The Misenchanted Sword

What a delightful find!! As I first began to read, I thought, uh oh. Hard to explain why, but within a short time I realized this was the way the character, Valder, a foot soldier/scout in the Eshthan army really IS. Valder is matter-of-fact, kind, quiet, observant, highly intelligent, unassuming, and above all sensible. He gets trapped behind enemy lines (in a war gone on so long everyone has forgotten the reason for it) and comes across an old wizard while being chased by the enemy. The wizard, very annoyed (his home gets wrecked) gets rid of Valder by enchanting a sword . . . only . . . it doesn't turn out quite right. Not only that but I soon realized that while W-E riffs off of memes, he does so in an entirely original way. show more Valder's 'signature' conviction is 'there is a way out of every predicament'.

The book gets 5 stars not for being great literature because (I mostly reserve that for four stars, actually unless - - ) I.could.not.put.it.down and I was inwardly laughing constantly. Not witty like Pratchett, but wonderfully tongue-in-cheek. ***** show less

Basically, this is everything I want and enjoy in a fantasy novel. Its not five-stars because there are one or two rough patches. But everything about this book suits me - pacing, characterizations, plot, props/objects, background, world-building, writing style.

with the size of my current library, i have such a back log i never get to re-read a book unless i externally compelled - and i can't recall doing so to anything but Shakespeare plays and some poetry.

but this book i did read twice so far: once between highschool and college and then again a few days ago. it has become my favorite book i must say.

the richness of the background and setting is amazing - rivaling the creation of Tolkein in a feeling of believability and completeness. but where Tolkien's focus is more on the grand scale and epic - as befits the Sagas be is emulating - the Misenchanted Sword (and the other Ethshar novels in so far as i have read through) grounds itself in a more tangible and "livable" setting by maintainig show more the focus on the average, everyman soldier in Vader. he is not a grand hero, nor anti-hero, but a guy trying to stay alive. the fantasy elements in such a world that would be "normal" to him no matter the oddity to us are treated as normal and the characters react with confusion on the unusual that would be confusing - the story keeps itself well within it's own bounds.

as i understand it, the auther concieved of the setting for a Dungeon & Dragons game - i can believe it by the fullness of material. i am glad the author decided to write the novels as they are a wonderful example of his imagination and the possabiliries in a well-thought fantasy setting. show less

Age Range: 15 to adult
Genre: Fantasy

"The Misenchanted Sword" is the first book in Lawrence Watt-Evans' "Ethshar" series. It's one of my favorites; I've read every single book in the series aloud to my son. We're both big fans.

Valder is a common soldier, a scout in the Ethsharitic army during the great war against the Northern Empire. While on the way back to home base from a scouting mission in the wilderness he discovers that the forces of the Northern Empire have made a huge breakthrough; his base is smoldering ruins, and he's cut off from whatever of his comrades are left. When he's spotted by several enemy soldiers, he takes off in the opposite direction as quickly as he can–but they follow him.

His one advantage is that he has a show more standard scout enchantment, a spelled stone which keeps him from getting hungry or thirsty. That allows him to keep ahead of his pursuers, since he doesn't have to stop to eat or drink.

On the downside, one of the three enemies following him appears to be a half-demon, incredibly dangerous. Valder has a sword, but he's not a great warrior; has no choice but to keep running.

Eventually he ends up in a marshland where he encounters an ancient hermit. He turns out to be a retired wizard from Ethshar. He's living in a hut and doing experiments with magic. When he finds out that Valder is being pursued by enemies and that they're likely to arrive soon, he's furious.

His fury is interrupted by the arrival of the enemy soldiers, who blow up the hut. With a last-minute spell the soldiers are fooled into thinking that both Valder and the wizard are dead, and head back to where they came from.

*"Give me your sword. You’ve been waving it about, we might as well use it.”

“What?” Valder realized he was still holding his drawn sword; he had never sheathed it after cutting through the wall of the hut, and had picked it up without thinking when he got to his feet. “What do you want it for?”

“I want to get rid of you, idiot.”

“How? By killing me?”

“No, of course not. You may be a fool, but that’s not enough reason to kill you. I don’t kill anybody. Besides, you are an Ethsharite, even if you are an idiot, and I’m still a loyal Ethsharite myself, even out here.”

“Then what do you want my sword for?”

“I’m going to enchant it. I’m going to put every spell I can find on it, every enchantment I can come up with that might help you fight your way back and out of my life forever.”

“Can you do that without your supplies?”

“I can do something; I know a few spells that don’t take anything fancy, and a couple of them are good ones. It may not be the greatest magic sword in the world when I’m done, but it will get you home, I promise you. I’ve got one spell I invented myself that I’m sure will do it, and it doesn’t need any ingredients I can’t find here in the marsh. If you stay around here very long I may kill you, Ethsharite or not—and neither of us wants that to happen.”*

When the wizard finishes the enchantments he tells Valder not to draw the sword in his presence. The sword also now has a name. The sword doesn't _look_ different, so Valder is naturally curious–but the old wizard refuses to tell him anything more. When Valder wakes up the next morning, the wizard is gone.

Valder sets out for home. On the way he takes out the sword and takes a look at it; it doesn't •seem• magical. But he soon discovers that he can't return the sword to its sheath. He can't even let the sword go! He can switch it from one hand to the other, or even to his back or leg or foot–but it will NOT let him throw it, drop it, or stop touching it.

Now there are a few things I should say: believe it or not, this isn't a war story. Valder works out many of the powers of the sword, and makes it home; his superiors are quite interested in the sword, but soon discover that it seems to be attached to Valder (who has managed to sheath the sword) by a strangely powerful enchantment.

I'll stop there with the recap (which is less of a third of the book so far, and make a few notes.

First, this is NOT a war story. There are no huge battles. The story is told from the viewpoint of Valder, and he's no strategist. But he's a reasonably intelligent and decent man.

That's a hallmark of Lawrence Watt-Evans' protagonists; they're •sensible•. They think about their problems and try to work out intelligent solutions. They're not bloodthirsty or deluded. There are a lot of huge fantasy books that would be one third the size (or less) if the protagonists just used their common sense; Watt-Evans' protagonists HAVE common sense, and use it.

There's a lot of magic in this world, different kinds. Wizardry, sorcery, warlockry, witchcraft, demonology, theurgy, ritual dance, and even science–among others. They make for interesting puzzles.

Although this is a series, the books all stand alone. The protagonists are different almost every time, and are separated by time and distance; we do see a few old friends every so often, but generally they're just cameo appearances.

Watt-Evans' writing style has a refreshing clarity and directness. He doesn't insult your intelligence. All in all, his books are a wonderful change from the usual drama, pathos, and affectation that characterizes a lot of modern fantasy.

There are 15 novels so far, and he's still writing more. There's also a book that collects short stories from Ethshar. All in all these books are all well worth picking up, and they're all still available to buy physically and as ebooks.

Here's a link to the series:
https://www.ethshar.com/publishednovels.shtml

And, of course, you can borrow "The Misenchanted Sword" free from the Internet Archive:

https://archive.org/details/misenchantedswor00watt

Happy reading! 🤓📖 show less

Would have made a good edited-down novella but there just wasn't enough meat for a 300 page story. Interesting world building however, with a pragmatic take on the rules of magic even if it doesn't really stack up to his 4-volume "Lords of Dûs".

Light, engaging fantasy at it's best. In the Misenchanted Sword, Lawrence Watt-Evans has created a fun story that's hard to put down. Valder is a likable character that I found it easy to identify with and found myself caring about what happens to him next. Whether it's figuring out what properties the crazy swamp wizard imbued his sword with or escaping from an adolescent dragon that chases him directly into the middle of an enemy encampment, the fun rarely ceases in this novel.

I had read this book once before when I was in Junior High School and I remembered it fondly. Rereading it again now, I found it to be just as enjoyable. Even when the pace of the book slows down, I was still turning pages to find out what happens next.

This is a show more fun read and I recommend for anyone who enjoys fantasy/sci-fi and needs a break from heavier fare. show less

A great start to the Ethshar series. I really enjoyed this book. As fantasy novels go, this is short and to the point. The main character is an ordinary person with some small talent for magic and a seriously flawed sword. Not a superhero with the ultimate weapon, which makes this more interesting than the run of the mill fantasy.