With a Single Spell

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.

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.

Tobas has always been considered unlucky. But, when the wizard to whom he is apprenticed suddenly dies, leaving him half trained and with only a single spell, his situation becomes desperate. Setting off to the more advanced lands of Ethshar, Tobas hopes to find make a life for himself. But, what can a wizard do with only one spell? Adventure and danger await Tobas, and it just might be a that single spell will suffice...This is the third book I have read by Lawrence Watt-Evans, and it is just as excellent as the others. I found the story fascinating, and could not put the book down until I reached the end. I loved the characters, the setting, and Mr. Watt-Evans' fascinating magic system. This is a wonderful story, one that I highly recommend to any D & D or other RPG player, or to any other fan of high-magic adventures!

I love this book. It epitomizes some of the characteristics that make Lawrence Watt-Evans' books great. This story presents unorthodox fantasy elements with a seemingly improbably plot and weaves it together masterfully. An aprentice who knows a single spell and is expected to kill a dragon???? As crazy as it sounds, it is an immensely entertaining story with colorful characters, good dialogue, and creative writing. Given it is a light fantasy read, but many of his earlier books should be treated as such. Relax, kick up your feet, and read it in one sitting, enjoying it for what it is.......great fantasy.

This book is, perhaps, the best example of what makes the Ethshar series tick: there is a problem and the character or characters work towards resolving it.It sounds simplistic when put that way, and it IS a very simple concept, but what makes Watt-Evans books in this series stand out is the relentlessly logical and believable way that the problems are addressed.With a Single Spell is a charming story about an apprentice wizard who has the misfortune of losing his teacher after only learning a single spell (a simple fire conjuration). You can't get any simpler than that. And yet, the book takes off from that starting point and leads us through some truly marvelous terrain, including a dragon hunt and a very, very mysterious castle that seems to have crashed (!) into the ground.It is a very fun and inventive story that, while not being exactly Tolstoy in depth, is utterly enjoyable to read.