Forward the Mage

Joe's World #2

by Eric Flint, Richard Roach, James P. Baen (Editor)

The young artist-swordsman Benvenuti has arrived in the city of Goimr to discover that Zulkeh, the evil sorcerer, has driven the King insane and subsequently fled the city. Then Benvenuti finds himself embroiled with a beautiful female revolutionary agitator and a gigantic madman.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Ebooks, Science Fiction, Humor, Epic Fantasy, Collections

608 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Eric Flint was a New York Times bestselling American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works were alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures.

Reviews

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Please Note: Read in January 2008 immediately after The Philosophical Strangler. Just copying over my review.

Thoughts: Combining prequel and aspects of similarity with The Philosophical Strangler, Forward the Mage is full of Rabelaisian nonsense that is certain to confuse and befuddle the average reader, who will likely then put down the book and exclaim, "What nonsense! This is a terrible book! What is it even ABOUT!?!" and that is where their problem arises! The book really isn't ABOUT anything, outside of a loosely held overall plot about the Rap Sheet, that winds its way through the book like a single glinting thread of gold through a cliff of limestone being washed by the ocean. Why do books always have to be "about" something? Why not just sit back and enjoy the lunacy?

A Type of Synopsis: The focus bounces back and forth between Zulkeh, sorcerer and pedant, and his apprentice, the dwarf Sheylid; and Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini, an artist, as he meets, travels with and falls in love with Gwendolyn Greyboar - THE Greyboar's sister, of whom we hear in The Philosophical Strangler and even meet there toward the end of that book. And, to make matters yet more entertaining, the book is purportedly written by a louse - yes, a humble louse! Living upon none other than Sheylid himself.

My Appreciation: As is obvious from the above, I rather liked the book. I think it will appeal to anyone with a good sense of nonsensical humour (those who enjoy Monty Python, Terry Pratchett, etc.) and who are willing to suspend reality to a fine breaking point and just have fun. Don't miss it, if I have just described you!

[Howard Brazee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fantasy farce. I enjoyed the first book enough to get the second - but got tired of it half-way through this book. Maybe I need a break, and should look at again in a year.

[Mouselet · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best word to describe the books of Joe's World (The Philosophical Strangler and Forward the Mage) must be "absurd".

Jody Lynn Nye once spoke about how, in order to write a good humorous book, the author must treat the subject matter in complete seriousness. That's true...but perhaps not completely. These books are full of ridiculousness and at times characters do remark on the utter absurdities of their lives and experiences.

But the way the tale is told, using lofty vocabulary for the simplest and basest of events that leave a reader staring in incredulity, adds a layer of surreality that heightens the entire experience. And yet, even the verbiage is used as a consideration of who the narrators actually are and is in keeping with the characters.

Overall, I prefer The Philosophical Strangler to this book, but most of what I enjoyed there is present in Forward the Mage. And any author who is able to evoke my favorite chapters from both The Princess Bride (Chapter One: The Bride) and Les Miserables (Jean Valjean, Book Two: The Intestine of the Leviathan, I) is certainly going to keep my interest.

[David Harriss · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brilliant in places

The second, and prequel, book explains the origins of many secondary characters from the Strangler, and chronicles the theft of the Rap Sheet in Prygg. While often droll, this one is often tedious, with most of the best parts belonging to Benvenuti. The running joke of the narrator isn't funny, and the character growth of Shelyid is too extreme to be believed.
Despite those flaws, the good parts are fantastic, and it serves as a travel diary of most of Grotum.

Fans of the series should enjoy it. New comers should see The Philosophical Strangler. The authors should finish this series, though foreshadowing tells us the overall end.

[Kris Leake]

It was a long read.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like Terry Pratchett? Like Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser? Then try this one on for size. I recommend reading this one first and The Philosophical Strangler next.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

From Publishers Weekly

While not as dazzling as Flint's Philosophical Strangler (2001), this prequel from the creators of the Joe's World series affords much the same kind of comic pleasure. The swashbuckling artist Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini arrives in the land of Grotum, hoping for royal patronage. Unfortunately, thanks to sorcerous machinations, the King of Goimr's wits have fled and so has Zulkeh, the sorcerer who holds the key to getting the king and his wits back in time to prevent an Ozarine invasion. With two trusty companions the gorgeous Gwendolyn Greyboar, sister to the strangler and militant revolutionary for the liberation of the dwarfs (and whose scantily clad body on the cover is far more eye-catching than the fully clothed mage or dwarf), and the deceptively affable giant, Wolfgang Benvenuti sets out on a quest to save the king's mental health. Along the way, they enjoy a fair amount of first-class sex and encounter a variety of obstacles that seem chosen more for zaniness than for plausibility. Readers of the earlier novel will be on firmer ground than newcomers, at least to the point of being better prepared for the intensity of the satire and the rather episodic narrative technique. The descriptions in 18th-century prose at the head of each chapter may be a barrier for some, but they do nicely set the tone for the goofiness to follow. Best of all perhaps, this is one humorous fantasy that does not rely heavily on puns. (Mar.)Victory (Forecasts, June 4) and other novels in the Belisarius series.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This is epic fantasy in all the best ways, provided you adore an irreverent and witty take on the genre's cliches and formulas. The ostensibly historical narrative consists mostly of various first-person accounts, documents that range from chatty autobiography to florid "academic" depositions. The primary chronicler--narrator, if you will--isn't what one might expect but certainly a creature well placed to observe all the happenings at close quarters. The premise is simple enough: our, er, hero, Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini, newly landed in Goimr with hopes of finding his fortune as a court artist, has a run-in with a wizard on the run and then another with the law, which change his life forever by getting him mixed up in a rebellion and the theft of a precious relic. Although not exactly the cushy court job he had sought, Benvenuti's new career provides ample fodder for his artistic soul. Furthermore, the fate of the world rests on his and his confreres' actions. Fortunately, it is a thoroughly tongue-in-cheek fate. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

[Catching Shadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forward the Mage is neither a prequel nor sequel to The Philosophical Strangler. Instead, this book is chronologically somewhere in the middle of the events of The Philosophical Strangler. Our main protagonists are the wizard Zulkeh, his long suffering apprentice Shelyid, and the artist and swordsman Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini. We also have revolutionaries, madmen who run their own asylum and a region of absolute anarchy that has regularly scheduled civil wars.

The book opens with Benvenuti arriving in Goimr just in time to get arrested by Goimr’s secret police. The secret police apprehended him because they decided he was a spy in league with the “evil wizard” Zulkeh. Benvenuti is soon able to confirm his innocence and ends up associating with a revolutionary named Gwendolyn. Though Benvenuti is from Ozar and a dirty rotten imperialist (technically speaking,) romantic sparks fly between him and Gwendolyn as they travel together.

Meanwhile, the wizard Zulkeh is on the run after being falsely accused of driving the king insane. Zulkeh had initially been hired to interpret the king’s dream, but the symbolism of the dream turned out to be a premonition of the end of civilization. Greatly alarmed, Zulkeh headed off to continue doing research into this dire prediction. When he realizes that he can’t figure out the particulars of his premonition, he decides that the reason is because he has secret enemies who are secretly keeping him from discovering anything. (Zulkeh is actually a complete buffoon and the reason he can’t find anything out is because he is stupid.)

I did not like this book as much as I liked The Philosophical Strangler. It was much more “clunky” than the previous book and I did not like the narrative elements of Zulkeh’s parts in the story (or more accurately, poor Shelyid’s parts). Zulkeh’s arc is actually about Shelyid slowly becoming more confident and learning to stand up for himself. I would have liked the arc a lot more if it had involved Shelyid getting away from his abuser. (Zulkeh is in addition to being a complete buffoon is also a bullying abusive bastard who has been abusing Shelyid for his entire life.) Despite my general irritation with Zulkeh, this book is entertaining with engaging characters.

[Dryad86 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise: The chronicals of Zulkeh the (pendant) physician (really a mage) and his hairy dwarf apprentice Shelyid (negative self-esteem), as told from the point of view of a louse riding on Shelyid. Concurrently, the lice include extracts from the autobiography of a swashbuckling, artist. There is a lot going on in these books. In the context of the Philosophical Strangler...this is what happened in Prygg.

Comments: I think 'tounge in cheek' best describes these novels. I would like it if the story of Joe's World continued, but after this long...I'm dubious. Nevertheless, I find them enjoyable, if not super-remarkable. People who like Eric Flint books (Ring of Fire books) may not embrace these, they are a bit odd.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed both Joe's World books. The writing has been compared to Terry Pratchett, and I cannot agree more. The first volume (The Philosophical Strangler) is a laugh a minute that leaves you looking up a word or two per chapter. The second one is just as funny and makes you use the dictionary just as often, but less homogeneous. Forward the Wizard feels like it was written by three different writer, two of whom were competing to see who can use the more humerus devices. The third writer wrote a better, more engaging story though. At the end, I found myself wanting to shout that was it?!? You are left wanting more. I feel like I have had a really great appetizer, but the main course has not yet arrived.

[Scott Corbett · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that Forward the Mage was a good continuation (as a prequel) to the first book in the Joe's World universe, The Philosophical Strangler. There was a lot of verbiage that you needed to work though, but if you took the time to do so, there many subtle jokes that made it worth the effort. There weren't any great twists, but the story was good. If you can deal with intelligent silliness along the lines of Robert Asprin or Terry Pratchett, you'll enjoy the book. Otherwise, you'd do better elsewhere.

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts were very funny. Other parts I couldn't tell if Flint was joking or not. At least the book wasn't boring. I've heard humor is the hardest genre to write, so I will be kind. As far as humor goes, it was okay. It did explain some things in the first book in the series, so it has some merit there. Average is not a rating I want to give to Flint who's work in Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Alternate History is generally outstanding.

[Amy N · Rating 2 out of 5]

It will keep you busy if you have some time-it didn't impress me as being as funny as it thought it was. Terry Pratchett is better for humorous fantasy social commentary.

[bluetyson]

Forward The Mage by Eric Flint (2000)

[Mickey Schulz · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far it's been pretty entertaining. Like the Philosophical Strangler (to which this is a sequel of sorts), it starts pretty slow, but once it gets to speed, it's pretty damn entertaining.

[Chris]

Not my genre . . . .

[Aditya / · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not as good as the first. I didn't like the ending, but there are supposed to be more in the series. So when the story continues it may be okay.

[Derek]

What on earth is this? It's sure not what I expect from Eric Flint. I think they were trying to do Terry Pratchett, but I'm never going to find out because the first ten pages were just stupid...

[Johnny Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some brilliant vignettes and speeches strung together with some entirely unforgettable storyline. There were some unnecessary moments of vulgarity as well - some of which were funny.

[Gail Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

ok

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is a fun read. I liked the satire and the sort of commentary on society.

[Lynn Calvin]

baen ebook