The Misenchanted Sword

By: Lawrence Watt-Evans

Narrated by: J. Bruce McRell

Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's Summary

Ethshar and the Northern Empire have been at war for hundreds of years. Hardly anyone alive remembers why, or over what. The tempest, turmoil, and war are endless, and the killing more endless still. The war has become not just a way of life, but an institution; no one dares to dream that it could end. Not even Valder of Kardoret, Ethsharitic Scout, trapped behind enemy lines.

But now everything has changed: at a moment of great need, a hermit wizard crafted Valder a magic sword called Wirikidor - a blade at once cursed and enchanted, a misenchanted blade that makes him unbeatable.

Soon the tides of battle will turn, and once they've turned they'll turn forever.

©1985, 2008 Lawrence Watt-Evans (P)2017 Wildside Press LLC

One of the best Fantasy stories ever told

Welcome to Ethshar, one of the most detailed, original, and amazing lands you will ever see. This is a world in which the setting plays as much a role as the characters. This is a brilliant series that LWE has slowly woven into a tapestry of tales over the years, and this is the first one, the introduction. The story centers on Valder, an army scout on the run from deadly northern forces. He stumbles upon an old wizard and convinces him to power up his standard issue sword so that he stood a chance to survive, the good news is he gets his magic sword. The bad news is the sword is cursed and will eventually kill him. The sword also made him immortal, so he'll only die if he's killed, but he continues to age. He's really paying for his request.

The story isn't what you expect. Yes, there is some awesome sword fighting, and Val goes through a series of jobs and identities. What is really good is the journey through life that Valder goes through, he is clever and lives by his wits more than his blade. And that is the special thing about Ethshar and LWE's writing. You never get what you expect, and the endings are often positive and upbeat. This is an incredibly fun book, and my son asked me about it just the other day (I used to read to them when they were kids) and the book still stuck with him.

The narration isn't bad, and suits the story.

I wish that LWE released all of his Ethshar books on audible.

Good Book, bad narrator.

Pretty awful. He sounds like he does voice overs for overdramatic true crime shows on Investigation Discovery.

Ethshar Great Book, Poor reading. Need the Sequels

Any additional comments?

I first devoured the Ethshar novels back in High School, and have re-read them all multiple times in the decades since. Great escapism, with a consistent set of rules for the universe. I was thrilled to se this, the first I read now available on audiobook, and downloaded it immediately. It was great to hear this old friend. Great as the story was, the narration is so poor it detracted from my enjoyment. the narrator uses the same speech pattern for every sentence and it quickly becomes distracting. Still. Download a listen to a great story, and then do one even better and read it and its sequels

Just as good as the first time i read it.

As this was my first "big" novel I ever read, this book holds a very special place in my heart as does the author. I have read this book about 5 times over the years. I still love it and recommend it or any other by Watt-Evans. the reader was pretty decent (sounds a bit like Martin Sheen) although his pronunciation of Wirikidor confused me. Loved every minute of it.

Interminable

Avoid this book. In the interest of transparency, I did not finish listening to it, and I almost certainly never will. It was one of my favorite books when I was about 16, and listening to it now, I have no idea why. The premise is pretty good and the first half of the book is all right. The second half is just deathly boring. It's just "main character walks around for a while" and I have better things to do with my life than listen to the not-at-all thrilling tale of some whiny guy I no longer care about trying to find an inn.

Also, I would be remiss if I didn't mention, as others have, the narration. Imagine. If You Will. Someone Reading A Book To You As Though Every Sentence Is A Headline And Every Comma Is A Period. Add to that his weird monotone and complete inability to do more than one voice for the characters and you've got a pretty awful listening experience. It's mildly funny that when a new character is introduced, the narrator will clearly be trying to give them a distinct personality but then can't even get through a whole sentence without reverting back to News Anchor Voice. If I had not had fond memories of this book already, I would not have gotten past the first chapter. Over all, I was extremely disappointed and will be removing Lawrence Watt-Evans' other books from my wishlist and avoiding anything narrated by J. Bruce McRell.

Looooove this story!

This is the first story by Lawrence Watt-Evans I ever read, and it's why I buy every book of his I see today.

A great story ruined by the narration

This is one of my favorite fantasy stories and I'm so disappointed that it's ruined by the narrator, who sounds like an AI. A jocular tone, no nuance to speak of, no change in pacing: he (it?) sounds like he's reading the latest business management tome. I hope Audible does refunds.

a great story

a great story from my past great to see it in audible hope others of Lawrence Watt-Evans past Works come out in Audible also

My first Ethshar

This was the first Ethshar book I ever read. I've read the others in the decades since, but this still holds a special place. I really appreciated the way the characters think through situations instead of just acting rashly. Similarly, Watt-Evans really thought through the way the various systems of magic in Ethshar would work and stayed consistent throughout the series.
More than a decade ago, I contacted this author and asked him if there were any audio versions of his books. He said he'd never really thought about it. I was thrilled when his books started appearing at Audible. I sincerely hope they produce the rest of the series.

“Audible 20 Review Sweepstakes Entry”

amazing book

I have read or listen to this book for over 30 years. I have read it more than any other single book. Sadly, this reader is like listening to Alexa reading stereo instructions.

Great Story, terrible narrator

Great, simple fantasy story that avoids the usual spectacular bits and focuses on a likable characters personal experiences.

Read by someone who has the emotional range of a satnav.

Great story, narrated awfully

1980s computer voice narration. Better to go for kindle version computer spoken version and cheaper. Story on other hand is easy to listen to. Pure fantasy. I love this story.