Watt-Evans, Lawrence

Average customer rating:

Somthing Lacking -- not bad just . . . not good either
Ethshar
Fun with Spriggans
Another great entry in the Ethshar series

The Spriggan Mirror
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Manufacturer: Wildside Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Graphic Novels | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Children's Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Wizard Lord: Volume One of the Annals of the Chosen
The Ninth Talisman: Volume Two of The Annals of the Chosen
The Spell of the Black Dagger (Legends of Ethshar)
Ithanalin's Restoration (Ethshar)
The Blood of a Dragon (Legends of Ethshar)

ASIN: 0809556723

Book Description

Every wizard in Ethshar knew that if you needed something special, something difficult to find, that Gresh the Supplier was the man to see. He was expensive, but always delivered. So when the Wizards' Guild finally got fed up with the little green nuisances that called themselves "spriggans," the Guild hired Gresh to fetch them the magic mirror that created the troublesome imps. The wizards thought finding it looked impossible. Gresh thought his methods would do the job. But no one had asked the spriggans what they thought!

Customer Reviews:

Somthing Lacking -- not bad just . . . not good either.......2007-05-14

This novel tells of a storekeeper who sells magical reagents -- mundane items used by wizards -- who is hired to find a magical mirror that is causing immense problems by spitting out indistructable creatures. The characters are cute, and the plot straight forward. Altogether, though, I was simply borred. Watt-Evans is an experienced author, but his latest few novels seem to lack passion.

Ethshar.......2007-05-12

Lawrence Watt-Evans's latest offering in his popular Ethshar series does not disappoint. Like the Spell of the Black Dagger, this one features the return of the wizard Tobas of Telven and his unusual family in a strong supporting role. At last we learn just what went wrong with Lugwiler's Haunting Phantasm and what Spriggans are.

Fans of the series will love it. Those who aren't yet fans of the series should start out with The Misenchanted Sword and With A Single Spell and work their way through this thoroughly enjoyable and unique fantasy series.

Fun with Spriggans.......2007-03-28

This book was a delightful continuation of life in the Hegemony of the Three Ethshars. It was a good read and very fun and enjoyable.

Another great entry in the Ethshar series.......2007-02-04

As an unabashed Lawrence Watt-Evans fan, I'd been looking forward to the release of The Spriggan Mirror for quite some time. I'm happy to report that it definitely lived up to my high expectations. Like many of the author's main characters, Gresh has no intrinsic magic or other supernatural powers. He depends on intelligence, humanity, and a willingness to think problems through for any successes he achieves - a remarkable novelty in a genre where far too many protagonists rely on epic magic, ridiculous swordplay and apparent invincibility to win the day.

It may not be the best place to start for newcomers to the series, however, as characters and events from "With A Single Spell" and "The Spell of the Black Dagger" are central to the plot.

The Wizard Lord: Volume One of the Annals of the Chosen

Average customer rating:

Poor
"Oh"
straight forward plot, no surprises, rather dull
Ok
Fascinating world -- setup for a potentially cool series -- just OK plot

The Wizard Lord: Volume One of the Annals of the Chosen
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Manufacturer: Tor Fantasy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Magic & Wizards | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Spriggan Mirror
Children of Chaos
The Ninth Talisman: Volume Two of The Annals of the Chosen
The Spartacus File
The Alchemist's Apprentice

ASIN: 0765349019

Book Description

The Wizard Lord’s duty is to keep the world in its delicate balance. He must govern lightly to protect his domain from power-hungry interlopers, such as certain wizards who previously fought to rule the world…But if the Wizard Lord himself strays from the way of the just, then it is up to the Chosen to intercede.

The Chosen ones are the Leader, the Seer, the Swordsman, the Beauty, the Thief, the Scholar, the Archer, and the Speaker. Each are magically-infused mortal individuals who, for the term of their service, have only one function--to be available to remove an errant Wizard Lord, whether by persuasion or by stronger means.

Breaker, a young man of ambition, has taken the mantle of Swordsman from its former bearer who wished to retire. Never did he realize that he would be called to duty so quickly, or that the balance of power in his world would be so precarious.

He had a duty to perform. A world to save.

So why does he still have doubts…not just about himself, but about the entire balance of power?

Customer Reviews:

Poor.......2007-05-22

I agree with all the other negative comments. The story and writing struck me as juvenile and boring.

"Oh".......2007-05-20

Normally I wouldn't give a good effort so low a rating, and I do think this novel is a good effort. Regardless of that fact it has some staggering issues that really can't be ignored.

If you read the book you will become well aware of why I titled my review with a single word. The main character, the Swordsman (or whichever name the author refers to him as on any given page), is quite possibly the most obnoxious character I've ever looked through the eyes of. When he's not constantly reviewing the plot in his head or speculating on possibilities that go nowhere, he loves to blithely respond with the single word, "Oh." This grows more annoying as the book wears on and more noticeable every single time.

The other characters, though less annoying since they are not the main focus, have their own foibles. Any and all conversations and scenes involving the Thief, for example, are completely useless and might just as well have been subtracted from the book entirely. The ending somehow makes quite a bit of the book make sense but this should apply more to the plot than the characters' habits and conversations.

As I mentioned with the Thief's scenes, there are quite a few parts of the book that are simply worthless. My apologies to the author but filling the space in between important things with useless scenes where nothing happens doesn't improve a story. The plot does little enough to make me care in the first place but wedge in a couple of chapters where absolutely nothing happens and I am more likely to put the book down permanently.

All the same, it was a good effort and I do plan to read the next book in the cycle (in the hopes that the characters are less annoying and the story is more exciting). The writing style is very informative and the "world" made enough sense to sustain its mythology throughout. The novel is by no means terrible but I have certainly read much better books lately. If the second book is indeed good then I would recommend this only on the basis that it covers past events.

But if Erren/Swordsman/Sword/Breaker/whatever his name is keeps saying "Oh" you can guarantee I will be writing a similar review to this one in the near future.

straight forward plot, no surprises, rather dull.......2007-04-16

"Wizard Lord" has a simple fantasy plot: young man becomes a mystical defender of the relm, expecting this to be a cerimonial position. But their king (the Wizard Lord) is corrupt, and it's the young man's job (and the other defenders of the relm) to kill the Wizard Lord.

The back cover promises plot twists, but there aren't any. Watt-Evans has written some fast paced, fun novels; but this one is slow and borring: heavy on monologs, & light on action. I was quite surprised to see it published in hardback -- the average small press publication or print-on-demand fantasy is higher quality.

Ok.......2007-01-26

This book is written with a well thought out plot. It is not like many of the other books being released as of late where the book just drags on. The book is also more tasteful than most newly written books where alot sex sex and more sex is supposed to make the book great. This book is a book of coming of age, in my opinion written in an old school fashion which should be greatly appreciated.

Fascinating world -- setup for a potentially cool series -- just OK plot.......2006-06-17

The single characteristic of Lawrence Watt-Evans's books that has struck me most insistently over time is the way he features basically ordinary people in heroic roles. This doesn't mean nebbishes or losers: for the most part his heroes are fairly heroic, but they are heroic for reasons that make sense for regular people. The Wizard Lord is a practically perfect example of this.

The main character is a young man named Breaker. He lives in the town of Mad Oak, a fairly ordinary rural town, part of a land called Barokan. Barokan is ruled by a Wizard Lord, who makes sure that the weather is fine, and that particularly vile criminals are punished, and in general that life goes on smoothly. For centuries this system has worked well. One problem is the occasional Dark Lord -- a Wizard Lord gone mad -- and their control is a group of 8 heroes, The Chosen -- the World's Greatest Swordsman, Archer, Thief, Leader, etc. The other magical aspect of this land is the omnipresent "ler," spirits with whom local Priests and Priestesses must negotiate to allow people to live in each area. The "ler," and their individual desires, seem to cause Barokan to be a rather fractured set of small towns, with fairly limited trade and travel.

One day the Chosen Swordsman comes to Mad Oak. It turns out he is old, ready to retire, and he wishes to recruit a successor. Breaker, perhaps a bit to his surprise, agrees to take the job. This despite his lack of desire to kill anyone: but there has not been a Dark Lord for over a century, so what's the risk? (100 percent as the reader knows!) So after months of training, and a magical ceremony to transfer the Swordsman's special magical abilities to Breaker, he becomes the new Swordsman. After which -- perhaps just a bit late! -- the old Swordsman reveals reluctantly that he has some slight misgivings about the current Wizard Lord.

So Breaker decides to travel the world, or at least Barokan, and to try to meet his fellow Chosen, and to learn if the Wizard Lord really has gone mad. Of course he learns eventually that the lord has -- he has murdered an entire town. Several of his fellow Chosen agree that the Wizard Lord must be taken down, but others are surprisingly reluctant, for different reasons. It's clear something odd is going on (and most readers will guess the outline of the problem fairly quickly) but they push through to force a resolution.

The Wizard Lord is the first of a trilogy, but it comes to a definite close. However, questions have been raised about the very structure of Barokan society, particularly by Breaker. I am sure subsequent volumes will address those questions. The novel itself is ever readable, quite enjoyable, and just plain, well, sensible. The magical system is fairly original and interesting. Not quite as much happens as in many fantasy novels, and the closing battle is really rather abruptly presented. But as I said, the novel is striking for the way each of the powerful magical characters is portrayed as basically ordinary (even the Wizard Lord). There is a real sense that these are regular people, acting the way any of us would act had we grown up in this somewhat unusual world. And I have a feeling that there is considerable potential for more action and more intrigue in subsequent novels: that this book is very much a scene setter, an introduction. I enjoyed it, though I rank it as Watt-Evans at closer to the middle than the top of his range.

Average customer rating:

A good, obsessive character
Surprising developments await you within these pages.
Great finish to the series
Excellent.
Master piece

Dragon Venom (Obsidian Chronicles)
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Dragon Society (Obsidian Chronicles)
Dragon Weather (Obsidian Chronicles)
Night of Madness (Ethshar)
Ithanalin's Restoration (Ethshar)
The Blood of a Dragon (Legends of Ethshar)

ASIN: 0765341700
Release Date: 2004-11-02

Book Description

After many years of peace in the Lands of Men, there came Dragon Weather: a wave of incredible heat, oppressive humidity, dark angry clouds . . . and dragons. Dragons with no remorse, no sympathy, no use for humans; dragons who destroyed an entire village and everyone in it. Everyone, that is, except the young boy Arlian. Orphaned and alone, Arlian was captured by looters and sold as a mining slave. He finally escaped, fueled by years of hatred and a personal vow to bring justice to all who had wronged him. After killing those who enslaved him, Arlian sought out The Dragon Society, whose sworn purpose was to stand against the dragon menace. It was there, among his peers, that Arlian discovered he is humanity's best hope for defeating the dragons . . . permanently.Now, Arlian seeks his final vengeance: death to all of dragonkind. But as he begins to destroy the evil beasts, wild magic seeps into the Lands of Men, sowing chaos and destruction in its wake. Will Arlian's all-consuming quest for justice consume humanity as well? The answer may lie within his ancient foe's most lethal weapon: Dragon Venom

Customer Reviews:

A good, obsessive character.......2006-02-12

I really liked the fact that LWE gave us a main character who was well and truly obsessed and determined. Things came out well for him in the end, but he truly was willing to do dark things in order to accomplish his ends. I like it a lot because too often authors will let the characters get away with only being obsessed when it lets them be nice guys. It was great to read about a character who was truly willing to go to great lengths to finish his vengeance.

The story dragged at points, but he got it done in three books and it was interesting. Well worth having read!

Surprising developments await you within these pages........2005-05-19

I picked up Dragon Weather on a whim at a used book store. I've been hooked on LWE ever since.

LWE isn't just a writer. He's an amazing writer, and Arlian is a wonderfully complex character in a deeply interesting world.

Before I begin my review, I must tell you that there is much more to this book (and the others in this series) than meets the eye, and although the book is well written and easy to read, the issues contained within the book are not exactly a light read. This series is really a series of questions of ethics.

These books aren't just a fiction story about Arlian getting his revenge on the looters that killed his family and friends and sold him into slavery.

They're about whether the ends justify the means. In the first book, you are told to hate the "evil" man who sold Arlian into slavery, and you are shown all the ripple of horrible circumstances that were all directly or indirectly caused by him. Sweet and Hasty and Kitten and all the other prostitutes--all women sold into slavery by their family and then disfigured. Some of them are eventually killed. All because of this "evil" man.

You are told about the horrible experiments he performs on people, the pack he made with the dragons, and given just a hint of all the people he's slaughtered throughout his lifetime.

But, the real dilema posed in the book isn't "Will Arlian get his revenge?" Nothing nearly so cut and dry.

The real dilema in the book is all in the ACTIONS.

Enziets' destruction of the little sleepy mountain town of Obsidian eventually ended up giving Arlian the tools he needed to defeat his first (and second, and third....and fourth) dragon. Enziets disgusting experiments provided the begining and basis for Arlians own (ahh...but if you haven't read the third book yet, so you don't know about that).

The third book both anwsers all your questions as well as provoking a million more. It anwsers whether Arlian gets his revenge or not, what happens to him and Lady Rhime, and all his girls from the brothel. What happens to the duke, and tells you more about wild magic and this history of the Lands of Man and beyond. But it makes you question so much more. Do these anwsers come at to great of a price? Does Arlian realize how similar to Enziet he has become?

The first two books set up Arlian as a character with a "chaotic Good" Alignment--someone who will do whatever they think is just and noble, whether anyone else agrees with it or not. But in this third book, That opinion is dashed to smithereens, and you seem Arlian behaving exactly--infact even more so-as diabolical as Enziet.

As much as you loved him in the first two, You'll begin to hate him in this book.

So, As you read this series, ask yourself more than just the surface questions--IS it ok for Arlian to build a fortune at the expense of other people--even if they aren't Pure as the Drive Snow? Toribor--Belly--Wasn't neccesarily bad. And you come to learn, neither was Enziet, only single minded. IS it ok for Arlian to Kill Dragon after Dragon, even when he finds out there are more ill side effects than he ever imagined?

Think about it.

Great finish to the series.......2004-12-13

Watt-Evans could have gone the route of Robert Jordan and dragged this story out over several books, dropping small plot advancements every so often. Instead, he runs with it. The world as you've known it in the first two books becomes much more complex, and many things that previously had to be taken on word are explained. Plot progresses at a rapid pace through most of the book, with surprises coming often, keeping it a page-turner.

This has been one of my favorite fantasy series, alongside Robin Hobb's Farseer trilogy and Melanie Rawn's Dragon Star/Prince trilogies.

Excellent........2004-11-25

The final installment of the Obsidian chronicles does a great job of tying up the storylines from the previous two books. The character development of the main protaginist comes full circle, and the reader is left feeling satisfied with the end result.

One of personal favourite points about this book is the simmering resentment between Arlian and his best friend and steward, Black. Instead of just glossing over the Black character, Watt-Evans gives him real motivations and desires, ofentimes which don't co-incide with those of Arlian. It is a real treat to read the interactions between these two men.

Master piece.......2004-05-05

Lawrence Watt-Evants Dragon series has proved to me that he is truely a master writer. I have enjoyed his books books for years and I beleive this is the best I have ever read. All three books grab your attention and hold onto it, but it is a rare author who's final book in a series is better than all the rest. I've waited years for this story to come to a conclusion and I am no sorry for the wait.

This is truely a master piece!

Taking Flight (Legends of Ethshar)
Average customer rating:

Back in action

Hardcover please!

Not the best, but a good solid Ethshar book

Sorry LWE, but . . . .

Not his best work

Taking Flight (Legends of Ethshar)
Watt-Evans, Lawrence
Manufacturer: Wildside Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Watt, Evans Lawrence | ( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Blood of a Dragon (Legends of Ethshar)

The Spell of the Black Dagger (Legends of Ethshar)

The Unwilling Warlord

Night of Madness (Ethshar)

Ithanalin's Restoration (Ethshar)

ASIN: 1587152886
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Book Description

The girl had wings! Kelder needed to learn what she truly was before she destroyed him. What he would learn, and where he would go, would makes its mark on the destiny of Ethshar.

Customer Reviews:

Back in action.......2007-02-05

I'm so glad that he is writing again. It is nice to be back in Ethshar. Visiting old friends and meeting new ones makes this a wonderful novel.

Hardcover please!.......2007-01-16

All of Lawrence Watt-Evans books are wonderful. Please print these in hardcover though!!! I hope somebody is listening out there.

Not the best, but a good solid Ethshar book.......2003-02-11

Kelder of Shulara (Kelder is a very common name in Ethshar) has spent his young life dreaming of leaving his small provincial town with its boring way of life. Now, armed with a fortuneteller's predictions, he sets off to find fame, magic and love. When he meets Irith, a magical young woman who can change her form, he finds that his future is coming together. But, there is something disturbing about Irith, and Kelder finds that he has a few questions that must be answered.

I must say, right off, that I am a huge fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans. Admittedly, this is not his best book, but it is a good solid Ethshar book, one that I enjoyed reading. I'm not sure about any hidden meanings, but I did find Kelder's interaction with this female Peter Pan to be absolutely fascinating.

If you are looking for a book of High Fantasy - of swords and magic, and kingdoms overthrown - then you will be disappointed in this book. However, if you interested in a fascinating book set in a magical milieu, then I highly recommend this book to you.

Sorry LWE, but . . . ........2002-12-12

I'd like to apologize to LWE for writing this, since he is by far my favorite author. I realize that this is his most beloved Ethshar novel, but I could barely get through this book both times I read it. I read it twice just to make sure I didn't gloss over some deeper hidden meaning. I didn't. This book is about a journey. A rather loooooong one. I felt like I was there, too, eating all the dust and sweating in the sun with them. I just missed all the fun that I really think LWE wanted in the tale. Try any of the other Ethshar stories, you won't be disappointed.

Not his best work.......2000-04-13

Overall the book is worth a read, if you want to read the whole Ethshire collection. But if you want to read a good story look at some of Watt-Evans other books. The story centers on a young man, going in search of his fortune, a tired old cliche, he runs across a young woman with wings who doesn't want to grow up and has the magic behind her to make it happen. He faces the problem of falling in love with the perpetual child as he himself grows up. Add to this situation an old man, magicly smitten with the adolescent angel. The best part is a cameo appearance of Valdar the innkeeper, from The Misenchanted Sword, a much better book.

Average customer rating:

Thank you for the hardcover edition!!!
Great Read!
A great fantasy story
The most underappreciated series ever
An Enduring Classic

The Lords of Dus
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Manufacturer: Wildside Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

jp-unknown3 | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Ithanalin's Restoration (Ethshar)
The Wizard Lord: Volume One of the Annals of the Chosen
The Spriggan Mirror
Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 (Episodes 1-10)

ASIN: 1587156652

Book Description

Garth asked an oracle how he could be remembered forever. The answer sent him into a web of treachery, of ancient secrets and forbidden knowledge, and entangled him in matters far beyond his understanding, until he found himself face to face with the gods of destruction and death.

Customer Reviews:

Thank you for the hardcover edition!!!.......2007-01-16

I would like to thank wildside press / and other editors for printing this omnibus hardcover edition of Lawrence Watt-Evan's Lord of Dus series.

Please print Lawrence Watt-Evans Missenchanted Sword series in hardcover to! Thank you in advance!

This is a fantastic series with one of the best swords and sorcery story lines since Howards conan stories. Pick up a copy right away!

Great Read!.......2006-06-27

I started reading this series when I was in highschool in the 80's and went to college and never got the last book. Rereading the previous books and having the final book all in one was a real treat. I had a hard time putting it down and got in trouble with my wife several nights for leaving the light on too long. If you like fantasy similar to the writings of Howard and the other Conan authors I highly recommend this complete series.

A great fantasy story.......2005-11-09

Tired of a world filled with death and decay, Garth the Overman is directed by an oracle to go south into the human lands and serve one known as the Forgotten King, where he will win fame that will endure to the end of the world. But, little does Garth dream of what his service will mean. Seeking to avoid the full effect of the Forgotten King's machinations, but pulled onward by fate, Garth will go where he never thought to go and do things that he never wanted to do.

I am a great fan of Lawrence Watt-Evans' wonderful Ethshar series, and now that I can't find any more to read, I decided to move onto his Lords of Dus series. Well, I was not disappointed! This is a great fantasy tetralogy, complete with magic, strange creatures, and lots of swordplay. In particular, I found the author's use of a non-human as the protagonist to be quite intriguing and masterfully done.

So, if you are a fan of fantasy literature, then you must get this book, which is all four books in one. You will not be disappointed!

The most underappreciated series ever.......2003-12-08

I can't say enough about LWE and this series. Just phenomenal stuff. If you are looking for something that you will be able to appreciate over and over again, this is the series you are looking for. Gar the Overman is protaganist, but not your typical one. Check it and out and read a masterpiece series.

An Enduring Classic.......2002-07-31

Watt-Evens is a brilliant fantasy writer, and here at last is his masterpiece, all collected in one place. This four book series is rightly help up in the first rant of epic fantasy with Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings. The story is more in line with Moorcock's Elric series, dealing as it does with the doings of Gods and demonic blades, but Watt-Evens' work is far superior to Moorecock's. Watt-Evens' three dimensional characters have realistic reactions to their bizarre circumstances, and his world is fleshed and surprise filled. Each book is worthy of five stars and the whole series is almost to good to be true. Recommended to any fantasy fan.

The Spell of the Black Dagger (Legends of Ethshar)

Average customer rating:

Hardcover please!
Well thought-out fantasy tale
Another great Ethshar book!
The best of the bunch!
I liked Tabaea too much also...

The Spell of the Black Dagger (Legends of Ethshar)

Manufacturer: Wildside Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Taking Flight (Legends of Ethshar)
The Blood of a Dragon (Legends of Ethshar)
The Unwilling Warlord
Night of Madness (Ethshar)
With A Single Spell

ASIN: 1587153602
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Book Description

Tabaea the Thief stole something more precious than Dragons' Blood from the enchanted old house: evesdropping on the doddering wizard who owned the place, she stole the secret of wizardry itself.

Download Description

Customer Reviews:

Hardcover please!.......2007-01-16

All of Lawrence Watt-Evans books are wonderful. Please print these in hardcover though!!! I hope somebody is listening out there.

Well thought-out fantasy tale.......2003-12-01

Young Tabaea the Thief becomes Tabaea the Empress in this installment of Lawrence Watt-Evans' Ethshar series. The point of view begins with Tabaea overhearing the secret of wizardry and how to create an athame, the magical dagger that all wizards use to channel their power. But with no training and no patience, her spell goes awry and her dagger appears worthless.

But when she uses it as a weapon, she finds that if it kills someone, she inherits all their power and ability. So Tabaea goes on a wizard-killing spree to become the strongest of them all, and then installs herself of Empress of Ethshar of the Sands.

What LWE does well is show how fantastical elements impact real people, in terms of politics, relationships, and day to day living. Many of us might have had daydreams where we take over a castle, but which of us thought it through enough to realize that you need the support of all those retainers and servants to keep the place running? LWE did, and shows the results of an impetuous teenaged monarch with no one to receive her orders.

Several reviewers mentioned the switching point of view between Tabaea and Lady Sarai, who investigates the serial murders. I agree the book would have been more effective if LWE stuck with one or the other, or at least not told us so much of Tabaea's doings in advance of Sarai's discovering them.

Note: this book is contemperaneous with Watt-Evans new Ethshar novel, _Ithanalin's Restoration_. However, as with most of the Ethshar series, they stand alone well and can be read in any order.

Another great Ethshar book!.......2003-11-02

Tabaea of Ethshar of the Sands has led a rather unfortunate life, and becoming a thief hasn't particularly helped. However, when she spies on a wizard teaching his apprentice how to make a magical dagger, she decides that magic is the life for her. When she makes her dagger, though, everything seems to go wrong, and the result is a seemingly ineffective black dagger. But, botched magic can have strange results, and this one results in the creation of one of the most powerful magical devices that the world has ever seen!

Lady Sarai's ability to solve mysteries has landed her the jobs of Minister of Investigation and acting Minister of Justice. When a series of magicians start turning up murdered, all in the same, seemingly ritualistic, way, Lady Sarai investigates. The magical traces found by magicians point to a coven of magicians of various schools...or do they? The Guild of Wizards is worried...Lady Sarai is worried...and they have good reason to be worried!

This is another great Ethshar book! In certain ways, it is different than the other Ethshar books that I have read, focusing in on two major characters (Tabaea and Sarai). But, as with the others, it is an exciting story, with lots of intrigue, magic, and nail-biting adventure. If you like stories of wizards, powerful magic and high adventure, then I highly recommend this great book to you!

The best of the bunch!.......2002-12-12

I love the Ethshar series, with the exception of Taking Flight, and this book is the best that LWE has produced. Some people don't like the way that the book is written or the way that the heroine in the tale turns out to be the villain, but to me this book was fast paced, had great fighting, and a tangible sense of impending doom if she isn't stopped. Don't listen to the other reviewers, as they aren't happy that this book kind of breaks from the mold of the other Ethshar novels. Give it a chance.

I liked Tabaea too much also..........1998-04-10

I enjoyed the charaterizations in this book and the descriptions of the realm itself. However, I also found myself wanting Tabaea to win, she seemed so innocent to me, she wasn't an evil person, just a little misguided. Too bad she couldn't have become a wizards apprentice instead of dying.

The Blood of a Dragon (Legends of Ethshar)

Average customer rating:

Hardcover please!
Interesting and enjoyable low key fantasy
Highly recommended!
High fantasy, low Wattage
Another book in a great series

The Blood of a Dragon (Legends of Ethshar)
Watt-Evans, Lawrence
Manufacturer: Wildside Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Fiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Taking Flight (Legends of Ethshar)
The Spell of the Black Dagger (Legends of Ethshar)
The Unwilling Warlord
With A Single Spell
Night of Madness (Ethshar)

ASIN: 1587153572
Release Date: 2003-02-04

Book Description

Dumery of Shiphaven was a lad with a love of wizardry -- and no magic at all. He dreamed of apprenticing himself to a great wizard, but because he had not even a touch of the talent, it was a dream he could never fulfill. He would never apprentice himself to a great wizard, nor even a meager one; no matter how he loved magic and the magical arts, he would never work with wizards or wizardry.

That's what Dumery was beginning to think, anyway -- until he spied a great wizard humbling himself before a man selling dragon's blood, the precious stuff that made difficult spells work. If Dumery couldn't be a wizard, he could still become a dragon-hunter -- and have all those condescending wizards crawling to him.

And so Dumery set off on a quest -- a quest in search of dragons and dragon-hunters, and ultimately the secret that lay beneath all the wizardry in Ethshar. Before he reached its end, he would uncover the terrible mystery of the dragon-hunters -- and scheme a scheme that would change the face of Ethsharitic magic forever.

Download Description

A quest -- a quest in search of dragons and dragon-hunters, and ultimately the secret that lies beneath all the wizardry in Ethshar. Before it reaches its end, it would uncover the terrible mystery of the dragon-hunters -- and give rise to a scheme that would change the face of Ethsharitic magic forever.

Customer Reviews:

Hardcover please!.......2007-01-16

All of Lawrence Watt-Evans books are wonderful. Please print these in hardcover though!!! I hope somebody is listening out there.

Interesting and enjoyable low key fantasy.......2006-07-05

Eventually I will get around to all of Lawrence Watt-Evans's Ethshar novels -- these are uniformly enjoyable commonsensical light fantasy, somewhat in the mode of L. Sprague De Camp, set in a fantasy world distinguished by having multiple, mostly quite different, magical systems.

Dumery of Shiphaven is a 12 year old boy, the son of a wealthy shipowner. It is time for him to choose a trade. He has no interest in the shipping business, and anyway his oldest brother will get the business. Dumery, at any rate, is interested in something else -- he wants to be a wizard. His father agrees to let him try -- but every wizard Dumery meets agrees that he has not a shred of magical talent. Dumery is frustrated and offended -- but then he happens to see a wizard negotiating with a seller of dragon's blood, which is an important ingredient is many spells. He realizes that if he can't be a wizard, he might get a measure of revenge by becoming a dragon's blood seller.

So Dumery tracks down the dragon hunter. Who, it turns out, has no interest in hiring an apprentice. Dumery decides not to give up. He decides to follow the dragon hunter to his home, and to insist on an apprenticeship. Thus, he ends up paying his way on a boat up the river, shoveling cow dung. His parents miss him, of course, and they hire a witch's apprentice to track him.

Both Dumery and the young witch end up following the dragon hunter to his home. The witch learns some secrets about witches and warlocks which (no pun intended!) seem a setup for a further book. Dumery, meanwhile, learns that the dragon hunter isn't quite what he seems. Also, that he still hasn't any wish for an apprentice. Dumery remains stubborn, and almost despite himself -- certainly not through any particular virtue of his own -- stumbles on a secret involving dragons, one in particular, that might just make his fortune.

It's an odd, interesting, book. There aren't exactly any heroes, nor really any villains. Dumery is certainly the central character, and he is in many ways quite an unpleasant young man. He is a thief, he's irresponsible, he's spoiled -- he's not by any means evil, but he's not good. The witch's apprentice is fairly appealing, but in the end a pretty minor character. The other characters are ordinary people, some of whom do pretty bad things -- but mostly through ignorance. The book is enjoyable reading throughout -- Watt-Evans is a very engaging writer. And the eventual solution is both logical (indeed, I thought of it much earlier ...) and in a way heroic.

Highly recommended!.......2002-12-19

Now that Dumery has reached his 12th birthday, it is time for him to be apprenticed. He's the third son of a wealthy merchant, which means that he inherits...nothing. He has only really been interested in one thing, wizardry, so he offers himself as an apprentice to every magic-user in Ethshar. When they all tell him that he is completely dead to magic, and as such untrainable, he feels crushed. But when he sees the most powerful wizard in Ethshar humbling himself before a man who sells dragon's blood (necessary for so many spells), he decides that he can apprentice himself to the dragon hunter, and force the wizards to humble themselves before him. Oh, but Dumery finds that even this is much harder than he imagined.

I must admit that I consider myself a devoted Watt-Evans fan! I have enjoyed all of his books that I have been able to lay my hands on, this one included. Indeed, Mr. Watt-Evans' world is fantastic and yet realistic, with normal seeming people, going about their business in a manner totally consistent with their world. At least with the stories I have read, his heroes are relatively normal young men, looking for their future in a world of high magic. I highly recommend this book for any fan of fantasy literature!

High fantasy, low Wattage.......2002-08-06

I read this book, along with all the other Ethshar fantasies, when they first appeared back in the eighties. I must say I always enjoyed the way Watt-Evans approached magic; he could make it at once fantastic and logical.His scenes of magic at work are indisputably fun. Watt-Evans is kind of old school, he has devised a magical world, rules for that world, puts his plots into that context, and relentlessly follows things to their logical conclusion. The thing is, nothing much happens in Watt-Evans' stories. There are no larger-than-life heroes, no derring-do, no hair-breadth escapes, no great truths revealed, and no surprises. As one reviewer of his work pointed out, his characters are pedestrian, which I think is exactly Wat-Evans' point. Just because there is magic in Ethshar doesn't mean people or their institutions will be any different. Folks are still interested in profit and comfort, governments and religions just want to perpetuate themselves, parents still want to control their kids'lives, etc.This adds an element of realism to his work that is lacking in Tolkien-wannabe fantasies. Watt-Evans has managed to create a very magical world, and then his plots render it mundane. As strange as this sounds, I would always scoop up an Ethshar novel as soon as it hit the shelves, devour it in a day or two, and look forward to the next. Yet, I never felt really satisfied after finishing. Kind of like eating Chinese food.

Another book in a great series.......2000-03-28

Once again, Lawrence Watt-Evans journeys to the world of Ethshar with a tale full of magic and surprises.

Whilst not the best book in this growing series it will keep you amused and begging for more.

I can't rate this author highly enough, you leave feeling thoroughly entertained. You will appreciate his writing style and the wry comedy common throughout which bare repeated reading.

Book Description

When Magic Goes Awry . . . What is an aspiring apprentice wizard to do when she finds her mentor and master frozen in his tracks by mysterious magics?Kilisha of Eastgate, a promising young student of wizardry in the city of Ethshar of the Rocks, still has much to learn before she can assume the robes of a journeyman enchanter. But when her teacher, the venerable Ithanalin the Wise, is overcome by a peculiar spell that scatters his soul amongst a collection of runaway household furnishings, it is up to Kilisha to find the cause and restore him to his former self. Adventure and mayhem abound.

Customer Reviews:

Very Enjoyable.......2005-02-08

When I first started reading this book, I was like 'why did I but this?' That only lasted for about three pages. Really, when I found out that this book was about animated furniture that had escaped, each part with a different peice of a wizards self of soul of some such thing, i thought it would get boring eventually. I was wrong, it only got better. Wheather because it was kind of short or because it was such a good read, i read this book in about four hours.

a perfect diversion.......2004-12-24

I hadn't read an entire novel in one sitting for a long, long time. Yesterday afternoon I picked up Ithanalin's Restoration, intending to read just a chapter or two until a headache cleared, but I didn't put it back down until I had finished it. Watt-Evans spins an utterly delightful tale about Kilisha, a young wizard's apprentice who must reverse a spell gone awry, which scattered her master's soul into his runaway parlor furniture. To recapture the missing pieces from throughout the city and to restore Ithanalin, she must manage her own impetuous nature and apply all the spellcraft she has learned. Along the way she must also placate Ithanalin's distraught wife and children, enlist the aid of the young soldier who unwittingly sparked the accident, and cope with the unhelpful customers and colleagues. If you need a break from interminable epic fantasy doorstops, this simple story of a young woman out to prove herself is a perfect diversion.

Amusing, though it lacks a resolution...........2004-04-24

This book is very well written and amusing, but there are parts of the story that are not resolved. The "murdering wizard" is still romping free, and Kilisha doesn't get anywhere with her "boyfriend." I mean, they should have kissed or declared each other's love, but there was almost nothing. IN the end of the book she just instantaniously thinks that she is "more than friends" with this guy. SO if there is a sequel, I would have given another star.

Amusing magical romp.......2003-11-28

The eighth of Watt-Evans' Ethshar novels, Ithanalin's Restoration takes place concurrently with _The Spell of the Black Dagger_. No knowledge of any of the other books is needed to enjoy this tale, as the Ethshar novels take place at different times and most of them stand alone nicely. The events in Black Dagger occur in a different city and while they upset most of the peripheral characters in this book, not knowing all the details won't impact your enjoyment of this lighthearted fantasy.

Kilisha is a seventeen-year-old apprentice wizard to Ithanalin the Wise, an expert in animation spells. With just one more year to go in her apprenticeship, she is frustrated at how little wizardry she's been taught, and frets that she's in no condition to begin the next stage of her career, as a journeyman wizard. Her master is kind but distracted, often forgetting to teach her all the common knowledge behind each spell, and he's often busy producing spells for his paying customers. That often leaves Kilisha as little more than an in-home baby-sitter and servant for Ithanalin's wife Yara.

With her frustration and fear growing, Kilisha demands that her master start teaching her the spells his customers pay for, and this time he agrees. On an errand to collect the blood of a grey cat (wizardry often requires odd materials), she returns hours later to find Ithanalin frozen in place, and all the parlor furniture missing. She soon discovers that his animating spell went very wrong when he tripped, spilled the magical goo, and animated several pieces of furniture with his own essence. And the furniture ran out the door when it was opened by a persistant tax-collector.

Kilisha, armed with few practical spells and missing big chunks of background knowledge, finds herself the only one who can set things right. The senior wizards are preoccupied with mass murder of wizards in Ethshar of the Sands (these events covered in Black Dagger) and have no time for an apprentice with spells gone awry. She must find, collect, and bring back the escaping furniture and learn enough magic to prevent their wandering again. On top of that, some of Ithanalin's essence transferred to a spriggen, a magical pest attracted to wizardry; spriggens cannot be held by any locks or bonds. Then she must master a new spell to bring Ithanalin back to his normal self. And to do so, she must learn a new tack toward problem solving, as Kilisha is a feet-first woman in a look-before-you-leap profession.

This is a fun read with a satisfying ending, perfect for vacation and holiday amusement.

Pleasant light fantasy.......2003-01-31

_Ithanalin's Restoration_ is Lawrence Watt-Evans's latest Ethshar novel. (Of late he has been alternating his more serious, and longer, Dragon novels with his generally light-hearted Ethshar fantasies.) The main character is Kilisha, the 17 year old apprentice to Master Wizard Ithanalin. One of Ithanalin's spells gets disrupted by a mischievous spriggan, with the unwitting help of a tax-collector, and Ithanalin's "essence" ends up distributed among various objects, including several pieces of furniture. The spooked tax-collector leaves the door open, and the furniture, having legs, escapes. It falls to Kilisha to track down the escaped furniture and to learn the spell that can restore the pieces of Ithanalin from the pieces of furniture to his inanimate body. Her job is made more complicated because the more senior wizards in the town are unable to help her, as they are concerned with a political crisis: a revolt in another town that may spread.

The story is quite fun, a fast and always enjoyable read, with plenty of clever sequences arising from the central situation and the use of limited wizardly magic (such as Kilisha's way of using a love spell to lure back an escaped rug). Also noteworthy is the basic decency and commonsense of the various characters in the book. This is, I think,a particular characteristic of most of Watt-Evans's work -- his characters are pretty normal people, for the most part, and basically act like decent ordinary people we know, with to be sure the occasional foible. To take just one example from this book, we are introduced to the city's overlord, after a scene setting him up to be a lazy fop (semi-evil overlord model 3B, or something). It turns out, though, that he's basically a nice guy, who maybe gets a bit tired of long meetings. I do like this aspect of LWE's stories -- which is present in most of them, though you do get some slightly more extreme characters in for example the Dragon books.

The Ninth Talisman: Volume Two of The Annals of the Chosen
Average customer rating:

fine sword and sorcery fantasy

The Ninth Talisman: Volume Two of The Annals of the Chosen
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Manufacturer: Tor Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Watt, Evans Lawrence | ( W ) | Authors, A-Z | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Epic | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Wizard Lord: Volume One of the Annals of the Chosen

The Spriggan Mirror

Mother of Lies

The Alchemist's Apprentice

Children of Chaos

ASIN: 0765310279
Release Date: 2007-05-15

Book Description

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?

Customer Reviews:

fine sword and sorcery fantasy.......2007-05-16

After the Swordsman killed the Dark Lord of the Galbook Hlls, a Wizard Lord gone rogue, he returned to his small community of Mad Oak and became part of the farming community. He is one of eight Chosen, men and women who are granted special magical powers so that a Wizard Lord can be taken down if he doesn't rule benevolently over all the people of Barokan. The new Wizard Lord is having roads built throughout the country connecting towns and cities and thus making it easier for trade goods to be transported all over the empire.

Swordsman travels to Winterhome to see the new Lord Wizard and is shocked to find a former Chosen, a traitor, is one of the chief advisors is the new Wizard Lord Artil. Artil tells him that the time for magic has passed and that people usingnon-magical skills will bring peace and prosperity to the land. While Swordsman thinks about this restructuring, Arti's soldiers find wizards and interrogate them about THE NINTH TALISMAN before killing them when he doesn't get the answers he wants. The eight champions meet to decide what to do about Artil and his plans and wonder if he may have gone to the dark side.

This is second book in the Annals of the Chosen and one doesn't have to read the prequel THE WIZARD LORD to understand THE NINTH TALISMAN. The Swordsman is patient and willing to observe what the Wizard Lord is all about and that makes this book more of a character study than an action packed fantasy. The ending is very ambiguous so there is at least another book to the series. Readers will enjoy this novel so much they will recommend it to their friends who like sword and sorcery fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

Average customer rating:

Light Fantasy
Hardcover please!
Can he slay the dragon, wins the princess and the gold?
This is what Fantasy should be
Seers and Sorcerers

With A Single Spell
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Manufacturer: Del Rey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

General | Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Science Fiction & Fantasy Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
Similar Items:

The Misenchanted Sword
The Unwilling Warlord
The Blood of a Dragon (Legends of Ethshar)
The Spell of the Black Dagger (Legends of Ethshar)
Taking Flight (Legends of Ethshar)

ASIN: 0345326164
Release Date: 1987-02-12

Book Description

A SINGLE SPELL

Tobas had been lucky to find a wizard to take him on as apprentice. But then the wizard died suddenly and unexpectedly after teaching Tobas only a solitary spell, and the youth was too old to find a new master. How could he earn a living when all the magic he could do was light fires?

A DESTINY UNFOLDING

In the Small Kingdoms there were dragons to be slain, princesses and gold to be won, magic castles, witches who knew the secret of immortality, and other treasures. But how could a wizard with a single, simple spell hope to find them and win them?

Download Description

Tobas had been lucky to find a wizard to take him on as apprentice. But then the wizard died suddenly and unexpectedly after teaching Tobas only a solitary spell, and the youth was too old to find a new master. How could he earn a living when all the magic he could do was light fires?

Customer Reviews:

Light Fantasy.......2007-05-29

Tired of epic stories that go on and on and on? Sick of novels in which the Hero saves the world five times and that's just in chapter one? Hate it when you read a book and find out it is number six in a series of twenty and if you read them out of order they will never make sense? Ever have a fantasy novel in which the time line and appendixs take up more space than the story?
Than the works of Lawrence Watt-Evans is for you. Light fantasy, great taste, not boring. Each novel in the Ethshar series uses the same setting, history and magical rules but are not linked in any way. They are a series of stand alone novels! You can pick up any of them and enjoy them in any order you want!
With a Single Spell is where I started and, boy, am I happy I finally opened the pages. I'm not normally into fantasy for many of the reasons above but this book, while not trying to be a comedy, does give us the lighter side of a magical land. We follow Tobas, a young wizard or an old apprentice, who knows only one spell on his way to finding a life. But what can he do with one spell? One SPELL! Yet he has to go make a living in a world where magic is repected but also not that uncommon. Pirates, big cities and dragons, oh my!
I will not give away the ending but I have to say the book did seem to go a tad slow at first. I am going to collect the other books and maybe search out some of his other series as well. Anybody who loves fantasy should get this book.

Hardcover please!.......2007-01-16

All of Lawrence Watt-Evans books are wonderful. Please print these in hardcover though!!! I hope somebody is listening out there.

Can he slay the dragon, wins the princess and the gold?.......2005-06-21

This is the second book in the Ethshar series. We are introduced to Tobas, the main character of this book, who starts off in the book as a basically a lazy bum. Early in the book he is constantly looking for a scheme so he can enjoy the good life without working for it. Tobas talks a wizard into taking him in as an apprentice; unfortunately the wizard dies after teaching Tobas only a single spell. Tobas ends up having several adventures.

Lawrence Watt-Evans is publishing online "The Spriggan Mirror." This is the ninth book in his Legends of Ethshar series. I read a couple chapters and found them well written and fun. Amazon's guidelines ask that URLs not be included in a review, but if you'd like to read about Lawrence's efforts to publish online, go into goggle, search for "The Spriggan Mirror" and you'll find the web page.

"With a Single Spell" sets much of the background for "The Spriggan Mirror." It is in "With a Single Spell" that Tobas creates the mirror that causes so much havoc.

"With a Single Spell" is a fun story. It is well written and moves along quickly. Lawrence Watt-Evans writes a well fleshed out world of magic. Tobas travels through various parts of this world so we get a good feeling for this detail rich environment.

Tobas joins a group of men who are going to try to slay a dragon which has been terrorizing a small kingdom. He ends up traveling to another world, rescues a woman there, and then comes back to Ethshar to finally face the dragon. By now he has learned enough to more effectively fight with the dragon.

If you like fantasy, or have enjoyed any of the other Ethshar stories, this a good book to buy.

This is what Fantasy should be.......2005-05-26

When I read this book for the first time I was inspired. Finally an author had imbued originality into Fantasy. Many of the cliche plots needed in fantasy were missing, and to my amazement a character with very little promise or power became a hero.
Here was a boy with the high hope of becoming a powerful mage, but after his teacher dies he is left with only one spell. The way the author turns this into a very interesting yet simple novel intrigued me.
Lawrence Watt-Evans is one of the few Fantasy authors that really explores the fantasy genre, creating different ways to turn it on it's head.
One of the few books that actually made me laugh...how often does a fantasy novel do that and still retain a rich world that isn't comical and foolish.

Seers and Sorcerers.......2005-01-12

This was my first experience with the Ethshar Hegemony and its world. I first read the book about 10 years ago, and have since re-read it many times. From the lazy overage apprentice to the young polygamist wizard, Tobas shows some signs of maturing, all the while illuminating his world for us with an incredibly rich cast and detail, from stupid dragons to smart (if poor) kings with too many daughters, kindly sailors to indifferent wizards, legendary wars and lost spells, beautiful witches and princesses, as well as ugly ones. Ethshar of the Spices is a particularly fascinating city with too many fascinating throwaway ideas to numerate. Just the consultation made by Tobas to an ethsharian diviner at the end of the book opens up new vistas. I recently purchased The Misenchanted Sword, and fell in love with the whole world again, I'm now buying up the rest of the series and can't wait.

Authors:

Authors

Authors