With a Single Spell: A Legend of Ethshar
4/5
()
About this ebook
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Born and raised in Massachusetts, Lawrence Watt-Evans has been a full-time writer and editor for more than twenty years. The author of more than thirty novels, over one hundred short stories, and more than one hundred and fifty published articles, Watt-Evans writes primarily in the fields of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic books. His short fiction has won the Hugo Award as well as twice winning the Asimov's Readers Award. His fiction has been published in England, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Poland, France, Hungary, and Russia He served as president of the Horror Writers Association from 1994 to 1996 and after leaving that office was the recipient of HWA's first service award ever. He is also a member of Novelists Inc., and the Science Fiction Writers of America. Married with two children, he and his wife Julie live in Maryland.
Read more from Lawrence Watt Evans
The Misenchanted Sword: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Touched by the Gods Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nightside City Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wildside Book of Fantasy: 20 Great Tales of Fantasy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Cthulhu Mythos MEGAPACK®: 40 Modern and Classic Lovecraftian Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Spell of the Black Dagger: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lawrence Watt-Evans Fantasy MEGAPACK® Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTaking Flight: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lure of the Basilisk: The Lords of Dus, Book 1 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Haunts & Horrors MEGAPACK®: 31 Modern & Classic Stories Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Dragon Weather Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRelics of War: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mad Scientist Megapack: 23 Tales of Scientists, Creatures, & Diabolical Experiments! Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Tom Derringer and the Electrical Empire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRealms of Light Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSplit Heirs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Blood of a Dragon: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ithanalin's Restoration: A Legend of Ethsar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dragon Venom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Witch and Warlock MEGAPACK ®: 25 Tales of Magic-Users Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHazmat & Other Toxic Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTom Derringer and the Aluminum Airship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shining Steel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Dragon Society Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Seven Altars of Dusarra: The Lords of Dus, Book 2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spriggan Mirror: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Vondish Ambassador: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tom Derringer in the Tunnels of Terror Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTom Derringer and the Steam-Powered Saurians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to With a Single Spell
Related ebooks
Taking Flight: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stone Unturned: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ithanalin's Restoration: A Legend of Ethsar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Blood of a Dragon: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spell of the Black Dagger: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Relics of War: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spartacus File Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Lawrence Watt-Evans Fantasy MEGAPACK® Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Unwilling Warlord: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Spriggan Mirror: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Vondish Ambassador: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tales of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unwelcome Warlock: A Legend of Ethshar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Half-Made World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Paths of the Dead: Book One of the Viscount of Adrilankha Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dragon Weather Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCastle Perilous Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Vlad Taltos Collection: Dragon, Issola, Dzur, Jhegaala, Iorich, Tiassa, Hawk, Vallista Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5To Reign in Hell: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tom Derringer and the Steam-Powered Saurians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpellslinger - Legends of the Wild, Weird West Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Phoenix Guards Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sword of Bheleu Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Tom Derringer and the Aluminum Airship Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Complete Clockwork Century: Boneshaker, Dreadnought, Ganymede, Inexplicables, Fiddlehead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Agyar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lure of the Basilisk Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBrokedown Palace Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Amaril Company: The Yoga Trilogy, #0 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Fantasy For You
This Is How You Lose the Time War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Desert: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Empire: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tress of the Emerald Sea: Secret Projects, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Piranesi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of Dreaming Books Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Stories of Ray Bradbury Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neverwhere: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Pirate Lord: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Golem and the Jinni: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Picture of Dorian Gray (The Original 1890 Uncensored Edition + The Expanded and Revised 1891 Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Underworld: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Eyes of the Dragon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wizard's First Rule Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Phantom Tollbooth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Immortal Longings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don Quixote: [Complete & Illustrated] Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Talisman: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for With a Single Spell
109 ratings7 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A fun book, although it drags a bit in places. It has a not-typical fairytale ending, with the protagonist having grown a bit. Tobas makes a appearance in the later Esthar novel Spell of the Black Dagger.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Once again I find myself liking the book because Evans takes the story further than just the plot described in the blurb. We get to see dimensions of the world and characters beyond the formulaic fantasy plot lines.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ethshar books are some of my favorite fantasy books. The heroes are not overpowering, and the world has a very primitive and interesting feel to it. In some ways it reminds me of a cross between Piers Anthony and Prachett, without the over the top puns. Straightforward, fun fantasy, not a long slog of an epic. Its short and entertaining.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While not quite as good as The Misenchanted Sword, With a Single Spell is still a well-written entertaining novel. Set in the same world, Ethshar, as the Misenchanted Sword, this tale takes the reader on an adventure with a young wizard-in-training whose master dies after he has only learned one spell. Considered too old for another wizard to concern themselves with taking him on as an apprentice, Tobas must figure out what to do with his life and his one spell. At least that spell is a fairly useful one, although even that manages to back-fire on him from time to time and cause even more angst to our young protagonist. As with the first book in the series, Watt-Evans manages to keep the action flowing while keeping the tone light and humorous. A good read for those who need a break from today's heavier fantasy offerings. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series soon. Also, the books in this series are all stand-alones, so you don’t have to read them in any particular order which is also refreshing.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A few days ago I started reading Lawrence-Watt Evans' "With a Single Spell". At first, I didn't like it. It took a while to get into the book. I didn't like the protagonist. He was a lazy, entitled, selfish boy. I had a really hard time empathizing with him. I feel like I've worked for where I am. I was never the smartest or strongest in high school, but I was determined, and I studied hard. I didn't get great grades, but I got into the advanced classes, got some college credit, and kept that work ethic up through an (admittedly relatively unknown) undergraduate program, and went on to an ivy league school where I felt like I got a great education at the graduate level. Now I'm somehow in my mid thirties, married, own property, and live in a foreign country. I never once felt like I was doing just enough to get by, and have worked hard, and enjoy that.So the first two chapters of this book were really hard to me to get into. I almost stopped reading. But I kept at it (not so much out of perseverance as much as a feeling that the first book was so good this was bound to get better. Also, I had to go to the restroom and wanted something to read…)Anyway, yesterday, and a bit more today (on my day off) I found myself getting more and more into the story. It is a good story. I really like this world of Ethshar which seems to have a well-thought-out magic system and a plausible history and geography. I liked this book in the final acts when it really got into the wizardly magic bits of things. It reminded me of reading through the old Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Second Edition Dungeon Master's Guide with all the spells. What could you do with all those spells? How did they work? How would they fail to work? That is some really interesting stuff. I remember as a kid I would spend lots of time thinking about that, and planning out just how my moving castle would work. (I vaguely remember some sort of moving abode spell, can't recall the name now) and stuff like that. This book hits on some of those areas.I also like the idea about the implications of a single spell and how it can be very useful when well-used. I always thought that the cantrips in AD&D could be more useful than people thought…Anyway, I did enjoy the second book in the Ethshar series, but definitely the first book grabbed me more. I enjoyed this one enough to go and buy the third book, The Unwilling Warlord (although truth be told, I got it from fictionwise.com instead of Amazon, which just kills me as an Amazon customer. I can't bring myself to purchased a DRM-encumbered version of an ebook when I can get it without DRM.)So, uh, four stars? Our of ? some stars? I enjoyed it, maybe you will too!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thoroughly liked it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5another sampling of the Ethshar world: this one also deals with the "personal rather than cosmic" (Ethshar, Wikipedia.org). the hero here being a young wizard and challenged to learn and grow as opposed to a veteran soldier challenged to live. a likable book!