The Misenchanted Sword: A Legend of Ethshar

By Lawrence Watt-Evans

The old wizard wasn't exactly happy with Valder, who'd led his enemy to his hut. Now hut and magical supplies were destroyed. But he'd promised the young scout a magic sword to get him safely back to his own lines -- and a much-enchanted sword Valder would get!

The resulting sword gave perfect protection -- sometimes! It could kill any man -- or even half demon. In fact, once drawn, it had to kill before it could be put down or sheathed.

Army wizards told Valder that the sword would keep him alive until he'd drawn it 100 times; then it would kill him! It wouldn't prevent his being wounded, maimed or cut to pieces, but it wouldn't let him die. If his new job as Chief Assassin for the army didn't make him use up the spell, he'd be practically immortal.

Not bad, it seemed. There had to be a catch somewhere.

There was -- and it was a lulu!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wildside Press
• Release date: Aug 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781434443380

Lawrence Watt-Evans

Born and raised in Massachusetts, Lawrence Watt-Evans has been a full-time writer and editor for more than twenty years. The author of more than thirty novels, over one hundred short stories, and more than one hundred and fifty published articles, Watt-Evans writes primarily in the fields of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and comic books. His short fiction has won the Hugo Award as well as twice winning the Asimov's Readers Award. His fiction has been published in England, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Poland, France, Hungary, and Russia He served as president of the Horror Writers Association from 1994 to 1996 and after leaving that office was the recipient of HWA's first service award ever. He is also a member of Novelists Inc., and the Science Fiction Writers of America. Married with two children, he and his wife Julie live in Maryland.

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Reviews for The Misenchanted Sword

[c8kbfsbzbf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Bought the paperback version years ago. A great read! LWE has an excellent grasp on very realistic character reactions to fantasy situations. This story is no exception. No spoilers, but how would one react to a magic item that seems absolutely great but contains one rather large drawback? Mundane humanity meets fantasy trappings, seeing how one might need to adjust their actions and lives to accommodate the results of spells. That’s a common thread in all LWE’s books and a large part of why I enjoy them so much.

[tim goodwin · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

typical watt evans. fun adventure. magic and swords. terrific stuff. I expect to enjoy other of his stories.

[karlstar_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[fugutabetai · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found this book through Joseph Mallozzi's blog / book club. It sounded interesting, and I liked that the author took the time to answer the questions. The general impression sounded good and it sounded like an interesting book in the fantasy genre that didn't just throw around the same plot and cliches. (It has new cliches and a distinct refusal to accept the common fantasy plot.)I really enjoyed the book, and found it a refreshing look at a fantasy setting. I really like that the focus of the story was not on saving the world and defeating an overpowering enemy. It focuses on a character and how the character is changed by magic and war. I am always interested in books that take conventions of the genre and do different and new things with them. I'm also interested in good standard treatments though. I am not sure that I could count the number of treatments of Lord of the Rings that I've read.The story is well written and goes by quickly. The story really focuses on one character more or less but the other people you meet along the way keep things interesting also. I enjoyed the book enough that I went and bought the second book in the series. Apparently this is one of the author's less successful series, so if the second book is also good I think I'll look into tracking down some of his more popular stuff.Anyway, another book to get if you notice it somewhere!

[jjmcgaffey · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fun. I've read some of the other Ethshar books relatively recently (this year, I think), and it's neat to see some of the beginnings. Now I need to reread my books to see if Valder shows up - I have a vague recollection of him, but it might have been from a description or snippet rather than from another book. I avoided Ethshar and Lawrence Watt-Evans for years because they were too silly - but this one didn't strike me as silly at all (some of the other Ethshar books do, but they _also_ have good stories).

[stefany_6 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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

[zbyshko · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.