if roads are good or bad but they are definitely a change to the old order of things, so he decides he must travel to Winterhome, speak to the Wizard Lord and assess the situation more fully.
Sword is still a likeable character and his interactions with the other Chosen, particularly the Beauty, the Leader and the Thief are natural and realistic. The land of Barokan is fascinating and well-realised. Many fantasy settings are stuck forever in a mediaeval state and crises are caused by evil wizards, orcs, elves or other characters. It’s unusual, but not unheard of for technological change to cause disruption. Sword discovers that the Wizard Lord wants to do away with magic altogether and run the land efficiently with a new kind of magic: Organisation. He has employed young men from all over Barokan to build two new palaces. One is in Winterhome at the base of the eastern cliffs.
The other is a summer palace atop those cliffs in the upland plateau, which is actually outside the land of Barokan and has no ler at all, so magic doesn’t work there. The new labour force also hacks roads through the wilderness, put bridges over rivers and dig canals. A quantity of them has joined his army. The roads destroy some wild ler, while sensitive priests and priestesses are made temporarily ill by the disruption to the natural order, but they are a tiny minority. Everyone else is trading, enjoying the easy travel and exotic new products and getting richer. What’s wrong with that?
‘The Ninth Talisman’ is a pleasant read. There are minor flaws. It’s a bit slow and Sword’s thinking about the big issues over and over gets a little repetitive. The Ninth Talisman of the title isn’t even mentioned until page 220. It may also be annoying for the casual reader to get to the end of the book and find no conclusion. The story continues in book three which I have to hand but would be peeved if I didn’t. Even so, I like Watt-Evans’ style and enjoyed the book. In a biographical note on-line, he states, ‘I try to write fantasy with an element of common sense to it — not so much mythic archetypes as sensible people.’ In that, and the slow pacing of a tale, he resembles L.E. Modesitt, Jr., whose work I also enjoy.
And so, onto book three, ‘The Summer Palace’, not with breathless anticipation, for these are not classics, but with quiet contentment. Fantasy trilogies are all right. I should read more of them.
By the end of the last book, Sword, as he is now known, was beginning to wonder if the whole system needed scrapping. The Wizard Lord’s function was to take care of the weather in Barokan, punish outlaws and stop rogue wizards from causing trouble. But there are no rogue wizards now and hardly any wizards at all, less than twenty. Furthermore, the primary source of trouble over the past few centuries has been rogue Wizard Lords, not rogue wizards. Why not scrap the role and the Chosen along with it?
Perhaps because magic is part of the very landscape. There are spirits, called ler, who inhabit every natural creature and plant. There are ler of earth, air and water, too. In Sword’s home village, they negotiate with the ler of barley to make the barley grow and each village or town has its own ler, some more demanding than others, with which treaties and bargains are made and maintained by the village priest or priestess. In between, settlements are wild areas and wild ler and, although there are guides who have made pacts with them and can take you from one place to another, travel is rare.
Six years into the reign of a new Wizard Lord, Sword still hasn’t settled the issue in his mind. He lives peacefully in his isolated home village of Mad Oak, tending the barley crop with everyone else. Then a road crew arrives. They have battered their way through the countryside, defying wild ler by wearing ara feathers which protect against them and thus made a road to the next village. It turns out that they have been making roads all over the land, connecting villages and towns and bringing increased prosperity by trade. Hitherto, only the bargemen could get goods from other villages via the river. Now traders and merchants can take a cart from one settlement to another.
Rich fabrics from faraway places and exotic fish from the sea are finding new markets. Everyone thinks it’s excellent and blesses the Wizard Lord, who made it all happen. Sword isn’t sure if roads are good or bad but they are definitely a change to the old order of things, so he decides he must travel to Winterhome, speak to the Wizard Lord and assess the situation more fully.
Sword is still a likeable character and his interactions with the other Chosen, particularly the Beauty, the Leader and the Thief are natural and realistic. The land of Barokan is fascinating and well-realised. Many fantasy settings are stuck forever in a mediaeval state and crises are caused by evil wizards, orcs, elves or other characters. It’s unusual, but not unheard of for technological change to cause disruption. Sword discovers that the Wizard Lord wants to do away with magic altogether and run the land efficiently with a new kind of magic: Organisation. He has employed young men from all over Barokan to build two new palaces. One is in Winterhome at the base of the eastern cliffs.
The other is a summer palace atop those cliffs in the upland plateau, which is actually outside the land of Barokan and has no ler at all, so magic doesn’t work there. The new labour force also hacks roads through the wilderness, put bridges over rivers and dig canals. A quantity of them has joined his army. The roads destroy some wild ler, while sensitive priests and priestesses are made temporarily ill by the disruption to the natural order, but they are a tiny minority. Everyone else is trading, enjoying the easy travel and exotic new products and getting richer. What’s wrong with that?
‘The Ninth Talisman’ is a pleasant read. There are minor flaws. It’s a bit slow and Sword’s thinking about the big issues over and over gets a little repetitive. The Ninth Talisman of the title isn’t even mentioned until page 220. It may also be annoying for the casual reader to get to the end of the book and find no conclusion. The story continues in book three which I have to hand but would be peeved if I didn’t. Even so, I like Watt-Evans’ style and enjoyed the book. In a biographical note on-line, he states, ‘I try to write fantasy with an element of common sense to it — not so much mythic archetypes as sensible people.’ In that, and the slow pacing of a tale, he resembles L.E. Modesitt, Jr., whose work I also enjoy.
And so, onto book three, ‘The Summer Palace’, not with breathless anticipation, for these are not classics, but with quiet contentment. Fantasy trilogies are all right. I should read more of them.
November 11, 2020
The Ninth Talisman is a solid enough follow-up to The Wizard Lord, but its biggest flaw is suffering from being a clear middle chapter. Whereas the preceding novel manages to feel both like a first chapter of a larger story and a fully-resolved story, The Ninth Talisman absolutely needs to be followed up by reading the third instalment to be thoroughly appreciated.
This second novel follows about six or seven years after the conclusion of The Wizard Lord, and Breaker has now fully accepted the moniker of Sword. He is more comfortable in his position as Chosen Swordsman now, and has heard nothing negative of the new Wizard Lord, or anything whatsoever of the other Chosen. That changes when a crew of men build a road from the nearest town to Mad Oak under the Wizard Lord's orders. Slightly suspicious, but overall simply curious, Sword leaves Mad Oak once more to speak to the Wizard Lord and understand his motivations.
If you enjoyed the first novel, The Ninth Talisman is more of the same and this is not a bad thing. Watt-Evans's prose is still strong and well-paced, and his concepts are still intriguing. Bringing in the mystery of a ninth talisman-holder is hooky and interesting, though the fact that this is not resolved by the end of the book lessens the cool factor of this somewhat.
Overall, The Ninth Talisman builds on the world of Barokan without really reinventing anything. Thankfully, this is more than enough to make me look to the third book with some enthusiasm.
This second novel follows about six or seven years after the conclusion of The Wizard Lord, and Breaker has now fully accepted the moniker of Sword. He is more comfortable in his position as Chosen Swordsman now, and has heard nothing negative of the new Wizard Lord, or anything whatsoever of the other Chosen. That changes when a crew of men build a road from the nearest town to Mad Oak under the Wizard Lord's orders. Slightly suspicious, but overall simply curious, Sword leaves Mad Oak once more to speak to the Wizard Lord and understand his motivations.
If you enjoyed the first novel, The Ninth Talisman is more of the same and this is not a bad thing. Watt-Evans's prose is still strong and well-paced, and his concepts are still intriguing. Bringing in the mystery of a ninth talisman-holder is hooky and interesting, though the fact that this is not resolved by the end of the book lessens the cool factor of this somewhat.
Overall, The Ninth Talisman builds on the world of Barokan without really reinventing anything. Thankfully, this is more than enough to make me look to the third book with some enthusiasm.
April 19, 2021
Excellent entry into the series. Continue to enjoy the way the author explores the practical implications of his fantasy world-building, and the fundamental sensibility of all his characters, hero and villain. The modern reader will continue to notice the heteronormative male gaze built into it; appreciate it for what it is, a reflection and meditation on classic "sword and sorcery", D&D style fantasy of the 90s and 00's.
August 20, 2019
It was a decent read. I enjoyed it for what it was, an easy to read fantasy novel. It had some interesting ideas, but I feel like they were pretty much underutilized. I might read something else by Lawrence Watt-Evans, but I won't be going out of my way for it.
April 21, 2008
Lawrence Watt-Evans is certainly one of the most skilled writers of light fantasy in the field*. Unfortunately, it seems that his publisher has been relentlessly pushing him towards dark, high-page-count fantasy trilogies. It's as if Gilbert and Sullivan were forced at musket-point to produce nothing but Wagnerian operas.
The Ninth Talisman is volume two in Watt-Evan's "Annals of the Chosen". It continues the adventures of a Breaker (aka "Sword"), young man who is one of eight chosen heroes who bear magical talismans. The Chosen act as a check & balance in a magical system of government for the land of Borokan. When the Wizard Lord runs amok, it's their job to kill him or persuade him to retire.
It's an interesting concept in an interesting world. The most unusual feature in the setting itself are ler, nature spirits which are somewhat reminiscent of the kami of Shinto - but since this is fantasy, they are far more actual, "magical", and potentially dangerous.
In the previous work (The Wizard Lord)...well, I don't want to spoil it. It's not a poorly written book; not at all. A reader who isn't familiar with the many bright, clever, and amusing books that Watt-Evans has written might well enjoy these books quite a bit. But for me, I can't help but constantly compare these mega-page trilogies to Watt-Evans' other works...and they come up sadly lacking.
Intelligence. It comes down to that. The truly unique thing about Watt-Evans' lighter fiction is that the protagonists are intelligent. They have common sense and take sensible precautions. And most of the time, those precautions work.
That's so refreshing! In far too many modern books the whole plot depends on the hero doing something really bone-headed and stupid, solely because if he/she didn't there wouldn't be a book to sell - and be damned to the art of storytelling. It's a sad commentary on the state of the reading public that such "plots" seem to be de rigeur these days.
Breaker did something that was incredibly stupid in the first volume. It was utterly obvious that he was making an enormous mistake. And sure enough, in The Ninth Talisman that mistake comes home to roost. Breaker/Sword doesn't completely bungle this bad outcome, but he show a rather surprising level of trust and docility for someone who had already experienced nearly the ultimate in betrayal.
I wish I could say that Breaker's mistakes express some essential insight into human nature. But if they do, I don't see it. To me, it seems that Watt Evans was told by his publisher "These intelligent heroes don't sell books. You have to write big, dark, dramatic trilogies with heroes who screw up - make them as stupid as the public. Give the morons something to identify with!". I'd like to think that Watt-Evans complied reluctantly.
Certainly he can still write those light, funny, intelligent works - look at any of his Ethshar books, for example. His publisher tried to kill that series, so he sold the books online. They did well enough to be put out in paperback again, and major bookstores are carrying them once more. So there IS a market for intelligent books.
But maybe there isn't enough money in them to make a living.
The Annals of the Chosen isn't a bad series. It's certainly worth a look, compared to most of the crap that's being sold as genre fiction. The problem is that the author is capable of so much more.
I should note that as is so often the case with the middle volumes of trilogies, this one leaves the reader hanging until volume 3 is published. There are some rather dark moments - well, dark for Watt-Evans, which isn't dark compared to most modern authors but still renders the book unsuitable for anyone under age 14, at a guess. There are a couple of sympathetic characters who get killed off rather brutally and without being developed as the story seemed to promise they would be. It's certainly a readable and well-written series...of its type.
But if you haven't read the Ethshar books, or Watt-Evans excellent (albeit not that light) The Lords of Dûs series, please do.
-------------------------------
* - That's an admittedly narrow category, since the only other two I can think of are Terry Pratchett and Piers Anthony - who should not otherwise be mentioned in the same breath as each other (Pratchett is truly excellent, while Anthony may best be described as "very creepy at times, bordering on pedophilia"). Still, it's a field which has seen wonderful works in the past, and may one day be popular again.
The Ninth Talisman is volume two in Watt-Evan's "Annals of the Chosen". It continues the adventures of a Breaker (aka "Sword"), young man who is one of eight chosen heroes who bear magical talismans. The Chosen act as a check & balance in a magical system of government for the land of Borokan. When the Wizard Lord runs amok, it's their job to kill him or persuade him to retire.
It's an interesting concept in an interesting world. The most unusual feature in the setting itself are ler, nature spirits which are somewhat reminiscent of the kami of Shinto - but since this is fantasy, they are far more actual, "magical", and potentially dangerous.
In the previous work (The Wizard Lord)...well, I don't want to spoil it. It's not a poorly written book; not at all. A reader who isn't familiar with the many bright, clever, and amusing books that Watt-Evans has written might well enjoy these books quite a bit. But for me, I can't help but constantly compare these mega-page trilogies to Watt-Evans' other works...and they come up sadly lacking.
Intelligence. It comes down to that. The truly unique thing about Watt-Evans' lighter fiction is that the protagonists are intelligent. They have common sense and take sensible precautions. And most of the time, those precautions work.
That's so refreshing! In far too many modern books the whole plot depends on the hero doing something really bone-headed and stupid, solely because if he/she didn't there wouldn't be a book to sell - and be damned to the art of storytelling. It's a sad commentary on the state of the reading public that such "plots" seem to be de rigeur these days.
Breaker did something that was incredibly stupid in the first volume. It was utterly obvious that he was making an enormous mistake. And sure enough, in The Ninth Talisman that mistake comes home to roost. Breaker/Sword doesn't completely bungle this bad outcome, but he show a rather surprising level of trust and docility for someone who had already experienced nearly the ultimate in betrayal.
I wish I could say that Breaker's mistakes express some essential insight into human nature. But if they do, I don't see it. To me, it seems that Watt Evans was told by his publisher "These intelligent heroes don't sell books. You have to write big, dark, dramatic trilogies with heroes who screw up - make them as stupid as the public. Give the morons something to identify with!". I'd like to think that Watt-Evans complied reluctantly.
Certainly he can still write those light, funny, intelligent works - look at any of his Ethshar books, for example. His publisher tried to kill that series, so he sold the books online. They did well enough to be put out in paperback again, and major bookstores are carrying them once more. So there IS a market for intelligent books.
But maybe there isn't enough money in them to make a living.
The Annals of the Chosen isn't a bad series. It's certainly worth a look, compared to most of the crap that's being sold as genre fiction. The problem is that the author is capable of so much more.
I should note that as is so often the case with the middle volumes of trilogies, this one leaves the reader hanging until volume 3 is published. There are some rather dark moments - well, dark for Watt-Evans, which isn't dark compared to most modern authors but still renders the book unsuitable for anyone under age 14, at a guess. There are a couple of sympathetic characters who get killed off rather brutally and without being developed as the story seemed to promise they would be. It's certainly a readable and well-written series...of its type.
But if you haven't read the Ethshar books, or Watt-Evans excellent (albeit not that light) The Lords of Dûs series, please do.
-------------------------------
* - That's an admittedly narrow category, since the only other two I can think of are Terry Pratchett and Piers Anthony - who should not otherwise be mentioned in the same breath as each other (Pratchett is truly excellent, while Anthony may best be described as "very creepy at times, bordering on pedophilia"). Still, it's a field which has seen wonderful works in the past, and may one day be popular again.
June 18, 2020
A sequel to "The Wizard Lord," I was first surprised by the relative slimness of this book when compared to the first book.... and I think that carries over into the book and characters. I found this book to be a little slow and jump around a lot, a bit aimless, but worth it for the way it moves the overall series plot forward.
The Plot: Okay, to be honest, the story starts oddly. It's been 3 years since "The Wizard Lord," and Sword/Breaker is still in Mad Oak, a bit discontent. He talks with the Young Priestess, who shows him that the Wizard Lord is important via a vision of the past.
Then, four years later... the story ACTUALLY starts. After a road construction crew arrives in Mad Oak with news of the Wizard Lord's infrastructure projects, Sword leaves to meet him and talk it over with the other Chosen. He finds out that the Wizard Lord has taken Sword's comment about Barokan not needing a Wizard lord to heart, and is striving to create a new government system for Barokan that is not magic/ler dependant. It takes a few years, but the Chosen eventually become concerned. (This is 75% of the book, by the way)
Review: So, firstly, there's the false start I mentioned above. As far as I can see, the tale from the Young Priestess has zip to do with the overall plot, except to make Sword cautious. He already IS super cautious and slow to make decisions, so that doesn't seem to change anything. Then, it takes FOREVER to get started. Sword doesn't REALLY start doing anything until halfway through the book, and then things go pretty quickly. Overall, it wasn't as captivating as the first book. I didn't really like the new Chosen, but we aren't really given time to meet them. The old Chosen characters are seen, but much of their time together is glossed over in "they waited 2 weeks" sort of ways.
Then the climax happens superfast, and leaves you with a cliff-hanger.
Overall, it's an acceptable in-between book, and luckily short, but otherwise don't worry about reading it.
The Plot: Okay, to be honest, the story starts oddly. It's been 3 years since "The Wizard Lord," and Sword/Breaker is still in Mad Oak, a bit discontent. He talks with the Young Priestess, who shows him that the Wizard Lord is important via a vision of the past.
Then, four years later... the story ACTUALLY starts. After a road construction crew arrives in Mad Oak with news of the Wizard Lord's infrastructure projects, Sword leaves to meet him and talk it over with the other Chosen. He finds out that the Wizard Lord has taken Sword's comment about Barokan not needing a Wizard lord to heart, and is striving to create a new government system for Barokan that is not magic/ler dependant. It takes a few years, but the Chosen eventually become concerned. (This is 75% of the book, by the way)
Review: So, firstly, there's the false start I mentioned above. As far as I can see, the tale from the Young Priestess has zip to do with the overall plot, except to make Sword cautious. He already IS super cautious and slow to make decisions, so that doesn't seem to change anything. Then, it takes FOREVER to get started. Sword doesn't REALLY start doing anything until halfway through the book, and then things go pretty quickly. Overall, it wasn't as captivating as the first book. I didn't really like the new Chosen, but we aren't really given time to meet them. The old Chosen characters are seen, but much of their time together is glossed over in "they waited 2 weeks" sort of ways.
Then the climax happens superfast, and leaves you with a cliff-hanger.
Overall, it's an acceptable in-between book, and luckily short, but otherwise don't worry about reading it.
September 21, 2025
Re-reading the series after I got them signed by the author. The thing I like about this book is the discussion on what makes a ruler evil — There's a lot of suspicion but not a lot of proof that the Wizard Lord is abusing his power. Are the changes good or bad? The people seems to like them, and it seems to be a benefit, but is this within the Wizard Lord's mandate? Is the prosperity a side-effect of some greater plan?
Still enjoying my re-read of this series.
Still enjoying my re-read of this series.
March 3, 2016
LWE is without a doubt one of my favorite authors. I love his characters - how they develop, how they figure things out... Many times reading fiction can be frustrating because the characters are so slow on the uptake. Watt-Evans must have the same frustration because his characters are actually smart and do not fall for the same old stupid ploys that others seem to miss. I am happy to have the next book securely on my to read shelf at home, because I can't wait to start it.
December 2, 2007
The first book could stand alone. This one can't and the next book isn't out yet! Frustrating. Interesting exploration of a different world. Can see how it would be interesting for the author to choose a different one of the chosen to write through their viewpoint about the same story-line and still have an interesting book.
March 19, 2009
I found the central premises of this book to be a bit frustrating. Watt-Evans is generally pretty good at having heroes who figure things out almost as quickly as a reader can, but this book is an exception. The big surprise in the final book is that things aren't quite as frustrating as they seemed.
July 21, 2008
LWE always writes a fine trilogy. I finished this book in 2 days and I wish I had the 3rd book to start on right away.
LWE always keeps me guessing at what is going to happen.
LWE always keeps me guessing at what is going to happen.
February 11, 2012
kinda boring through out, and the book ends when it's finally interesting
February 16, 2013
An ok book.
May 21, 2021
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
June 12, 2013
Compelling. I am finding myself empathetic to the Swordsman in all his endeavors. Great character driven plot.
March 29, 2017
This book was action packed! Of course I need to read the next book immediately.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews