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[an error occurred while processing this directive]Top:Arts and Humanities:Literature:Books
I didn't know it was possible, but apparently there does exist a programmer who can also write tolerably well and his name is Rick Cook. This isn't great writing, but I've read worse. This book is the first in a series of books about a parallel world to ours where magic is a very real thing and technology isn't. In fact magic in this other world is so real that it's quite dangerous. Anyway, the Good Guys are in a struggle for the lives that they are slowly losing against a confederation of magicians who practice magic without consideration of the consequences (i.e. they are self-centered bastards who don't give a damn about anything or anyone else). The strongest of the magicians wearing the white hats decides, after much research, that their only hope is to summon a savior from a parallel world. Enter William Irving Zumwalt ("Wiz"), bachelor computer programmer and geek extraordinaire. Wiz ends up in a world where technology doesn't work. He's in love with a gorgeous red-head who despises him (thanks to the equivalent of a love potion). The Bad Guys want him dead because they think he's a threat. He doesn't have a way home because the wizard who summoned him is dead. Oh, and his summoner didn't tell anyone why he chose Wiz -- and no one, including Wiz, can figure out a useful reason for him to be there, either. What follows is a lively romp through a not-especially-well-developed fantasy world (where the big city is known as "The Capital") as our hero tries to do something useful. The writing is just okay and the characters are sketchy. But, if you're a computer geek, this book is loaded with inside jokes that you will love. Non-geeks will be completely bored and would be better off spending their time filing their nails. Page created 5/27/97. |
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