Magic Kingdom of Landover #3
“I am being positive. I’m positive it won’t work!”
Miles Bennet
The third Landover novel has a bumpy start but ends up as an entertaining read. I loved the character growth in Ben and Questor, and spending more time with Miles made me really like him as a character.
Wizard at Large definitely did not start out on a good note. Ben’s petulant attitude irks me, and the G’home Gnomes have definitely overstayed their welcome. The bickering was aggravating as well. Fortunately, things improved in the typical zany, chaotic fashion once the story got rolling.
Ben’s attitude also annoyed me in the first two books, so that was not a surprise. However, he finally took a step back to start thinking things through logically and acting like I would expect from a high-powered attorney. I enjoyed seeing this shift and found him a more likable character because of it.
Questor was the other character that I changed my opinion about in this book. He is the haphazard wizard that inadvertently causes chaos, including the events of this book. However, he finally stopped feeling sorry for himself and worked to correct what went wrong. I could finally appreciate that he was the one to hold Landover together while there was no king.
More time was spent in our world in this book. For a book published in 1988, it ages reasonably well. I enjoyed seeing Miles as Ben’s sidekick for some silly stunts on the way to retrieve Abernathy. He is a loyal friend to Ben even after being left behind when Ben moved to Landover, and he isn’t resentful. The dynamic between the two was highly amusing, and I can see how they would make a great team in the courtroom. I hope to see more of him in future books.
The darkling is a devastating evil that was set loose on Landover. I can easily see the effects of its actions changing the dynamics between the people groups of Landover in future books. I hope the ramifications are not glossed over, but reading more of the series will answer this question.
The Landover series is a good blend of urban and epic fantasy. This book takes that blending further with the gang’s crazy antics. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Landover.
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