Forward the Mage

by Eric Flint and Richard Roach

Book Overview

The youthful artist-swordsman Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini arrived in the city of Goimr just in time for disaster to strike. The evil sorcerer Zulkeh had driven the King of the realm insane, then... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743471466
• ISBN13: 9780743471466
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Baen
• Length: 585 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

It staggers! It weaves like a drunkard! And oh! the lunacy! Plus pedantry! A Rabelaisian homage we

Combining prequel and aspects of similarity with The Philosophical Strangler, "Forward the Mage" is full of Rabelaisian nonsense that is certain to confuse and befuddle the average reader, who will likely then put down the book and exclaim "what nonsense! This is a terrible book! what is it even ABOUT!?!" and that is where their problem arises! The book really isn't ABOUT anything, outside of a loosely held overall plot about the Rap Sheet, that winds its way through the book like a single glinting thread of gold through a cliff of limestone being washed by the ocean. Why do books always have to be "about" something? Why not just sit back and enjoy the lunacy? The focus bounces back and forth between Zulkeh, sorcerer and pedant, and his apprentice, the dwarf Sheylid; and Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini, an artist, as he meets, travels with and falls in love with Gwendolyn Greyboard - THE Greyboar's sister, of whom we hear in "The Philosophical Strangler" and even meet there toward the end of that book. And, to make matters yet more entertaining, the book is purportedly written by a louse - yes, a humble louse! Living upon none other than Sheylid himself. As is obvious from the above, I rather liked the book. I think it will appeal to anyone with a good sense of nonsensical humour (those who enjoy Monty Python, Terry Pratchett, etc.) and who are willing to suspend reality to a fine breaking point and just have fun. Don't miss it, if I have just described you!

Strange but true

Like one reviewer mentioned below, this book is not for the squeamish. My friend and I got a kick out of it and we are both die-hard fantasy lovers (and not very old, either.) However, those to whom Monty Python and the Holy Grail and The Princess Bride do not appeal completely may wish to avoid this book. That being said, this book contains what every good book does: truth. A whole lot of it. Without spoiling anything, the lunatic's advice to Benvenuti in the last line? "Things change." How often does our modern society wish that things didn't change and get washed over by it? Along the same lines, verbosity is the bane of many readers, and yet the writers go at length to use it (so effectively, I think) to parody the notion itself. In store for dedicated readers are an uproarious Civil War (in the Dog House,a super-"socialist" city), the completely crazy wizard, and the very human and sane lunatic. (Don't ask me how they did it: the lunatic, Wolfgang, has better insight into the world than most so-called philosophical books do.) Great, great fun. My friend and I still stage Civil Wars every now and again. (We actually invented a form of government where every other state in the nation controls every state's affairs but its own, inspired by Forward the Mage)

This is the book that got me to really love Flint

I actually read this before I read "The Philosophical Strangler," and I liked it more. This was probably the book that got me to realize I should start collecting Flint books. This was also the book that had me laughing out loud in the library. And again. And again. Perhaps it's because I have the background to appreciate it, as another reviewer mentioned, but the points of view are remarkably well done throughout the whole book and the various historical, social, etc references hilarious in context. I firmly believe that if you are a big fan of dry humor, meta-humor, and absurdist humor, this will be one of your favorite books.

Fantasy writing at its best

Eric Flint and Richard Roach's Forward The Mage is fantasy writing at its best: an artist-swordsman faces an evil sorcerer, arrest, and politics when his artistic ambitions are rerouted in a struggle for survival. Both feature fast-paced action and complex, believable settings.

The Vernors' of fantasy books

The authors (Eric Flint and Richard Roach) definitely had fun chronicling this book. The frequent changes of viewpoint are confusing at first, due to the very different biases each 'narrator' has, but once I figured that out, it became even more amusing. There is a lot of satire directed towards the modern-day American way of life - licensing agreements and privacy rights just being a couple of the gorings dealt out. A uniquely flavored novel and definitely not for everyone, but I found it well worth the hardback price.