Book Description
The Wizard and the Warrior gives leaders the insight and courage they need to take risks on behalf of values they cherish and the people they guide. Great leaders must act both as wizard, calling on imagination, creativity, meaning, and magic, and as warrior, mobilizing strength, courage, and willingness to fight as necessary to fulfill their mission. Best-selling authors Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal present the defining moments and experiences of exemplary leaders such as Carly Fiorina, Thomas Keller (head chef of French Laundry), David Neeleman (CEO of Jet Blue), Mary Kay Ash, Warren Buffet, Anne Mulcahy, and Abraham Lincoln¾all of whom have wrested with their own inner warrior and wizard. These engaging, realistic case studies are followed by commentaries that will raise questions and suggest possibilities without rushing to resolution or simple answers.
Customer Reviews:
Innovative leadership lessons contrast dual forces.......2007-03-02
The market may be saturated with books about business leadership, but Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal move into fresh territory with this beautifully written, inspirational and practical guide. They impart advice on understanding workplace dynamics and nuances, and emerging as an effective leader. The book offers ample evidence to support the authors' basic assertion: Managers struggle because they have an idealistic approach that fails to account for organizational politics and intangible workplace factors, such as values, creativity and passion. The authors contend that managers who are unwilling to "play the game" will inevitably stumble and never realize their leadership potential. The book's wisdom and insight are built on the real-life lessons and experiences of dynamic leaders. We warmly praise this book and recommend it to any leader or potential leader who is willing to take a good, long look in the mirror.
Lead with passion and power...but also with principle and faith.......2007-02-08
Here is a synthesis of the core concepts in Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal's book: "The wizard and the warrior inhabit two distinct but overlapping worlds. The warrior's world is a place of combat, of allies and antagonists, courage and cowardice, honor and betrayal, strength and weakness...The wizard inhabits a realm of possibility, magic, and mystery. The wizard's strength lies not in arms or physical courage, but in wisdom, foresight, and the ability to see below and beyond appearances. The wizard brings unshakable faith that something new and better really is out there...The greatest leaders move and out of both roles, even if they are more comfortable with one or the other."
Bowman and Deal carefully organize their material in terms of three warrior roles in business, the military, the American presidency, and basketball coaching, respectively: Toxic (e.g. Al Dunlap, Hermann Goering, Richard Nixon, and Bobby Knight), Relentless (e.g. Bill Gates, Ulysses S. Grant, George W. Bush, and Mike Rzewski), and Principled (e.g. Warren Buffett, George Marshall, Abraham, Lincoln, and John Wooden); and in terms of three wizard roles within the aforementioned categories: Authentic (e.g. Liz Claiborne, Norman Schwarzkopf, Ronald Reagan, and Phil Jackson), Wannabe (e.g. Ken Lay, William Westmoreland, Woodrow Wilson, and Rudy Tomjanovich), and Harmful (e.g. Frank Lorenzo, Hermann Goering, Warren Harding, and Dave Bliss). Throughout their narrative, they rigorously examine exemplary warriors and wizards, building a case for their observation that "the greatest leaders move in and out of both roles, even if they are more comfortable with one or the other."
More specifically, the greatest leaders combine the strengths and virtues of Principled Warrior and Authentic Wizard in that they "wield both sword and wand, know how to create as well as defend, accept reality but will challenge it because they see unfulfilled possibilities, learn by sensing and intuiting, are both strategists and visionaries, and combine the power of commander and the courage of a champion with the wisdom of the counselor and the magical powers of the shaman." But they are by no means perfect. However, as Bolman and Deal suggest (and I agree), we admire them because they somehow overcome their human weaknesses to achieve extraordinarily difficult goals. "As is clear from examples like Abraham Lincoln and Nelson Mandela, you need not like war to be a warrior." Bolman and Deal also point out that, the warrior heart "must be found in a cause important enough to justify the costs of combat. For many leaders, heart develops over time through experiences that test their courage and strength in the face of rigorous challenge and worthy competitors."
In this context, I am reminded of the fact that Mohandas Gandhi greatly admired Henry David Thoreau's concept of "civil disobedience" and applied its principles so effectively that India was eventually able to obtain its independence. Gandhi was assassinated. Martin Luther King, Jr. studied the life and work of Gandhi and applied what he learned to his non-violent campaign against racial inequality. He was also assassinated. In certain respects, both he and Gandhi were warrior leaders (i.e. they possessed exceptional intuition, recruit thousands to join their cause, inspired them to persevere rather than be overcome, and skillfully negotiated the alliances needed) but they were also wizard leaders (i.e. they were wise in the ways of the world, recognized the importance of symbols and emblematic events, encouraged a strong link between words and deeds, and were visionaries of what could and should be). Admirable human beings.
In this volume, Bolman and Deal provide dozens of other examples of men and women who also found a balance of the strengths and virtues of both warrior and wizard but it remains for each reader make her or his own determination of which balance is most appropriate. When concluding this brief commentary, I presume to share the fact that there have been times when I have had to be more warrior than wizard; other times when I feel the need to be more wizard than warrior. Such situations are when achieving the right "balance" has been most difficult for me. Thanks to Lee Bolman and Terrence Deal, I now feel better prepared to do that.
Those who share my high regard for this volume are urged to check out any of Warren Bennis' books (notably Geeks & Geezers and the more recently published Leading for a Lifetime, both co-authored with Robert Thomas) as well as Bill George's Authentic Leadership and the more recently published True North, Jean Lipman-Blumen's The Allure of Toxic Leaders, James O'Toole's Leading Change and The Executive's Compass, Martin Linsky and Ronald Heifetz'Leadership on the Line, Heifetz's Leadership Without Easy Answers, and Winning co-authored by Jack Welch and Suzy Welch.
A Strong Article Stretched to Book-Length.......2006-12-11
Friends of mine who have read other leadership books by Bolman & Deal tell me that they have a lot of insights into leadership and that their others books are excellent. I'm sure my friends are right. It is clear from this book that leadership is something they have studied extensively and know much about. Unfortunately, I didn't feel this book brought out the best in them.
The metaphors they have chosen for this book, wizard and warrior, are good ones. They bring out how a great leader must not only be able to fight but must also be able to work magic. They talk about the qualities of a great warrior (heart, mind, skill and weapons) and great wizard (wisdom, soul, icons and rituals). They talk about how warriors and wizards can go right and wrong (toxic, relentless and principled warrior; authentic, wannabe and harmful wizard). They give examples of their meaning by examples from history and business. They make their point.
On the other hand, the book has some series flaws. First, they flog their point to death. This 200+ page book could have easily been slashed to a short article and made the same points better. Second, the bulk of this book is anecdotes. As a rule, I enjoy stories about historical figures but here there are so many of them and they are often repetitive. I most enjoyed the stories about business leaders since I was unfamiliar with many of these but I found myself wishing they'd get on with it already. Third, though I found their highlighting of the need for a great leader to be both warrior and wizard, they didn't offer much in the way of practical suggestions for those who need to develop one or the other or both of these qualities. Certainly, becoming conscious of your strengths and weaknesses as a leader is important but, once you learn about your weaknesses depression awaits if you aren't guided to some solutions. Bolman & Deal are a bit short on solutions.
Ultimately, this book is harmless and may be inspirational for some people. It is short enough and fluff-filled enough to get through quickly and easily. It offers some important insights. But, as Bolman & Deal are clearly experts in leadership, I expected their book to lead me forward with something meatier and more useful. Maybe this is to be found in some of their other books, but I didn't find it here.
Just the thing........2006-05-01
As a business owner myself, and friend to many others, I know that it is important for business leaders to, in an obvious sense, lead. But there's more to leading then meets the eye. One must lead with a passion for what they do, with a love for what they do, and that is what this book teaches. Bolman and Deal do an impeccable job at showing us how to lead with "passion and power" through their examples. But the leader cannot always be passionate, he/she must sometimes become a warrior to make the tough choices that some other leaders could not make. I seriously recommend this book to business owners, team leaders, and really, to anyone as I feel that everyone can learn from what this book has to offer.
Great leadership for a lean manufacturing transformation.......2006-04-22
Although not a book specifically about transforming manufacturing operations, the leadership styles described are exactly what are needed for that difficult task. The transformational leader needs to be a "wizard"... creating the magic and inspiring the passion within the organization to reach the tipping point. And he must be a "warrior" to make the difficult decisions and hold strong when long term plans fly in the face of expectations for short term results.
Average customer rating:
- The New Great Fantasy Adventure Series
- Pretty Good
- The Warrior Heir Review, Cal Skogman
- Loved it...
- Interesting Tale of a Warrior
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Warrior Heir, The
Cinda Williams Chima
Manufacturer: Hyperion
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Wizard Heir, The
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Dragon's Keep
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The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 3)
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Dairy Queen
ASIN: 0786839163 |
Book Description
Before he knew about the Roses, fourteen-year-old Jack lived an unremarkable life in the small Ohio town of Trinity.Only the medicine he has to take daily and the thick scar above his heart set him apart from the other high-schoolers.Then one day Jack skips his medicine.Suddenly, he is stronger, fiercer, and more confident than ever before.And it feels greatuntil he loses control of his own strength and nearly kills another player during soccer team tryouts.Soon, Jack learns the startling truth about himself:he is Weirlindpart of an underground society of magical people who live among us.At the head of this magical society sit the feuding houses of the Red Rose and the White Rose, whose power is determined by playing The Gamea magical tournament in which each house sponsors a warrior to fight to the death.The winning house rules the Weir.As if his bizarre magical heritage isnt enough, Jack finds out that hes not just another member of Weirlindhes one of the last of the warriorsat a time when both houses are scouting for a player.Jacks performance on the soccer field has alerted the entire magical community to the fact that hes in Trinity.And until one of the houses is declared Jacks official sponsor, there are no limits to what theyll do to get Jack to fight for them. . . .
Customer Reviews:
The New Great Fantasy Adventure Series.......2007-08-29
In an age when reading is less and less popular among both children and adults, Cinda Williams Chima has presented us with the next great series that will entertain people of all ages without the need of electricity. Though labeled a a novel for "Young Adults," the series will appeal to adults as well as teenagers. In The Warrior Heir, Chima brings to life a plethora of complex characters. Among them is Jack, the protagonist. Jack is neither an orphan nor the product of an unbroken home. As is so common in reality, and less common in most novels of the genre, Jack's parents are divorced. This is the first of many qualities that tie the main character to those who read about him. Jack's mother, a mysterious old caretaker, a new assistant principal at Jack's school, and others all bring Trinity, Ohio to life. Initially set in Ohio, the novel ties reality to fantasy in the combination that fantasy readers thrive on. The adventure explores a whole new, more sinister, way of life just when global readers thought they had finally conquered the Wizarding world. Pre-teens, teenagers, their college aged siblings, and parents alike will all enjoy Cinda William Chima's The Warrior Heir and the complex world of the Weir that it explores.
Pretty Good.......2007-08-22
The book overall was good. The plot never lets up and you really want to get to the next page. I would recommend reading this book before Wizard Heir. Unfortunately, I started with Wizard Heir, so I knew most of the plot. The story begins with Jack and what happens after he doesn't take his heart medication one day.All of the sudden, his whole life changes. Things change for him in the drastic way.I'm looking forward to any new installments of this series, if any.
The Warrior Heir Review, Cal Skogman.......2007-04-17
The Warrior Heir is a extremely fascinating book that keeps you guessing until the end. It leads you on an epic journey, that will satisfy the most 'picky' of readers. Jack is a teenager, that has suposedly heart problems. He takes medicine every day, but one day he forgets to take it. He feels amazing, better and stronger than normal. Vice Principal Hastings finds Jack, and Jack finds out a secret that has been kept from him since he was born. He is a warrior. Part of an ancient family of warriors before him. The tournament is brewing, and Jack is chosen to fight. The question is not Jack's ability, but his expeirience; and who will he fight? The Warrior Heir was an amazing book that I had a very hard time setting down.
Loved it..........2007-03-22
I really enjoyed this book. I had the day off and spent my entire morning reading it...once you get started it's hard to stop reading. It kept me geusing unitl the very end. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy books that involve seemingly ordinary people.
Interesting Tale of a Warrior.......2006-08-27
Jack, a former heart patient, is simply living his rather normal teenage life until the one day he forgets to take his medicine. Suddenly he discovers he has a strength he didn't know he possessed, but worse than that, others who have been searching for him now know where he lives and they are coming for him. It turns out that Jack is a warrior, though born a wizard, and many wizards are now looking for him so that he can take part in a gladiator style fight for supremacy in the wizarding world. His aunt Linda tries to protect him but eventually it becomes apparent that Jack must fight, or spend his life running and hoping not to be killed.
This is a good story, with plenty of exciting moments and lots of interesting characters who are either intent on helping Jack or destroying him. However, there are a few problems that keep the story from being truly riveting. The different classes of sorcerers, enchanters, wizards, and warriors are never fully explained, and the rather optimistic ending just seemed a little too pat. Overall this is a good fantasy, but with a bit of editing and the addition of some explanations, this could have been a great one. Still, it should enthrall its target audience, and can be recommended for fans of the genre.
Average customer rating:
- This book is great! It covers quests too!
- Without this book I would have been lost!!!
- Save your Money, Folks
- Don't Waste Your Money
- Better than nothing!
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Wizards & Warriors Official Strategy Guide
Sion Gibson
Manufacturer: BRADY GAMES
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Wizards & Warriors
ASIN: 074400019X |
Book Description
BradyGAMES Wizards & Warriors Official Strategy Guide Features: Walkthrough of the game with strategy for progressing through every area, complete with maps and puzzle solutions. Character Creation & Advancement--With complete coverage of attributes, skills, and traits, this section shows you how to customize your character and what choices will reap the greatest rewards. Bestiary--You will meet hundreds of other inhabitants, both friendly and fierce, in your journey. Look here for the details on how to deal with each encounter. Weapons & Items--An exhaustive list of the more than 300 standard inventory items, including tips on customizing your gear with enhancements and blessings. Combat & Magic--How to prevail in battle and essential survival tips, plus powerful spells from all six books of magic.
Customer Reviews:
This book is great! It covers quests too!.......2001-08-22
I know some of you guys think this is a waste of money, but i would say this is worth your money. I mean, do you want to print 200+ pages full of words? or would you like a book with pictures and cover everthing in W&W.
Why I put my rating to 5: This book covers all the quest. This book gives you tips for completing quest at certain levels. This book has maps on all the places like forests, swamp or crypts. This book is a easy to understand. And finally, this book is a life-saver!
Without this book I would have been lost!!!.......2001-06-30
When I ordered this book I was completely lost in the game, so as many people would I waited patiently for the guide. It was the weekend so I had to wait....but early Monday morning I got it! It was very prompt in delivery :) I want to thank the compnay personally for making my game play a lil easier. The book was a life saver (literally)
Save your Money, Folks.......2001-04-23
This book is a waste of money, folks. What this guy tells you, you are able to figure out for yourself. I buy the guide so that I don't need to go through all of the combinations and permutations for puzzles that need this type of solution. I buy the guide so that I am sure that I have the right item to solve a problem. I look for accurate information and not misleading strategies. This book did not satisfy my needs. It was misleading, inaccurate and incomplete.
Don't Waste Your Money.......2001-04-01
This book has been absolutely no help to me at all in the game. There are errors and omissions, muddy maps that don't have some important areas marked, and it is generally lacklustre in effort. It makes you wonder if the author actually played the game. My suggestion is to save your money, and go to a couple of the websites that exist for the game. The Ironworks has a Wizards and Warriors Forum and there are *accurate* walkthroughs for the game.
Better than nothing!.......2001-01-04
OK, it's not the best strategy guide, but given the skimpy manual and the glossy but inaccurate map that comes with the game, it gets the job done. As an early reviewer wrote, there are missing parts and some serious errors. What really hurts the most is the lack of a "by the numbers" walk through: First do this, then next you go here, don't go to C before you've talked to B, etc. There is some of that, in a few places, but not nearly enough. And the encounter guides give you little information on how tough your foes will be. For example, it ought to say don't try the toad quest until your party is at level xxx and has yyy hit points or you'll be slaughtered. So, is it worth the money? Yes, but just barely!
Average customer rating:
- It really *is* one of the best fantasy series ever
- The Wizards and the Warriors
- Its a funny old world...
- Class comedy
- Wizards and the Warriors - an epic tale rivalling LOTR
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Wizards and the Warriors (Chronicles of An Age of Darkness 1)
Hugh Cook
Manufacturer: Colin Smythe
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Binding: Hardcover
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The Women and the Warlords (Chronicles of An Age of Darkness 3)
ASIN: 0861402448 |
Customer Reviews:
It really *is* one of the best fantasy series ever.......2007-09-14
The reason so many people have commented on this book and said similar things is because these books are incredible, not because we are all Hugh Cook (the guy is battling cancer and so surely has more important things on his mind than trying to revive a career he was forced to abandon so long ago anyway). The characters are *real people*, not a bunch of tedious morally "almost but not quite" impeccable/irredeemable stereotypes. They respond to each other and events in believable ways. They have human flaws in abundance, even (perhaps especially) the heroes. The storylines are snapshots of significant events in an ever developing world which would barely care or notice if the heroes die, and many of them *do* die, often in brutally meaningless fashion rather than the typical noble sacrifice storyline.
Most of the books in the series can be read as standalone titles, but by reading out of sequence you will miss out on a lot of overlapping storylines and neat moments where one character/book's take on an event is entirely different to another's. This book is the first in the series and is also one of the better ones, so it is an ideal place to start.
The books are written in several different styles; Cook's versatility and creativity in this regard is pretty astonishing. In every instance, the books are packed full of sharp and dry humour.
This series is to fantasy writing what independent studio and foreign films are to Hollywood blockbusters. This is probably the main reason the series sold so badly and got cancelled after 10 books, and also the reason people with a brain *usually* enjoy them.
The Wizards and the Warriors.......2006-09-29
Because it's so tough to find Hugh Cook's books in America, I've pursued this series in an awkward order, reading the second, third, and fourth books before getting to this one. This may perhaps give me a unique experience, since I some of the key events in "The Wizards and the Warriors" before I read the first page. Nevertheless I found this novel a treat, packed with action, bizarre magic, larger-than-life characters, and conflicts to match. I wouldn't praise it to the moon; it has its ups and downs just like all of Cook's novels. But ultimately I think this is his best work so far.
I'll cover the downs first. Hugh Cook is a poor world-builder. He doesn't flesh out the various locales or the societies we encounter along the way. Every city seems more or less like every other. The pacing is very unbalanced, as we may spend twenty pages hunting crabs for food and then rush through some vitally important developments in a few paragraphs. And there are some highly likeable and engaging characters who just drift out of the story, never to be seen again.
On the up side, we have, well, quite a lot. "The Wizards and the Warriors" is a story of awesome scope, and the sequence of major events is developed with great creativity. You never know what will come next. Of particular note are an epic journey on an underground river, and the final encounter with the Orders of Wizards at the Castle of Controlling Power. Cook breaks the standard rules of narratives, bravely disposing of important characters at unexpected moments. The magic is another high point. I desperately want a magic green bottle of my own.
The characters steal the show, however. Cooks eye for human nature is keen. He understands well how a person's behavior changes in extreme circumstances, often in unpredictable and illogical ways. To that end, "The Wizards and the Warriors" is filled with oddball turns of events. The central character, Morgan Hearst, passes through many stages on his journey, from brave and foolish, to brave and ruthless, and finally to true heroism at the end.
Its a funny old world..........2006-08-30
...Which just about covers it. I was given this to read by my brother, who was then stationed in Germany with the British forces, and who often passed down some of his books to me once he'd finished with them. I recently reread this and many of the other books int the series (I think I have 6 or 7 of them). Most of the other reviews have spoken about the whole series, but the books are very different, and at least one of them I couldn't get into at all, so I'll stick to reviewing just this book.
The author certainly isn't afraid of showing just how selfish, vicious and ignorant people are, and how quickly the veneer of civilisation can be stripped from us. There is plenty of humour, lots of gore, and a nice mix of high fantasy and low down grittiness.
I find some parallels with Modesitt's central message of power corrupts and entropy wins unless you engage in vicious self analysis, and unbridging honesty.
Although the subtlety was lost on me the first time I read it, Cook's approach is to show dirty self interest with gem's of humanity and integrity that are all the more touching because of their rarity.
This didn't get a 5 because it lacks closure. There are good reasons for this, and plenty of other fantasy series suffer from the same problem, but that doesn't stop one from feeling a little unfulfilled at the end.
Class comedy.......2005-12-04
This guy is quite simply hilarious. Volume 4 is far and away the funniest, but all are great. Read, chuckle and enjoy.
Wizards and the Warriors - an epic tale rivalling LOTR.......2005-01-04
I happened to be the proud owner of all ten volumes of this series that comprise just one of two series of Fantasy books I have chosen to keep; the remainder passed on to friends or donated to local libraries. The other series I kept was the Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy.
I cannot say enough about the absolute breath of fresh air these books were back when I was a youngster and still are today. Upon picking up this first volume I looked at the 800 pages with trepidation wondering how on earth I would complete such a task!
I began reading and spent the rest of the day in bed. It was raining but I couldn't even let the sounds of rain on the rooftop distract me from what I believe is the best epic tale of fantasy writing that rivals Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. That was nearly 20 years ago and such was its power that I remember the day so clearly today.
I was so incensed by the movie version of Dungeons and Dragons (2000) that I kept wondering what a wonderful movie this first book would make. There is enough material in it and the series to even make a trilogy.
The two main characters Elkor Alish and Morgan Hearst were wonderful as each battled their own demons. There were grand wizards, robust warriors and the mistrust between them caused by their chosen paths as well as betrayal, war and pursuits of power and the threat of world destruction.
My hope is that Hugh who quietly works away on other projects acknowledges that his work is a masterpiece in its own right and that in someway it should be brought to the attention of a new audience of young minds who have just discovered Tolkien's LOTR and dined on Harry Potter.
Such is the allure of tragic heroes like Frodo and Boromir in LOTR, Sturm Brightblade in Dragonlance and Harry Potter as well as anti-heroes Elkor and Morgan in W&W and Raistlin Majere in Dragonlance that makes fantasy worth reading and watching.
The boredom and predictability that is par for the course of a sizeable number of fantasy writers is what stifles any hope for reaching the mainstream and making memorable characters worthy of visual representation on screen.
I hope that these books become more widely available once again for the enjoyment of a new generation.
Book Description
Dale was stranded... and around him he gathered the flotsam and jetsam outcasts of a doomed world in deadly peril, becoming it's last desperate defender. The gathering of this group of defenders is the essence of this panoramic novel. It is a novel of the journey of a technologically advanced hero stranded on a world steeped in magic, and the people he gathers along the way-technology made to control reality and magic that would not be controlled. lt’s about people with strong personalities thrown into conflict and held together by the will of one man, a man with a cause, to save a world. WIZARD’S BANE – Book one of the Sojurn Chronicles, is a novel of boundless imagination, wonderful characters, and fast paced action that can be compared with the Shadow Trilogy by Chris Claremont and George Lucas and the daring days of “classic” fantasy. Ray McLester
Customer Reviews:
A unique, creative blend of science and technology with fantasy and magic!.......2007-09-06
Dale is a man in trouble, stranded, lost and seriously out of place - transported through a galactic space warp and marooned on Earth by means and enemies unknown! He is worried to discover that his sophisticated, technologically advanced tools and weaponry, normally capable of modifying and controlling the people and the environment around him are now undependable, inconsistent and frequently out of commission entirely. But the tools that he does have and his charismatic force of personality are sufficient to gather around him a ragtag collection of misfits that seem to have also lost their place in the world - a thief bent on reform and self-improvement, an "animal-whisperer" who dropped out of the local wizard's college, the spoiled son of a baron, a demon held in thrall by a sorcerer's spell who can't seem to stay out of trouble and the runaway pacifist son of a cutthroat murderer.
As Dale and his strange fellowship fight for their lives against Gorgs that, time and again, materialize out of nowhere to attack them, (think really mean, really ugly and really powerful ogres - big brutes with a serious attitude problem) they come to the realization that the entire world is under attack by a magical force that survived the Wizard's War thought to have ended over fifty thousand years earlier. The world's only hope for survival against an impending all-out attack rests with Dale's technological know-how reaching the city of Villenspell and enlisting the magical aid of the City of Wizards!
The obvious themes of "fellowship", "quest" and "world survival" beg for the reader to compare "Wizard's Bane" to Tolkien's classic "Lord of the Rings". I wouldn't presume to make such a grandiose comparison but it is clear that Crystalwizard has succeeded admirably in drawing on the work of the giants before her while still injecting a dose of originality that is at once charming, thrilling, humorous, moving and unique in its own right! As the first novel of a six-part epic, "Wizard's Bane" focuses primarily on the character development of the "fellowship" and the realization of the extent of the trouble the world is really in as it comes under attack from the Gorg army. In a manner reminiscent of Clifford Simak's warm pastoral style of writing, Crystalwizard's characters are realistic, personable, down-home and easy for any reader to identify with and care about. Her credible, completely natural dialogue flows easily and there are plenty of light moments that will cause a chuckle or a wry smile. That "Wizard's Bane" barely gets revved up on the plot can be forgiven on the understanding that there are five novels left for the now eager reader to enjoy.
Where "Wizard's Bane" creatively departs from the standard medieval based sword fantasy is Crystalwizard's unique marriage of sci-fi and creative technology with good old-fashioned wizardry and magic - the science even touches quite clearly on relativistic concepts of time dilation and space warping!
Highly recommended for lovers of both sci-fi and fantasy! In fact, I can't think of a better book to introduce devoted readers of one genre to the joys of the other! I think I'll head off to the bookstore to look up a copy of "Villenspell - City of Wizards".
Paul Weiss
Reviewed by Sarra Borne.......2007-07-13
A classical style fantasy novel that draws its influences from many recognizable sources, Wizard's Bane captures the reader's attention and draws them into the pages. In the opening paragraphs that are vaguely reminiscent of the start of Terminator: The Movie we meet Dale, a man from a technologically superior world who finds himself marooned in a land of magic. Dale has a penchant for attracting a rag-tag band of followers that, not surprisingly, ultimately end up matching the character profiles found in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons.
This group of misfits sets out on a multi-focal quest to restore Dale's missing powers, discover the truth about themselves, and what good fantasy novel would omit - save the world from sure destruction at the hand of otherworldly invaders. The pacing of the story takes a backseat to character development in this book, so not much progress is made towards the fulfillment of their quest, a good thing in this case as all of the characters possess strong but likeable personalities making it difficult to choose a favorite.
As this is book one in a series, the ending is very much a cliffhanger, since it ends rather abruptly right before they reach their first of many goals. Fortunately books two and three, Villenspell: City of Wizards (2005) and Wizards and Wanderers: Book Three of the Sojourn Chronicles (2006) are already available, and books four through six are written but not yet published according to the author's website.
A few minor flaws: the proof-reading isn't perfect, leaving behind a few errors that wouldn't be caught by a spell-checker. The layout style is a little odd and takes a little getting accustomed to as there are an abundance of new paragraphs, the majority of which are only one sentence long.
A 'must' for fans of fantasy.......2007-03-03
Crystalwizard is a storyteller of considerable ability. Some people aspire to be good writers; my own belief is that the art of weaving a good story is a prerequisite to the craft of putting that story onto paper (or computer screen). Others will doubtless disagree. But, if I aspire to anything as a writer, it is to become a good story teller. Crystalwizard is a good story teller.
Though I have only read the first book of the Sojourn Chronicles, it is clearly an epic tale of Tolkien proportions. The characters are believable, in a fantastic sort of way, and there is both a noble goal (that spans books) and immediate challenges and dangers for the hero, Dale, to overcome. Dale has a mission to accomplish, though he only slowly becomes aware of its scope while struggling to survive on the world into which he has been thrust. His survival is accompanied by his gathering a strange assortment of misfits on his journey to the "city of wizards".
There were some nice touches in the story. I was tickled by the idea of programming as 'magic' (a spell got stuck in a 'for ... next loop')which reminded me of Arthur C Clarke's quotation "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
In one sense, I was disappointed in the way that book one ended; there was less of a climax than I would have liked. But in another sense, this is part of the epic genre; how do you end a story that is a part of a much larger story? If you read Wizard's Bane, then be prepared to read book two (and book three, and ...)
Also be prepared to encounter the odd misplaced word on the way through. These things didn't bother me, but I did notice them. If you are pedantically inclined, then don't let this spoil an otherwise great read.
All in all, I consider this to be a read that shouldn't be missed, and I will be reading the second book very soon.
Wizard's Bane.......2006-04-02
Wizard's Bane is fantastic. I could not put it down and read it within 2 days. The main character takes the role of a leader dealing with the different personalities with each addition to his traveling troupe and must guide this mix matched group to a place, yet to be revealed. As a mystery reader I found it challenging. As a parent I am excited to be able to share it with my children. I look forward to the rest of the series.
Fantastic Reading!.......2006-03-29
Wizard's Bane is very hard to put down once you
read the first chapter. I showed the book to my
friends who couldn't wait for me to finish my copy
to barrow it! I read the book late into the night
and had it finished in 3 days!
I really like the main character and how he deals
with the situations he gets into! Some of the book
just makes me laugh so hard and other parts are scary.
The second book is a must and I'm anxious to get
the rest in the series!
MLM
Customer Reviews:
Surprisingly Good.......2007-08-05
For a book based off of a video game, it's an amazing book! This was the first fantasy book, I've ever read. When I first got it, I read it three times over. It really sweeps you away--especially if you are a daydreaming kid in elementary school!
Awesome book for kids!.......1998-05-05
This book was my favorite as a kid. It alows the imagination to wander. Whether or not you have ever heard of the game you will love this book! You ought to read it just to bring out the kid in you again!!
Average customer rating:
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Challenge of the Wolf Knight (Wizards and Warriors and You, No 7)
R. L. Stine
Manufacturer: Avon Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Stine, R. L.
| ( S )
| Authors & Illustrators, A-Z
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
Fantasy
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
Science Fiction
| Science Fiction & Fantasy
| Teens
| Subjects
| Books
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ASIN: 0380899442 |
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