Night of Madness
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5.0 • 2 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Lawrence Watt-Evans's tales of the magical land of Ethshar of the Spices had a large and devoted following in the late eighties and early nineties. Now, after nearly ten years, he brings us a new tale of mystery, magic, and madness.
Warlockry has been rare in Ethshar . . . until The Night of Madness, when a mysterious object falls from the heavens, sending out a wave of magic in the form of a dream. All who have the dream awaken in panic. But some of them also awaken to the power or Warlockry.
Throughout the land these newly made warlocks wreak havoc; looting and rioting, petty personal revenge, and uncontrollable madness run rampant. Worse, people are hearing a mysterious, irresistible call from which they never return.
Into this chaos steps the power-hungry Lord Faran, who seeks to use his new warlock powers to overthrow the government and take possession of the throne.
Who will dare to oppose him?
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in his popular fantasy world of Ethshar of the Spices, Watt-Evans's (Dragon Weather) newest is a sweet yarn about magic gone awry and a young noble's coming of age through adversity. Chubby, good-natured Lord Hanner is his Uncle Farran's errand boy. He works as a liaison between his uncle, who is chief adviser to Lord Azrad the Sedentary, and the community of wizards, witches, sorcerers, necromancers, etc. Since the rules set up by the Wizards' Guild include "No mixing different sorts of magic. No mixing magic and government," all Hanner can do is learn about magic, not practice it. Then comes the Night of Madness, when people awaken with terrible dreams and strange powers. This new magic creates unusually powerful warlocks; moreover, it affects many regular citizens and members of government, breaking the rules set by the Wizards' Guild. Magical mayhem ensues, and Hanner must learn the rules of the new magic, keep command of his small army and learn to control his own burgeoning powers as his uncle, the Wizards' Guild and Lord Azrad fight among themselves for control of Ethshar. Swiftly paced, with likable characters, this novel leaves open many questions that may someday be answered in further installments.
Customer Reviews
A delightful and lighthearted tale of a resourceful young female apprentice wizard
The protagonist, a clear-headed and practical young apprentice wizard in a cosmopolitan city filled with magicians, is forced to rely on just her own resources and the friends she enlists to her cause as she seeks to literally reassemble her master from the collection of possessed and animated furniture he’s inadvertently cast himself into. One of my favorite light fantasies, it isn’t too jokey and the settings and world Watt-Evans spins feels very real, a place you’ll love to visit.
His Ethshar series is almost universally worth the read, and this is one of his best.