Zelazny’s fantasy books almost always offer something to separate them from pure fantasy: Jack of Shadows gave us a sword-and-sorcery thief living on a non-rotating planet whose dark side bred magic and light side fostered technology; The Amber Series introduced us to a scheming family with the ability to pass through universes of all sorts, be they primitive and marvelous or developed and scientific. And then there’s Lord of Light, which, while generally considered a SF novel, definitely has elements of fantasy to it.Changeling, the book preceding Madwand in this unfinished trilogy, is somewhat similar to Jack of Shadows in its meeting of scientific and magical worlds. But Madwand is something of a Zelazny anomaly (Zelnomalzy?) in that it’s pretty much a straight-up fantasy book with plenty of the old tropes and cliches: you’ve got a thief named after a rodent, a wizard born into a strange and powerful destiny, a classic struggle between good and evil, and, of course, dragons.In a way, this may seem to make Madwand a sub-par effort from Zelazny. But he’s still got a few traits that set his book apart from the rest of the overdone fantasy stories out there: intrigue and imagination.Yes, I know, these are two things that most fantasy books have to some degree. But Zelazny’s version of these classic characteristics, I feel, puts him ahead of the crowd.As far as intrigue goes, it’s always fun to see how skillfully Zelazny planned things out in advance. He’s got a lot of different moving parts to his stories, and they always seem to fit together in just the right way at just the right time.And the imagination, well—let’s just say that there are plenty of ways to do a sorcerous duel, but few are going to be as interesting as the ones in Madwand. Mind you, I did feel that the fights went a little too long in some cases, but I still had to respect the amount of thought that went into the magical system here. It’s a beautiful, visually stimulating thing when protagonist Pol Detson finds himself locking horns with his various antagonists.As far as Zelazny books go, this isn’t one of his best—I’d much rather have the variety and trope-dodging found in some of his other works. But I did still enjoy Madwand, and I’m saddened the author never got around to finishing the trilogy; I’d have liked to have seen where things went from here.
Hmmm... Actually, I found out that fantasy still isn't really my thing. I gave it an honest shot, but I guess it just doesn't work for me. =)Compared to 'Changeling' I did like 'Madwand' better, because the writing style was smoother, but it still was a story which I struggled to get through. This may be because I read the Dutch translation and I usually prefer the original language above a translation. Besides the fantasy theme, there was also some comedy in it. At times the story made me chuckle and that eased my struggle to stay engaged (to be very honest). Especially the final comic note of the "MADE IN HONG KONG'-tag was hilarious! ;)The story contained some fights as well. They aren't repetitive or gory, but I didn't really enjoy reading about fights. (I guess that's not my thing either ;))The story was not bad, when I look at it from as objective a perspective as I can. The story was consistent, had a complex, yet well-thought of story line and interesting characters. I give it three stars because of my own enjoyment.
What do You think about Madwand (2004)?
Moins intéressant que « L'Enfant de nulle part » (Changeling), « Franc-Sorcier » (belle traduction de « Madwand », chapeau) raconte la suite des aventures de Pol (arg, Pol avec un o...), un franc-sorcier constamment manipulé par des forces qui dépassent son entendement.Le présent roman met en scène sa lutte pour connaître ses marionnettistes et comprendre leurs motifs, pour ensuite mieux les vaincre.Le récit est intéressant, mais l'ajout d'un narrateur évanescent - un esprit qui tente d'aider Pol - s'avère agaçant. J'ai sauté plusieurs parties du récit où cet être immatériel décrit son outremonde, car je n'avais pas l'impression que ça faisait avancer l'histoire. C'est comme d'avoir un angle additionnel à une scène de cinéma... ça n'est pas passé à l'histoire comme le meilleur bonus sur un DVD. Enfin, passons.Le récit est quand même assez intéressant. On veut connaître la fin. Et c'est là que ça se gâte. Les révélations de la fin m'ont plutôt laissé de glace, alors que la conclusion elle-même survient tout de suite après l'affrontement ultime. J'aurais aimé qu'il y ait moins de liens tirés par les cheveux et que l'auteur prenne le temps de situer son personnage dans l'instant qui suit le dernier combat.Bref, on quitte Pol et son monde avec le sentiment que nous avons manqué quelque chose...Note : j'ai lu ce récit dans le livre-combo qui rassemble « L'enfant de nulle part » et « Franc-sorcier » chez Folio SF.
—Ghoule
This is the second & final book - although it leaves us hanging terribly - in the Changeling saga. The first book, 'The Changeling' is able to stand alone. This book is an excellent addition, but it certainly leaves us wanting at least one more book. Unfortunately, Zelazny died before writing the conclusion. Our loss. If you don't mind getting hung up on a cliff hanger, by all means read this. It's interesting, well written & has a pretty neat view of magic; threads for spells, a newly create demon that doesn't know its name & an interesting rite of passage. If you like things wrapped up neat & tidy, stick with the Changeling only.
—Jim
