The Secular Wizard: Book IV of A Wizard in Rhyme (Wizard in Rhyme, Book 4) - Hardcover

Stasheff, Christopher

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0345376005 ISBN 13: 9780345376008

Publisher: Del Rey, 1995

Synopsis

THE WANDERING WIZARD
In sunny Latruria, the wicked old king was dead, and the new king spurned the rule of Evil. But turmoil began to spread, even across the border, when the new king also resisted Good! In nearby Merovence, Lord Wizard Matt Mantrell donned a disguise and set off to investigate--never dreaming that Latruria's sinister prime minister was mobilizing his minions...
"Minstrel" Matt sang his way south, dodging deadly enemies and music critics alike. He was teamed with a lovesick lad, menaced by a manticore, haunted by a ghost from Greece, and swept along in a flood of youngsters fleeing the provinces for the "glamour" of the city. But when they all washed up in the capital, harsh reality awaited them, not gold-paved streets.
And even harsher reality awaited Matt. The Lord Wizard faced the ultimate test of magic--and he would need a lot of help to pass!
From the Paperback edition.

About this title

From the Publisher:

Christopher Stasheff is one-of-a-kind, the sort of writer whose books are both delightful and good for you. I've enjoyed Stasheff's writing from the first moment I came across it, and he never disappoints. Even non-fantasy readers tell me how much it means to them--and who am I to argue? Whether you follow the exploits of Matt of Merovence or the more epic exploits of The Star Stone, you'll have a fabulous time!

--Veronica Chapman, Senior Editor

From Publishers Weekly:

This is the latest enjoyable installment in the escapades of Matt Mantrell and Saul ("Wizard of Sarcasm") Bremener, former graduate students now living happily in an alternate world where verse has magical powers. When the evil King Maledicto of Latruria ("Italy by any other name") is killed, his grandson Prince Boncorro, having determined to be loyal to neither Good nor Evil, introduces supply-side economics to his goods-based kingdom. Matt, now Lord Wizard of neighboring Merovence, investigates the changes Boncorro has wrought. His "incognito" expedition is a curious one, impeded by occasional contretemps and the specious reasoning and obtuseness of several characters (Queen Alisande, Matt's wife, is particularly ill-served by multiple scenes apparently intended to show that pregnancy can make a woman moody). Readers older than Stasheff's usual audience may be bemused by the presences of Chancellor Rebezo and a friendly ghost called Spiro. Fans of the series' previous volumes should find this one, though a progression for neither author nor reader, as pleasant a distraction as those. Science Fiction Book Club alternate.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Del Rey
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0345376005
• ISBN 13: 9780345376008
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 357