Tomes of Spellcasting--Wysard

Tomes of Spellcasting

Welcome to the land of mystery, where the impossible is possible, and the improbable the reality. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with magic and meet the souls that wield this wondrous powers.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: Wysard
Author: Carolyn Kephart
Publisher: Sterling Housebr> Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1999

Ryel Mirai, one of the greatest wysards of the city of Markul, has left his home for the past twelve years to return to the World. There, he hopes to put to rest the voice that haunts his nightmares and taunts him with the death of his mentor, Edris. Once in the World, however, he finds himself hard pressed in stalking and trapping the dark force, because it leads him from one troubled place to another, forcing him to divert his energies to right wrongs and correct dark and terrible evils. Along the way, though, Ryel learns more about himself and the force he contends with. Unfortunately, he also learns that he has a long way to go before he'll be ready to face that evil. Will he survive his reentry into the World, or will the evil hunt him down and destroy him first?

Wysard is the first book in a set that promises to be a strong and forceful member of a terrific genre. While the burden of acclimating one's awareness to the universe of this book lies solely on the reader, the author does a good job of providing enough information in little bits and pieces throughout, keeping the reader from feeling overwhelmed by an entire universe's worth of background information. Whether she disseminates the data through personal reflections of omniscient narration, the info comes at just the right time and place to lure the reader onward into the rest of the pages.

A word of warning to younger readers, though. As accustomed as you may be by cable television, graphic art media (paintings, comics, etc.), and your own experiences with fantasy fiction, this novel does contain references to a social marriage practice that modern society now finds repugnant and immoral, though in the past it was common among the royalty and nobility of the European kingdoms and elsewhere. If you're prudes or don't like to hear talk of such thing, then don't pick up this book. On the other hand, if these things don't bother you at all, then by all means read, read!

Wysard will keep you reading from one word to the next, from one page to the next, until the entire novel is done. Allow yourself some time to acclimate yourself to a new universe, and I guarantee that you will enjoy this experience as thoroughly as I did. And if you're interested, go to the Wysard Web Page to see what's happening next!

Rating: Thumbs up! Magic, intrigue, and magical intrigue: my favorite type of book!

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