The Spell of the Black Dagger

Huh - I've read later Ethshar stories that referenced this one, but I didn't recognize it until nearly the end (when they came up with the unstoppable stuff). She's an utter idiot - I wonder how much is attributable to the dagger and its effects, and how much is natural? Given how she got the dagger spell, at least some of it is natural. She's quite obsessed with power, and doesn't really notice that power in and of itself doesn't do anything, you have to know how and when to use it. Huh, I hadn't noticed - that's kind of the same path, or the reverse of the path, of the other viewpoint character (can't remember either name). She makes a proposal, investigates, and is proven correct; she's promptly invested with power, and then with show more more power and more, all of which she uses the way she's been taught, to fulfill her duties. Deeper than I noticed while I was reading. It's also interesting seeing the With a Single Spell guy and his wives from the outside, and reading some of the reactions to them. I do enjoy Ethshar. Oh, and there's also a reference to the new Empire from The Unwilling Warlord (I was wondering if there would be). show less

A young thief, having broken into a wizard's house to steal from him, instead ends up eavesdropping on him as he teaches his apprentice a powerful spell involving the creation of an enchanted dagger. She then goes off and tries it herself, and while it at first appears not to have done very much, eventually she realizes that she's accidentally created some very dark and potent magic indeed.

The basic premise here is a pretty good one, even if the plot does then go off in some rather strange directions. And I liked the setting, especially the way this world features many different varieties of magic, each with its own unique properties. Unfortunately, the characters are somewhat less interesting. The thief has the potential for some show more intriguingly shades-of-gray characterization, but instead she mostly comes across as unsympathetic, improbably naive given the kind of life that she's lead, and not very bright. Not that she has a monopoly on that last one, as other characters are also guilty of some pretty big stupidities. (Apocalyptically big, in one case. Or very nearly so.) But, the intelligence levels of its characters notwithstanding, it's a decent and readable enough fantasy story, although probably not a very memorable one. In fact, I suspect that's a good description for this series in general. I know I've read a couple of the earlier books, but all I remember about them is that I liked them okay, and that they somehow involved wizards. show less

Probably the best of the Esthar series; the female investigator makes several wrong (but perfectly reasonable and understandable) assumptions early on that lead to the final confrontation quite nicely.

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