A Bad Spell in Yurt

Daimbert #1

by C. Dale Brittain

The tiny backwater kingdom of Yurt is the perfect place-or so it seems-for a young and barely qualified wizard with a brand new diploma, one who only managed to graduate from the wizard's school (especially after that embarrassment with the frogs) as a result of inspired (if not disciplined) magic-wielding. But Daimbert, newly appointed Royal Wizard, quickly learns that his king has been put under a spell-one that will eventually kill him. A lurking hint of evil suggests that someone in the castle is practicing black magic . . . But Daimbert can't believe any of his charming new companions could be capable of such a vile practice. Could it be the beautiful young queen? Her flighty and youthful aunt? The glowering middle-aged royal heir? Daimbert's predecessor, the crotchety retired Royal Wizard? Or someone from out of the castle's past? Soon Daimbert begins to realize that finding out may require all the magic he'd never learned properly in the first place-with the kingdom's welfare and his life the price of failure. Good thing Daimbert knows how to improvise!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic, Comedy, Audiobook

314 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1991

Reviews

[Len Evans Jr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bad Spell in Yurt means Good Fun, Feels and Magic for the reader!

This book was a delight to read! First off the worldbuilding is masterful and I can't wait to dive back in in book two. The people in this book quickly felt not only real but like good friends. The story was captivating, so much so that it was hard to put down, even when I knew I need to get to sleep. The entire book, though Daimbet is dealing with serious issues still had just enough of the whimsical and humorous to make me laugh multiple times. All in all this was fun and a joy to read!

[Sbuchler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genre: Fantasy

This is a comfort read for me. It's pretty much a light-hearted standard fantasy - our hero, Daimbert, is a newly graduated Wizard (who graduated by the skin of his teeth, according to himself)whose taking his first post as Royal Wizard in the post-card perfect Kingdom of Yurt. It all starts out looking charming and sweet - but why did his predecessor and the previous Chaplin have such long standing enmity? Did that Chaplin die in suspicious circumstances? What is the spell that seems to be dogging the King? What was in the mysterious North Tower?

Unlike most fantasy worlds riffing on a Medieval setting, this one includes Christianity and the existence of Saints and Demons, and questions of how supernatural forces interact with magic (which is a natural force) and they morality of magic.

Daimbert is the only character who is really well rounded, but he is the point of view character and is somewhat self-centered - so it's arguably a representation of his own worldview. I empathize with his feeling that he didn't learn what he was supposed to learn in college, and his attempt to go back and actually read his text books in order to learn what he supposedly already knows. I re-read the book pretty frequently for the first few years after I graduated college.

[Kris Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in a six-book series of books about a hapless (and poorly dressed) wizard named Daimbert. They're filled with the kind of cocoa humor that makes you warm and cotton-headed rather than making you laugh. There's nothing in here to shake you out of your quiet evening: just a pleasant little kingdom, filled with nice folks and innocuous mystery plots, where you can snuggle into Daimbert's cozy study with roses climbing over the window and a fire crackling in the hearth. I like this book because nothing really happens.

"[It:] was a shapeless red velvet pullover, with some rather tattered white fur at the neck. It might have been intended to be part of a Father Noel costume. I was entranced. 'I'll take it! [...:] It will help me strike the right note of authority and mystery.'"

[Sula · Rating 5 out of 5]

A light-hearted humorous fantasy. In some ways reminiscent of James Herriot in tone, and perhaps also as they both depict young men who have just graduated (although a very different genre!). Perhaps not the most interesting setting or plot, but it was a cosy read!

[Jean Triceratops · Rating 5 out of 5]

Daimbert, a fresh-faced magician straight out of training, is hired on to be the royal wizard of the charming kingdom of Yurt. The castle is quintessential and picturesque. The people are friendly and welcoming. Everything seems perfect, except—some sort of rogue evil is killing the king, and only Daimbert can stop it.

A Bad Spell in Yurt is, essentially, a cozy-mystery set in a fantasy world.

I’m no connoisseur of cozy mysteries, but I found it to be a good book in a way that I suspect coincides with what makes a good cozy mystery:

The writing is simple and easy to read, but not insipid.

Most everything in the book matters, and while it might take a while to get an explanation for something, the explanation is eventually made known.

It’s fun, and everyone is light and lovable in their own way, but at no point is this absurd or a straight-up comedy. It’s just a light-hearted story wrapped around a mystery.

The mystery takes a back-seat to the setting, the characters, the fun-and-games, but when it kicks in, it’s quite addictive and even, at times, a bit eerie.

Now, I’ve read reviews harping on A Bad Spell in Yurt for not involving much magic in the mystery-solving. That is technically correct. Daimbert isn’t running around throwing spells and concocting witchcraft to unearth the great evil. Magic factors little into solving the mystery, though the mystery itself is, by its very nature, magical. But, this is a cozy mystery. It’s not supposed to be deep. If you want someone going all-in on magic to solve the problem, I think you’d need a hardboiled-mystery-fantasy.

Which could be totally awesome, now that I’m thinking about it.

Regardless, that wasn’t the point of A Bad Spell in Yurt, and I don’t think it’s fair to hold that expectation against it.

This is one of those unusual fantasy books that still include Christianity, as we know it, in the world. Often times this either confuses or bores me, but I think C. Dale Brittain did a wonderful job making it feel natural. More than that, I think the relationship between wizardry and Christianity help lend A Bad Spell in Yurt juuust the right amount of depth. I also adore the relationship between the dour castle chaplain and the bumbling Daimbert.

So, if you’re in the mood for a light, feel-good romp through a charming world, I’m not sure you could do better than A Bad Spell in Yurt. While it seems weird to put it up there with more intellectual and technical books I’ve enjoyed, like An Alien Light or The Seven Citadels series, A Bad Spell in Yurt is among the better books I’ve read for ForFemFan.

(Aside: A Bad Spell in Yurt, like all good cozy mysteries, is part of a series. If you end up loving this book, there could be plenty more Daimbert stories in your future. I know I’m going to track down book #2)

[I read old fantasy written by women in a quest to unearth forgotten gems. See more at forfemfan.com]

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend put me onto this one when we were talking about magical telephones (as you do). She said it was funny and a good read, so I gave it a shot.

She was right. It also has a protagonist who starts out as a slacker and a poser, but turns out overall to be a decent, good-hearted person, a promising wizard, and a hero. It's because I liked the character that it gets the fourth star; it's pretty lightweight, overall, but I rate books based on how much I enjoy them.

Despite everything about it signalling "fantasy" (which it is), it's also a mystery novel. The wizard has to figure out the source of the evil magic that's threatened the king's life and brought down a dragon on the castle, and then do something about it. Along the way we meet a number of enjoyable characters, most of them fairly one-note, but it's an appealing note.

The setting is odd. It's medieval-style, but there are the aforementioned magical telephones. Also, unlike most fantasy settings, the religion is not paganism-lite but Christianity. It's not notably medieval in its features, reminding me more of modern Anglicanism than medieval Catholicism, but it is treated with respect, and the chaplain, whom the wizard befriends, is clearly a good and pious man - fortunately for several of the characters, whose lives are saved by his prayers.

The cover shows an incident that doesn't occur in the book. Nothing remotely like it occurs in the book, either.

There are just a couple of editing glitches, but the OCR, if that's what was used to transfer it to ebook format, is well done. I spotted the word "looked" where it should have been "locked", which could be either an original typo or an uncaught OCR error, and "revery" as a misspelling of "reverie". There was a small continuity error where the first-person narrator talks about the "number" of the school telephone, when it's been previously established that the telephones work by speaking the name of the person or place you want to communicate with. Otherwise, the editing is at a good standard, and the text reads smoothly. Unfortunately, though, the ebook isn't divided into chapters.

This is the first of a series, and I'm planning to work my way through them slowly. I say "slowly" because they're priced a little higher than I usually like my ebooks, especially given that they're short. On the other hand, decent professional editing is probably worth a couple of dollars to me.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize when I downloaded this freebie on my Kindle that it was an anniversary edition of what some consider a "cult classic". I thought the cover was a little cheesy but love stories about wizards and castles and thought--what the heck, it's free. I am so glad that I decided to read this. I really enjoyed this wonderful story about Daimbert, a newly "graduated" wizard (who dyes his hair to look older for his new job) who admits that he missed a few classes and is not really a great wizard. He also points out though that he's been employed by the very small kingdom of Yurt. How difficult could this job of being the Royal Wizard turn out to be? Strange things start happening though shortly after his arrival and he senses "evil" on the castle grounds. Magic locks vanish, the wizard who had the job previous to him seemed to be withholding information, the king is getting sicker by the day and then there's the strange man who's seen lurking and then disappearing around corners. Finally, after Yurt is attacked by a fire breathing dragon from the North and everyone from the castle must move to the smaller castle of the Duchess until repairs can be made, Daimbert finally starts pulling the final pieces of the puzzle together and figuring out what he has to do to save his people. This book was funny and strangely believable--at least to the extent that fantasy can be believable. I think that Daimbert is a wonderful character and will one day be a wonderful wizard!!

[DeAnna Witzenburger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun story following a unique and enjoyable main character, and it was filled with mystery that intrigued me through the entire adventure!

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a decent book that could have been better had it tried to be more one thing or the other. In its attempt to be some of everything (religious, fantasy, mystery, humorous) it kind of fell flat for me. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but I could have enjoyed it much more.

The plot is different if not entirely unique. Daimbert has just graduated (barely) from Wizards' School and, in answering an ad in a newspaper, now finds himself the Royal Wizard of Yurt, tiny kingdom 150 miles away from the City. Once he gets there he finds a king who is aging prematurely, an evil presence around the castle, a dour chaplain who is also recent (3 years) in his post, and a cast of other characters who are, for the most part, likable. Daimbert, who is barely competent but quite good at improvising, must find a way to save the king and rid the castle of the evil presence, all while trying to prove he's not as incompetent as he believes himself to be.

The book starts off trying to be lighthearted. It is almost there, but not quite. Daimbert is just too self-deprecating to be funny. And though we never learn what he looks like, you're given the impression that he's not handsome though not un-handsome, which makes the few attempted bits of romance in the book all the more strange.

The part that bogs down this book (other than being longer than necessary) is the overtures to Christianity (seemingly Catholicism based on all the constant references to saints). The plot leads us to believe that Daimbert is doing things and making things happen, but this little bit of ambiguity about the role of God in what happens is constantly off-putting. Not that I have anything against that (I very much enjoyed Krisi Keley's "Mareritt" book), but this book just didn't want to commit one way or the other. Is the wizard not fully competent? Is the chaplain a literary punching bag? It just isn't satisfying either way.

I liked this book a lot when I started, but by the time I finished not so much. It's a decent read, but not one I'd recommend. I trust the other books in this series may be better, but I'll never know.

BTW: The version I read from Barnes & Noble had a different cover, though it hardly matters.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I was in the mood for. Sometimes, I feel as though a guy can overdo it with the Epic Fantasy and word-wracking events. A Bad Spell in Yurt was well-written, had great characters, some nice drama, a good plot, fun, and pleasantly and decidedly non-epic.

The story follows Daimbert, the new Wizard in a small-and-cozy country called Yurt. He has just graduated from the Wizard school in the City, and he thinks of himself as a pretty bad Wizard. He seems to do alright, but once he is thrown into the thick of things he tries to learn a bunch about magic that he should have payed attention to in school. The results are hilarious, and we get a good idea about his character.

The story is essentially a mystery, and Daimbert spends the book trying to solve it. Much of the book is character-driven, but it also has a great plot. I have already acquired the second book, as I enjoyed this one so much.

[Cheryl Landmark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun, enjoyable read for the most part...not spectacular fantasy but light-hearted with a touch of seriousness as well. In some places, the writing was a little clunky and wooden, but the story itself was okay.

The main character, Daimbert, was likeable enough--a bit of a slacker, self-centred and somewhat inept in his spell-casting, but he was honest enough to admit it himself. The addition of what we might consider modern technology, i.e. telephones and newspapers, was surprising but lent a touch of whimsy to the story.

The book was rife with references to Christianity, saints, demons, miracles, Heaven and Hell, but, at the same time, there was the mystical in the form of a dragon.

All in all, this was a nice, cozy read for a stormy winter evening.

[Aiyana · Rating 3 out of 5]

I confess it's been a while since I read this, and I don't remember much detail. I might rate it higher if I did. I do recall that it was cute, though, your sort of standard tongue-in-cheek fantasy mystery satire. Anyone who likes Terry Pratchett's "Rincewind" will feel right at home with this one. Fans of Esther M. Friesner will also appreciate it.

[Erth · Rating 5 out of 5]

now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.

The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.

i would highly recommend this author and this book.

[Deena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only got to page 27, but skimmed much of the rest.

I get that this was supposed to be silly in a fun way, but for me it was stupid in a stupid way.

[Tristan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a genteel alternate world fantasy. It’s set in a secondary world, a sort of picture postcard medieval European kingdom, something English in feel but with Dutch pastries, and magic governs things like transport, lighting, and telephones, but the prevailing and all pervading religion is Christianity, so there is a strong link to the real world. This story could be described as Christian fantasy, as the demon-bothered plot is resolved through miracles and repentance - albeit not of the protagonist.

The protagonist is a mediocre wizard, who has barely scraped through his exams and picked up his first job, so this set-up gives expectations of a comedic fantasy, but the story isn’t funny beyond the occasional smirk here and there. What we have here is much more akin to a cosy mystery, as our bumbling wizard is set on investigating the evil influences bedevilling the cupcake kingdom. Along the way, the wizard proves he is better than mediocre, just in need of proper motivation. When it comes to the crunch, he steps up, so the mediocre bit is all self-pity in the end.

The story is a pleasant, undemanding read, nicely written with an easy flow, however there is little to no suspense, jeopardy repeatedly leads to nothing at all, and false trail after false trail fall flat. It becomes repetitive and, frankly, boring. The resolution comes through a happenstance confession, and was easy to spot early on. As miracles play a prominent part in resolving the mystery, this story has more than its fair share of Deus Ex Machina. I don’t think I’ll be reading this again or seeking out the sequels. Not that the story is disappointing, it’s just not my cup of tea.

This story is a standalone but part of a series starring the same bumbling wizard, hence again much more a cosy mystery collection than fantasy saga in approach.

[Lora Shouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book I bought thinking it would have to be funny. This time I was right, thank goodness. But it was also a good fantasy story in its own right.

Daimbert, a recent graduate of the Wizard’s School, but hardly one of their top performers, has just been hired to be the Royal Wizard of a very small kingdom by the name of Yurt. He thinks there won’t be much to do there. Turns out he is wrong.

Daimbert has hardly been there any time before he discovers that there is some sort of malicious presence lurking about the castle. A couple of days later he is informed that someone has the elderly-looking but kindly King under some sort of spell and that one of his main duties is supposed to be to find the cause of this spell and get rid of it. Also, the King would like him to put in a telephone system (which Daimbert should have learned how to do in the Wizard’s School, only he managed to avoid that whole series of classes).

Daimbert keeps looking for some person with designs on the King’s life as the source of the spell draining the life out of him. But the very people he considers to be the ones most likely to be responsible are the very ones he likes the best. At the same time, he starts to work on the telephones, with strange results.

With a lot of help from his friends, especially the new priest and the retired Wizard, Daimbert finally succeeds in figuring out what is going on in Yurt. And while a better student might have disentangled the problem faster, it would not have been as much fun.

[Daniel Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Characters did not pop for me. The blurb made it sound like the protagonist, Daimbert, who admittedly slouched his way through wizarding college and had bluffed his way into the wizard's job at a small backwoods kingdom, would have an awkward yet comical time trying to perform his duties. No, he just reads his text books and is fine. Boring.

This ended up being more of a mystery than fantasy -- there is an evil presence at the castle, making the old King sick. Who is doing dark magic? The beautiful young queen? The outgoing aunt? The dour nephew/heir? That could have been a decent book if the characters had more to them. In the end Daimbert figures it out and goes to confront the evil force, and survives because ... well, I don't know, he just does somehow. It was very anti-climatic. I think the author was trying to set up a "faith vs. magic" vibe (hint hint telephones are considered magic) but faith seems to be there to bail magic out when the story needs it.

Not a bad book yet pretty flat. And I bought the whole 5 book series, so I get to do this 4 more times. If I get through any others I'll drop a review.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

So, a fantasy novel called "A Bad Spell in Yurt." One would expect a certain amount of the story to be dedicated to magic. One would be disappointed, however, in this particular case because there is a minimal amount of magic involved in the story. What you do get is a fair amount of religion - Christianity, none the less - and a protagonist, who is nominally a wizard, who is called on to battle demonic forces together with the local priest. Not that there is anything wrong with religious themes in fantasy; Robert Don Hughes handled it quite well in his Pelman books. And of course, there's C. S. Lewis, and even Tolkien dealt in that theme. But I was not interested in a morality tale, which A Bad Spell in Yurt reminds me of. This is a genial book, and the protagonist is rather engaging. But the plotting and world-building leave something to be desired. I remember seeing this on the shelf of the B. Dalton at my local mall when I was a teenager back in the 90s but never read it then. Picked it up recently out of a sense of nostalgia. These days we enjoy an abundance of riches in the fantasy genre; back in the day, we took what we could get.

[Terri Weitze · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can usually tell how much I like or don't like a book by how long it takes me to read it. This one took a long time. But I don't not like it. It has some clever ideas, but the plot really took it's time getting to the point. The characters were pretty stereotypical. And although the title (Daimbert #1) suggests this is part of a series, the story wrapped up nice and neatly with no need to read the next good (which is a good thing because I'm not going to). What I found interesting was a mix of magic and Christianity - without getting religious - or at least just a whiff of religious. I found that an interesting concept and I thought it was handled in an interesting way. Fine for any age that can handle the vocabulary.

[Nicolas C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stumbled on this read when I was looking up the top Christian fantasy reads, but this could easily have been labeled a mystery. The “who done it?” question rings strong throughout, and the red herrings swim strong. I was constantly flipping flopping on my assumptions and each chapter ends with the kind of cliff hanger that begs you to keep going. My only knock is that some parts were maybe a tad risqué for younger readers, though that’s not the targeted age group and nothing explicitly happens, other than some humorous innuendo and thoughts. Great read!

[Ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book was not life changing or particularly riveting, I still could not put it down. As a grad student who often suffers from imposter syndrome (or imposter environment?) I related to the main character and loved the fantasy and wit Brittain writes.

Actually I accidentally bought the final book in the series, fell in love with it by the time I realized, and immediately bought every book in the series. A warm comfort read. I love it

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good standalone fantasy about a newly minted wizard, a slacker in his studies, who gets hired as a royal wizard to a small kingdom. The author does a good job building the characters and in describing the wizard and the royal priest and their uneasy alliance to fight the evil in Yurt. Even though Daimbert was a slacker in school, he takes seriously his duties to protect his kingdom.

[Bruce Retallack · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amiable protagonist, a delightful cast of supporting characters and solid world-building makes for a very pleasant read indeed. A bit lightweight, to be sure, but there's nothing wrong with that. The rating would have been a bit higher had the identity of the guilty party not been pretty obvious from the get-go, making the mystery part less engaging than it might otherwise have been.

[Nightwitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance a fairly superficial humorous fantasy novel set in a small pseudo-medieval kingdom, this has some really unexpected depth and grappling with morality and the obligations people have to one another. A favorite from my long-gone adolescence and honestly I think it's held up pretty well.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining enough

This was an entertaining light read. None of the characters were particularly compelling, or had any depth, and the whole "immortal soul in peril" angle was too deep for the fluff that the story was. Still, it was entertaining.

[Joshua Macy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than I remembered

I remembered reading and enjoying this a long time ago, but not any of the details, and on rereading it I find it less humorous and more moving than I recalled. Maybe it's because Daimbert seems like a young man to me now.

[Patrea Beard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining

I read this book many many years ago it seems, and I still enjoyed it on this recent reading. I definitely need to introduce it to my sons read it or to them myself. We enjoy that activity.

No graphic violence, or sexual situations. No language.

[Patrice Hundstad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rehomed

[Dantegideon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s more of a 3.5 but I rounded up. Daimbert is such an idiot it really becomes quite frustrating, but then it wraps up quite nicely.

[Tnkw01 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars but better than a 3 so it gets a 4. This was an old fashion type fantasy that reminded me of my youth. It was also a mystery. I really enjoyed this story.