A STAR RISES IN THE SOUTH
When the foreigners confronted Sterren in Ethshar of the Spices he was uneasy; when they all but abducted him, taking him to an obscure kingdom in the south, he knew he was in a terrible predicament.
A predicament some might actually find appealing -- he was by heredity the Ninth Warlord of Semma, least of the small kingdoms; he was a noble, and his rank afforded him material privileges, even in a place as insignificant and obscure as Semma.
But the office also carried certain terrible responsibilities: he was to win the war the stupid King had stirred up by his arrogance. Two larger and stronger Kingdoms were preparing to invade Semma.
And if the country lost, the first thing likely to be forfeit was the life of the Warlord.
And if it won . . . if it won, the fate and shape of Ethshar would change forever.
For deep in the south there are secrets of magic not even Sterren can imagine.
A LEGEND OF ETHSHAR
From Publishers Weekly
Watt-Evans ( The Misenchanted Sword ) gives fantasy buffs yet another version of the plot favored by Tolkien in which a thoroughly unworthy critter rises to his destiny as the savior of a people. Though predictable in outline, this variant is amiable enough, thanks to the author's appealing colloquial style and deft comic touch. The unwilling warlord of the title, Sterren, is a classic fantasy anti-hero, a tavern gambler and a washout from a warlock apprenticeship with just enough magical power to cheat at dice. The book's most amusing moments involve a pack of sorry magicians--the Keystone Kops of sorcery--that Sterren hires to help him fight off the enemies of his new-found homeland: a levitator who needs a psychic push to take off; a wet-behind-the-ears wizard with a single working spell; and a power-hungry warlock who just can't get the hang of tyranny, and does more good for the peasants in months than the hereditary monarchy had done in centuries. There's just one graphically gory incident to blemish the book's cheerful, picaresque tone.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Library : Fantasy
Universes : Ethshar [03]
Formats : EPUB
ISBN : 9781587152863