WOOD NYMPH AND THE CRANKY SAINT

Rating:
Summary: Be Careful What You Wish For...
Review: ...You just might get it! Daimbert soon found this out. When the King of Yurt decided it was time for his family to go on vacation, he left Daimbert and Joachim, the chaplain, in charge, with his nephew on the throne as regent. As soon as the King left, problems started popping up left and right! One of the dukes is plagued with magical rabbits... with horns; the very cranky saint that resides at the shrine of the Holy Toe has appeared in several different visions, some stated his wishes to be moved from the shrine to a church in a different city, and others saying that he wants to stay at the shrine; the church decided they wanted the nymph that resides in the woods around the shrine of the Holy Toe to be moved elsewhere; a duchess is being courted by an apparently low-born stranger *and* the King's nephew; odd zombie-like creatures have been sighted; and to top it all off, Daimbert's predecessor seems to be growing more and more incompetent. While all these problems are very serious indeed, Brittain still manages to keep it light-hearted and fun. Also, he does a wonderful job of addressing how magic and religion interact.

Rating:
Summary: A well done sequel, definately worth reading
Review: Brittain brings back all of the original characters in a worthy sequel to "Bad Spell in Yurt". While the sequel a lot of fun to read, I thought it had a sharper edge to it's tone then the first book in the series. I'd recommend this book to any fantasy reader-- if you've read the first book in the series then this is a definate "must read".

Rating:
Summary: A well done sequel, definately worth reading
Review: Brittain brings back all of the original characters in a worthy sequel to "Bad Spell in Yurt". While the sequel a lot of fun to read, I thought it had a sharper edge to it's tone then the first book in the series. I'd recommend this book to any fantasy reader-- if you've read the first book in the series then this is a definate "must read".

Rating:
Summary: As good as the "Bad Spell"
Review: C. Dale Brittain is one of the more underrated fantasy writers, who manages to blend straight fantasy with a sense of comedy and wryness. The first book in the Daimbert series, "Bad Spell in Yurt," introduced readers to the inexperienced wizard Daimbert; this book picks up where the last left off.

King Haimeric of Yurt is going away for a while, leaving his blunt nephew Dominic and royal wizard Daimbert in charge of the kingdom in his absence. But Daimbert soon finds that things in Yurt aren't as peaceful as they appear: Enormous savage horned rabbits are running loose. Saint Eusebius the Cranky, at the Shrine of the Holy Toe, has been appearing in dreams to different priests and hermits, with conflicting wishes. The wood nymph who lives near the shrine has to be moved, except she doesn't want to be. The strong-willed Duchess Diana has apparently fallen in love with her new huntsman, Nimrod -- and Dominic wants to marry her instead. And a twitty but well-meaning young wizard named Evrard is tagging along with Daimbert.

But solving each problem produces a new one. No sooner has Daimbert unraveled the mystery of the giant horned rabbits than he finds that a new one has cropped up. A mysterious zombielike monster is creeping around the countryside near the Shrine of the Holy Toe, and it's proving to be a much bigger problem than the horned rabbits ever were...

This book is as enthralling a mystery/fantasy as the previous one was, without repeating any plot elements. Brittain continues the good-natured jokes and occasional bursts of silly humor, such as the hunter called Nimrod or the horned rabbits. The whole idea of the Cranky Saint, the Shrine of the Sacred Toe, and his comical encounter with the dragon and subsequent sainthood was absolutely hilarious; Christians with a sense of humor may appreciate it. As for the plotting, it has actually improved: this book is more complicated and twisted, with a slightly tighter feel to it.

Characters return from the first book in the series, like the old wizard who served the king before Daimbert, and Joachim the saintly-but-not-annoying chaplain. There are some new ones, such as Evrard, a character who might be annoying if he weren't so earnest. The only character who fails to come alive is the wood nymph, who feels somewhat disconnected from the other plots. She did inspire some interesting theological discussions, of which there are more in this book than in "Bad Spell."

A delightful sequel in an all-too-short series. Read "Bad Spell," read "Wood Nymph," and then on to the next book...

Rating:
Summary: As good as the "Bad Spell"
Review: C. Dale Brittain is one of the more underrated fantasy writers, who manages to blend straight fantasy with a sense of comedy and wryness. The first book in the Daimbert series, "Bad Spell in Yurt," introduced readers to the inexperienced wizard Daimbert; this book picks up where the last left off.

King Haimeric of Yurt is going away for a while, leaving his blunt nephew Dominic and royal wizard Daimbert in charge of the kingdom in his absence. But Daimbert soon finds that things in Yurt aren't as peaceful as they appear: Enormous savage horned rabbits are running loose. Saint Eusebius the Cranky, at the Shrine of the Holy Toe, has been appearing in dreams to different priests and hermits, with conflicting wishes. The wood nymph who lives near the shrine has to be moved, except she doesn't want to be. The strong-willed Duchess Diana has apparently fallen in love with her new huntsman, Nimrod -- and Dominic wants to marry her instead. And a twitty but well-meaning young wizard named Evrard is tagging along with Daimbert.

But solving each problem produces a new one. No sooner has Daimbert unraveled the mystery of the giant horned rabbits than he finds that a new one has cropped up. A mysterious zombielike monster is creeping around the countryside near the Shrine of the Holy Toe, and it's proving to be a much bigger problem than the horned rabbits ever were...

This book is as enthralling a mystery/fantasy as the previous one was, without repeating any plot elements. Brittain continues the good-natured jokes and occasional bursts of silly humor, such as the hunter called Nimrod or the horned rabbits. The whole idea of the Cranky Saint, the Shrine of the Sacred Toe, and his comical encounter with the dragon and subsequent sainthood was absolutely hilarious; Christians with a sense of humor may appreciate it. As for the plotting, it has actually improved: this book is more complicated and twisted, with a slightly tighter feel to it.

Characters return from the first book in the series, like the old wizard who served the king before Daimbert, and Joachim the saintly-but-not-annoying chaplain. There are some new ones, such as Evrard, a character who might be annoying if he weren't so earnest. The only character who fails to come alive is the wood nymph, who feels somewhat disconnected from the other plots. She did inspire some interesting theological discussions, of which there are more in this book than in "Bad Spell."

A delightful sequel in an all-too-short series. Read "Bad Spell," read "Wood Nymph," and then on to the next book...

Rating:
Summary: Kept me up several nights, few books have done that to me.
Review: The wizard sure has his hands full. There was a good mix of fantasy and real life conflicts between church and everyone else. There were very few far fetched ideas which made the reading enjoyable. It is worth the reading if you like fantacy. If your too hung up on the real world, by a dictionary.