In contrast to today's elaborate fantasy sagas, Watt-Evans's latest installment in his Ethshar series (Night of Madness; The Misenchanted Sword) provides a simple, complete story. Despite several years of study, Kilisha, an aspiring young apprentice wizard, has much to learn. After gathering ingredients for a lesson, she returns home to find her master, Ithanalin the Wise, transformed into a statue. A tax collector interrupted Ithanalin while working on a spell, a magic mirror tells her, with the result that the wizard's soul has been distributed among the various household objects. "The dish had run away with the spoon" is literally the case here, as all the furnishings have become animated and escaped out the door. In her efforts to track down the runaway objects and restore her petrified master to his former self, a quest that will eventually take her to the Overlord of Ethshar's fortress, Kilisha first tries to involve the Wizards' Guild but ultimately must rely on the few spells she knows and her master's spell book—as well as her own imagination, initiative and ingenuity. Excellent pacing and naïve charm make this good-natured fantasy especially suitable for teens. (Dec. 18)
