So a few days ago I finished reading the second book in the Ethshar series by Lawrence Watt-Evans. It took a bit of time for it to get going, but I liked it in the end. The third book, The Unwilling Warlord, was quicker to get started. What I have really enjoyed about the Ethshar series so far is that the protagonists are more or less normal people. They don’t want to save the world and generally just want to do what they can to lead a comfortable life. The second book in the series was a bit tougher to get into because I didn’t like the (lack of) work ethic in the protagonist. I didn’t have that problem with the protagonist of the third book. He seemed like a bit of an opportunist, but not lazy and not stupid. He takes a fairly straightforward approach to things, and the story one of the magic systems in Ethshar (Wizardry) in depth.

I really like the multiple forms of magic in Ethshar and am looking forward to seeing more stories in the world that explore more of the magic system. This entry in the series focuses on a gambler playing dice for small stakes, who finds out that he is the hereditary warlord for one of the small Southern Kingdoms. He’s forced into service there and of course hijinx ensue when the small kingdom faces a war on two fronts. He falls back on his gambler instincts and decides to use magic to cheat.

That’s basically the summary from the back cover, so I’m not giving anything away. I would really like to see a story set in this area a few years down the road to see what came of Sterren’s story. I enjoyed the book quite a bit. I wonder how it has been that I didn’t find Lawrence Watt-Evans’ work before. I know it can’t be because of the name; he’s got a great name. He apparently has another well-known fantasy series The Lords of Dus. And a few others it looks like.

I’ve really enjoyed Ethshar though because they are a bit light-hearted and fun.