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Purple Phoenix Games (2266 KP) rated Gnomes & Wizards in Tabletop Games
Jan 21, 2020
I always thought that Gnomes could BE Wizards. This whole time I was led to believe that a Gnome could take on the class of Wizard and join these two houses splendidly. I did not, however, realize that Gnomes and Wizards were different species and vying for the same power crystals to fuel their magicks… until recently.
Gnomes & Wizards is an area control, map deformation, dice assignment battle game where the players are attempting to earn the most victory points (VP) at the end of the game. Players gain VP by defeating other players’ active characters (clan leaders and tribesmen henchpeople), and having the most hit points (HP) between all their active characters at game end. Sounds easy, right? Read on, my friend.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components will probably be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook from the publisher’s website, purchase the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
As I mentioned in my disclaimer, I will not be explaining every rule for this one as there are quite a few little nuances that make it tick. However, I will cover the basic gameplay, and I will be focusing on a 2-player game for this preview.
To setup the game, each player receives all the components in their chosen color for their clan. A clan consists of a leader (which is represented by the cone on the board) and six tribesmen (henchpeople represented by discs with their specific icon). The board is an elaborate puzzle of triangular pieces that fit together beautifully and create a very interesting map on the table. In the middle of this puzzle map will always be the mine tiles – tiles that have pink power crystals outlining the inner icons. Each leader will have clips placed on their cards to keep track of HP and Defense, and these cards also show baseline movement speed and attack power. Once all players have completed their setup and the black dice have been rolled to determine the starting player, the game is ready to begin and the crystals are primed to be exploited.
Gnomes & Wizards is a game of dice manipulation and allocation at its core. Leaders and tribesmen will always have base movement, attack, defense, and HP, but the dice rolls can alter these. Perhaps you are a super-aggressive player and are just out to destroy the other clan(s). I have played that way and it works very well. If so, then when rolling you will want to concentrate your efforts on the move/attack die face. These add to either your movement speed or to your attack power (not both). Other die faces include defense (which raise your defense clip), horns (which can buy you an ability card OR help to call a tribe – more on this later), or collect power crystals.
Power crystals are used to charge clan abilities (printed on the clan board) and card abilities (attached to clansmen). You can earn your power crystals via die rolls or by passing through the mine tiles in the center of the board map. These power crystals, and the abilities they fuel, are very powerful and can make or break encounters against other clans.
Horns are what need to be rolled to bring more tribesmen on the board. Initially, each clan will only have the leader cones available on the board to play with until more tribesmen can be called to the fray. Rolling three horns and having a leader cone or tribesman disc on tribe-specific icon tiles will allow that tribe to be called onto the board. Did you only roll one or two horns? That’s okay, because horns are also used to draw ability cards from the deck. Draw as many cards as you have rolled horns and choose one of those to keep and the others are discarded to the bottom of the deck. You may attach certain ability cards to your clansmen to be charged by power crystals and used later, or keep certain other cards hidden in your stash to be used any time – even on another player’s turn.
The winner of Gnomes & Wizards is the player who earns the most VP by knocking out opponent clansmen/leaders and earning 1VP per HP remaining on active clansmen cards. I purposely left out a couple twists for you here. Your gameplan needs to be carried out in just 10 rounds in a normal game. So you only have 10 turns to create your all-star clan, earn power crystals, and beat up your opponents. Not enough? Okay how about this – after Round 5 each player will flip over two map tiles at the beginning of their turns – thus eliminating possibilities of calling clansmen to war because their icon is now flipped and unavailable. Each turn is incredibly important to maximize as best as possible as you only get 10 of them, and the map will begin to crumble away.
Components. Again, we were provided a prototype version of the game, so I will not comment on component quality, even though it’s already pretty good. I can see what CavernWire is trying to do here and I am very excited by the plans. The layout on the cards is great. The dice will be cool when final. The amazing power crystals will be a little fragile, so do take care of them, but the design is awesome. The best part about the components on this one – the colors. This game is so wonderfully colorful, and extremely attractive on the table. When playing at work, my coworkers all walked by the table and wanted to know what I was up to. I play games at work a lot, but this one was so vibrant and interesting that they wanted to know more – and they are all mostly non-gamers.
I find Gnomes & Wizards to be a game that I wish I could spend lots of time exploring every strength and weakness of each clan. Trying new strategies, and watching them be dismantled by newcomers. I have not seen every ability card yet. I have not played with each clan yet. But I want to. It’s a deeply colorful game with engaging mechanics (and lots of them) that I feel offers something special to a game collection. So if you are interested in grabbing a copy for yourself, head over to CavernWire’s website and hop on the Kickstarter campaign. Or purchase a copy from your FLGS or favorite online retailer. We dig it.
Gnomes & Wizards is an area control, map deformation, dice assignment battle game where the players are attempting to earn the most victory points (VP) at the end of the game. Players gain VP by defeating other players’ active characters (clan leaders and tribesmen henchpeople), and having the most hit points (HP) between all their active characters at game end. Sounds easy, right? Read on, my friend.
DISCLAIMER: We were provided a prototype copy of this game for the purposes of this review. These are preview copy components, and the final components will probably be different from these shown. Also, it is not my intention to detail every rule in the game, as there are just too many. You are invited to download the rulebook from the publisher’s website, purchase the game through the Kickstarter campaign, or through any retailers stocking it after fulfillment. -T
As I mentioned in my disclaimer, I will not be explaining every rule for this one as there are quite a few little nuances that make it tick. However, I will cover the basic gameplay, and I will be focusing on a 2-player game for this preview.
To setup the game, each player receives all the components in their chosen color for their clan. A clan consists of a leader (which is represented by the cone on the board) and six tribesmen (henchpeople represented by discs with their specific icon). The board is an elaborate puzzle of triangular pieces that fit together beautifully and create a very interesting map on the table. In the middle of this puzzle map will always be the mine tiles – tiles that have pink power crystals outlining the inner icons. Each leader will have clips placed on their cards to keep track of HP and Defense, and these cards also show baseline movement speed and attack power. Once all players have completed their setup and the black dice have been rolled to determine the starting player, the game is ready to begin and the crystals are primed to be exploited.
Gnomes & Wizards is a game of dice manipulation and allocation at its core. Leaders and tribesmen will always have base movement, attack, defense, and HP, but the dice rolls can alter these. Perhaps you are a super-aggressive player and are just out to destroy the other clan(s). I have played that way and it works very well. If so, then when rolling you will want to concentrate your efforts on the move/attack die face. These add to either your movement speed or to your attack power (not both). Other die faces include defense (which raise your defense clip), horns (which can buy you an ability card OR help to call a tribe – more on this later), or collect power crystals.
Power crystals are used to charge clan abilities (printed on the clan board) and card abilities (attached to clansmen). You can earn your power crystals via die rolls or by passing through the mine tiles in the center of the board map. These power crystals, and the abilities they fuel, are very powerful and can make or break encounters against other clans.
Horns are what need to be rolled to bring more tribesmen on the board. Initially, each clan will only have the leader cones available on the board to play with until more tribesmen can be called to the fray. Rolling three horns and having a leader cone or tribesman disc on tribe-specific icon tiles will allow that tribe to be called onto the board. Did you only roll one or two horns? That’s okay, because horns are also used to draw ability cards from the deck. Draw as many cards as you have rolled horns and choose one of those to keep and the others are discarded to the bottom of the deck. You may attach certain ability cards to your clansmen to be charged by power crystals and used later, or keep certain other cards hidden in your stash to be used any time – even on another player’s turn.
The winner of Gnomes & Wizards is the player who earns the most VP by knocking out opponent clansmen/leaders and earning 1VP per HP remaining on active clansmen cards. I purposely left out a couple twists for you here. Your gameplan needs to be carried out in just 10 rounds in a normal game. So you only have 10 turns to create your all-star clan, earn power crystals, and beat up your opponents. Not enough? Okay how about this – after Round 5 each player will flip over two map tiles at the beginning of their turns – thus eliminating possibilities of calling clansmen to war because their icon is now flipped and unavailable. Each turn is incredibly important to maximize as best as possible as you only get 10 of them, and the map will begin to crumble away.
Components. Again, we were provided a prototype version of the game, so I will not comment on component quality, even though it’s already pretty good. I can see what CavernWire is trying to do here and I am very excited by the plans. The layout on the cards is great. The dice will be cool when final. The amazing power crystals will be a little fragile, so do take care of them, but the design is awesome. The best part about the components on this one – the colors. This game is so wonderfully colorful, and extremely attractive on the table. When playing at work, my coworkers all walked by the table and wanted to know what I was up to. I play games at work a lot, but this one was so vibrant and interesting that they wanted to know more – and they are all mostly non-gamers.
I find Gnomes & Wizards to be a game that I wish I could spend lots of time exploring every strength and weakness of each clan. Trying new strategies, and watching them be dismantled by newcomers. I have not seen every ability card yet. I have not played with each clan yet. But I want to. It’s a deeply colorful game with engaging mechanics (and lots of them) that I feel offers something special to a game collection. So if you are interested in grabbing a copy for yourself, head over to CavernWire’s website and hop on the Kickstarter campaign. Or purchase a copy from your FLGS or favorite online retailer. We dig it.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Witch Hunter (The Witch Hunter, #1) in Books
Dec 17, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review </i>
The sixteenth century is a dangerous time for wizards and witches to live – a place where magic is illegal. Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Grey spends her time disguised as a kitchen maid as she goes around hunting down witches. However when she is accused of witchcraft after being found in possession of herbs, her life is over. Suddenly the most wanted wizard in Anglia, who claims she can help him as much as he can help her, rescues her. Finding herself surrounded by the enemy, Elizabeth must decide whether she should escape and turn them in, or begin to trust people she has been raised to believe are evil.
<i>Witch Hunter</i> is a young adult fantasy novel targeted at those with a love of both historical and magical stories. Initially Elizabeth wants to capture and send all wizards and witches to their deaths, but after her rescue begins to realize that not all she has been led to believe is true. Magic is neither inherently good nor bad; it is what someone does with the power that matters. This story is full of action from beginning to end as Elizabeth learns who to trust and who needs to be destroyed.
At the beginning of the book there was a particular reference to something that felt inappropriate for young readers, however the remainder is exactly what the reader expects to find within this genre. Underneath the magical storyline is a message that urges readers not to jump to conclusions and be judgmental, particularly about things that they do not fully understand. Substitute magic for mental illness, disabilities or different cultures, and you have something that readers of all ages can relate to today.
<i>Witch Hunter</i> is the first in what promises to be an incredible series by the author Virginia Boecker. Although the key issue was resolved within this first book there is an even larger issue that still needs settling. Readers who enjoy this novel will be eagerly waiting to find out what Elizabeth and her new friends do next.
The sixteenth century is a dangerous time for wizards and witches to live – a place where magic is illegal. Sixteen-year-old Elizabeth Grey spends her time disguised as a kitchen maid as she goes around hunting down witches. However when she is accused of witchcraft after being found in possession of herbs, her life is over. Suddenly the most wanted wizard in Anglia, who claims she can help him as much as he can help her, rescues her. Finding herself surrounded by the enemy, Elizabeth must decide whether she should escape and turn them in, or begin to trust people she has been raised to believe are evil.
<i>Witch Hunter</i> is a young adult fantasy novel targeted at those with a love of both historical and magical stories. Initially Elizabeth wants to capture and send all wizards and witches to their deaths, but after her rescue begins to realize that not all she has been led to believe is true. Magic is neither inherently good nor bad; it is what someone does with the power that matters. This story is full of action from beginning to end as Elizabeth learns who to trust and who needs to be destroyed.
At the beginning of the book there was a particular reference to something that felt inappropriate for young readers, however the remainder is exactly what the reader expects to find within this genre. Underneath the magical storyline is a message that urges readers not to jump to conclusions and be judgmental, particularly about things that they do not fully understand. Substitute magic for mental illness, disabilities or different cultures, and you have something that readers of all ages can relate to today.
<i>Witch Hunter</i> is the first in what promises to be an incredible series by the author Virginia Boecker. Although the key issue was resolved within this first book there is an even larger issue that still needs settling. Readers who enjoy this novel will be eagerly waiting to find out what Elizabeth and her new friends do next.
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Dark Tower (2017) in Movies
Feb 13, 2018
Should've Dreamed a Little Bigger
If brevity is the soul of wit, then at only 95 minutes The Dark Tower should have a few clever things to say for itself; not many of them seem to reach the screen, though. Very reminiscent of many other movies in which troubled young boys tumble into fantasy world which it proves to be their destiny to save.
Given it sets out to adapt a 4000+ page novel series with a devoted following, The Dark Tower was probably always on a hiding to nothing as a single movie aimed at a standalone audience. The disappointing thing is, really, that given it's about a vast multiversal setting filled with elementals and psychics and wizards and gunslingers and suchlike, it feels so timidly safe and familiar. The actual story is competently told, but at the end you really wonder what all the fuss was in aid of. Probably too weird for most newcomers and too short for fans of the books; good soundtrack, though.
Given it sets out to adapt a 4000+ page novel series with a devoted following, The Dark Tower was probably always on a hiding to nothing as a single movie aimed at a standalone audience. The disappointing thing is, really, that given it's about a vast multiversal setting filled with elementals and psychics and wizards and gunslingers and suchlike, it feels so timidly safe and familiar. The actual story is competently told, but at the end you really wonder what all the fuss was in aid of. Probably too weird for most newcomers and too short for fans of the books; good soundtrack, though.
David McK (3369 KP) rated Onward (2020) in Movies
Nov 6, 2020
Late 2019, early 2020.
I rsaw a lot of ads in the cinema for this film. Then (in the UK) Covid-19 hit.
As a result, I'm not honestly sure whether this got a big screen release or not: I actually watched it via Disney+, not really knowing what to expect.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Set in a mystical realm where magic had all but died out (Unicorns as garbage rats? Genius!) due to the advent of technology, this follows two elf brothers who are able to partially bring their deceased dad briefly back to life, after the younger of the 2 opens his birthday present from said dad of a wizards staff. Only enough magic to 'bring back' his legs, so off they go on a quest for a power source to enable them to bring back the rest of his body.
What really follows is a story about familial bonding, that pulls in the heartstrings as well as made me laugh out loud on a few occasions!
I rsaw a lot of ads in the cinema for this film. Then (in the UK) Covid-19 hit.
As a result, I'm not honestly sure whether this got a big screen release or not: I actually watched it via Disney+, not really knowing what to expect.
I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Set in a mystical realm where magic had all but died out (Unicorns as garbage rats? Genius!) due to the advent of technology, this follows two elf brothers who are able to partially bring their deceased dad briefly back to life, after the younger of the 2 opens his birthday present from said dad of a wizards staff. Only enough magic to 'bring back' his legs, so off they go on a quest for a power source to enable them to bring back the rest of his body.
What really follows is a story about familial bonding, that pulls in the heartstrings as well as made me laugh out loud on a few occasions!
David McK (3369 KP) rated Guards! Guards! Discworld Novel 8 in Books
Jul 15, 2023
When people ask which Discworld book to start with, I often tell them to skip the first two in the series (The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic), then ask in which direction their interests lie.
Reimagining of famous plays/fairytales? Try any in The Witches series.
Primarily murder whodunnits? The Guards.
Of which this is the first.
So this is the one to introduce the reader to Sam Vimes, Nobby Nobbs, Fred Colon and Carrot Ironfoundersson, as well as featuring a prominent role for The Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, and which would lead to perhaps the most-revisited characters in the entire Discworld series - I think Pratchett returned to the Watch a further 7 times, for a total of 8 such novels.
Quick google search: yes, 8 times. Only matched by the Wizards of Unseen University.
Anyway, this is the one that sees a secret society summoning a Dragon in the hopes of installing a puppet ruler to the vacant throne of Ankh-Morpork, before things go awry ...
Reimagining of famous plays/fairytales? Try any in The Witches series.
Primarily murder whodunnits? The Guards.
Of which this is the first.
So this is the one to introduce the reader to Sam Vimes, Nobby Nobbs, Fred Colon and Carrot Ironfoundersson, as well as featuring a prominent role for The Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, and which would lead to perhaps the most-revisited characters in the entire Discworld series - I think Pratchett returned to the Watch a further 7 times, for a total of 8 such novels.
Quick google search: yes, 8 times. Only matched by the Wizards of Unseen University.
Anyway, this is the one that sees a secret society summoning a Dragon in the hopes of installing a puppet ruler to the vacant throne of Ankh-Morpork, before things go awry ...
BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated Onward (2020) in Movies
Mar 25, 2020
Fun...but..."lesser" PIxar
I am a big fan of the PIXAR films. I am a big fan of Chris Pratt and Tom Holland. I am a big fan of Fantasy films (wizards, elves, dwarves and so on...) So when I heard there was going to be a Pixar flick featuring the voice talents of Pratt and Holland about characters in a Fantasy world, I was excited to check it out.
I should have lowered my expectations.
Don't get me wrong, ONWARD is a good film. It is whimsical, fantastic and fun. It just could have been better.
Set in a time where Elves, Faeries, Unicorns and Wizards exist, but they exist as "regular" people, going to jobs, going to school, living their lives...ONWARD tells the tale of 2 brothers (Pratt and Holland) who go on a magical quest to bring back their dead father - at least for one night.
It's a fun romp, but it's not a REALLY fun romp. And that's the issue with this film. It is all lower case - where the film could have been UPPER CASE (if you know what I mean). Holland and Pratt are good together, they are not GREAT together (like Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in TOY STORY or Billy Crystal and John Goodman in MONSTER'S INC.). Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is off-beat as their mother, but she isn't over-the-top WACKY as the mother. Octavio Spencer is "octane" as a former mythical creature that aids the boys - but she's not HIGH-OCTANE.
You get the drift.
I lay the fault of this on Director Dam Scanlon who's other Pixar Directorial effort, MONSTER'S UNIVERSITY suffered from a similar malaise. It was fun...not AWESOME FUN. The pacing of the film doesn't really help as there is no strong push to the goal in this film. I caught myself stirring in my seat as the film progressed...never a good sign.
Don't get me wrong, it is still a good film - the kids will like it. I just have come to expect more from PIXAR. I put Pixar films on 2 levels - GREAT Pixar films (the TOY STORY films, UP, WALL-E) and LESSER Pixar films (MONSTER'S UNIVERSITY, CARS 2, BRAVE).
I would put ONWARD in the LESSER category.
Letter Grade: B (even a "lesser" Pixar film is still above average)
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
I should have lowered my expectations.
Don't get me wrong, ONWARD is a good film. It is whimsical, fantastic and fun. It just could have been better.
Set in a time where Elves, Faeries, Unicorns and Wizards exist, but they exist as "regular" people, going to jobs, going to school, living their lives...ONWARD tells the tale of 2 brothers (Pratt and Holland) who go on a magical quest to bring back their dead father - at least for one night.
It's a fun romp, but it's not a REALLY fun romp. And that's the issue with this film. It is all lower case - where the film could have been UPPER CASE (if you know what I mean). Holland and Pratt are good together, they are not GREAT together (like Tom Hanks and Tim Allen in TOY STORY or Billy Crystal and John Goodman in MONSTER'S INC.). Julia Louis-Dreyfuss is off-beat as their mother, but she isn't over-the-top WACKY as the mother. Octavio Spencer is "octane" as a former mythical creature that aids the boys - but she's not HIGH-OCTANE.
You get the drift.
I lay the fault of this on Director Dam Scanlon who's other Pixar Directorial effort, MONSTER'S UNIVERSITY suffered from a similar malaise. It was fun...not AWESOME FUN. The pacing of the film doesn't really help as there is no strong push to the goal in this film. I caught myself stirring in my seat as the film progressed...never a good sign.
Don't get me wrong, it is still a good film - the kids will like it. I just have come to expect more from PIXAR. I put Pixar films on 2 levels - GREAT Pixar films (the TOY STORY films, UP, WALL-E) and LESSER Pixar films (MONSTER'S UNIVERSITY, CARS 2, BRAVE).
I would put ONWARD in the LESSER category.
Letter Grade: B (even a "lesser" Pixar film is still above average)
7 stars (out of 10) and you can take that to the Bank (ofMarquis)
Hazel (2934 KP) rated The House of a Hundred Whispers in Books
Sep 20, 2020
Creepy and atmospheric
I have been a fan of Mr Masterton's books for more years than I care to remember but I have to admit though that I do find his books can be hit or miss with me but this one was definitely a hit.
This is a creepy, atmospheric story that starts off quite slowly but soon develops into a fast paced spine-tingling read with ghosts, demons, witches, wizards and a secret priest hole that isn't all as it seems. The characters are well developed and the setting is absolutely perfect and this adds to the mystery and tension that runs throughout.
This is a horror book but not an all out blood-and-guts horror book - there are a couple of gruesome scenes but they are definitely in the minority and I would recommend to those who like a bit of a scare but who are not into gratuitous violence or a lot of gore unless of course you live in a creepy, old house in which case I would leave it!
Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
This is a creepy, atmospheric story that starts off quite slowly but soon develops into a fast paced spine-tingling read with ghosts, demons, witches, wizards and a secret priest hole that isn't all as it seems. The characters are well developed and the setting is absolutely perfect and this adds to the mystery and tension that runs throughout.
This is a horror book but not an all out blood-and-guts horror book - there are a couple of gruesome scenes but they are definitely in the minority and I would recommend to those who like a bit of a scare but who are not into gratuitous violence or a lot of gore unless of course you live in a creepy, old house in which case I would leave it!
Thank you to Head of Zeus and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest and unbiased review.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Tales From Earthsea (Earthsea Cycle, #5) in Books
Jun 24, 2019
This is the fifth installation of The Earthsea Cycle.In this book is a collection of short stories from different eras and locations within Earthsea. There are tons of links to other tales in this series throughout this book, including character crossovers. There's even a whole section on describing Earthsea at the end, giving a real in-depth history of the land and it's cultures.
I am getting a little bored with this series, but I think it's just because of how the writing has a rather archaic feel. This writing really does help create the universe, but it's just not my thing. I appreciate how effective it is in creating the world of Earthsea and immersing you in the book, though.
My favourite tale in this book is the final one, where a woman is allowed entrance into Roke School. I'm interested in seeing if equality returns to Earthsea - women with power are looked down upon, whereas sorcerers, wizards and especially mages are respected for their power.
I will stil finish reading this series, despite not loving it as much as I maybe should. 3 stars.
I am getting a little bored with this series, but I think it's just because of how the writing has a rather archaic feel. This writing really does help create the universe, but it's just not my thing. I appreciate how effective it is in creating the world of Earthsea and immersing you in the book, though.
My favourite tale in this book is the final one, where a woman is allowed entrance into Roke School. I'm interested in seeing if equality returns to Earthsea - women with power are looked down upon, whereas sorcerers, wizards and especially mages are respected for their power.
I will stil finish reading this series, despite not loving it as much as I maybe should. 3 stars.
David McK (3369 KP) rated Equal Rites: Discworld Novel 3 in Books
Oct 17, 2021
Extremely early (only the third!) Discworld book, and the first appearance of the marvellous Granny Weatherwax - one of the late, great, Sir Terry Pratchett's best creations.
It's also somewhat obvious that Pratchett is still settling into his groove here; still finding his feet as an author, and still expanding upon the actual Discworld itself - there's little, here, in the way of the footnotes that some of the later entries have in abundance, while there are also aspects of Unseen University and of the races that live on the Disc that, shall we say, 'mutate' in those later entries - this is well before the time of, say, Mustrum Ridcully, with the UU itself and the wizards who inhabit it come across very different than they do later.
That, by the by, is not a knock - more of an observation.
The plot in this one involves Granny Weatherwaxes first student, Eskarina Smith, who - due t0 a mixup at birth - is destined to become the Discs first female Wizard - a profession previously only practiced by those of the male sex.
But, you know what they say (apparently), 'nary a slip twixt cup and lip' ...
It's also somewhat obvious that Pratchett is still settling into his groove here; still finding his feet as an author, and still expanding upon the actual Discworld itself - there's little, here, in the way of the footnotes that some of the later entries have in abundance, while there are also aspects of Unseen University and of the races that live on the Disc that, shall we say, 'mutate' in those later entries - this is well before the time of, say, Mustrum Ridcully, with the UU itself and the wizards who inhabit it come across very different than they do later.
That, by the by, is not a knock - more of an observation.
The plot in this one involves Granny Weatherwaxes first student, Eskarina Smith, who - due t0 a mixup at birth - is destined to become the Discs first female Wizard - a profession previously only practiced by those of the male sex.
But, you know what they say (apparently), 'nary a slip twixt cup and lip' ...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2165 KP) rated Dashing Through the Snowbirds in Books
Dec 23, 2022 (Updated Dec 23, 2022)
Programming an Ice Cold Murder
It’s a few days before Christmas, but Meg’s house isn’t full of visiting relatives like normal. Instead, it’s full of Canadians who are there trying to finish up a rush project. They are working with Mutant Wizards, Meg’s brother’s computer company. Their CEO, however, is less than ethical. Just as Meg starts to learn some of the things he’s been doing recently, he is killed out in her yard. Is she harboring a killer in her house?
It had a very busy couple of weeks, and I hadn’t realized just how stressful until I sat down with this book and began to truly relax while visiting Meg’s world again. As with the other Christmas entries in the series, the Christmas spirit comes through on every page. But it never forgets it is a murder mystery. The climax could have been a little stronger, but I’m being nitpicky there. I absolutely love this cast of characters, and I delighted in spending more time with them. They had me smiling and laughing as I read. If you need a dose of Christmas spirit, this book will definitely give it to you.
It had a very busy couple of weeks, and I hadn’t realized just how stressful until I sat down with this book and began to truly relax while visiting Meg’s world again. As with the other Christmas entries in the series, the Christmas spirit comes through on every page. But it never forgets it is a murder mystery. The climax could have been a little stronger, but I’m being nitpicky there. I absolutely love this cast of characters, and I delighted in spending more time with them. They had me smiling and laughing as I read. If you need a dose of Christmas spirit, this book will definitely give it to you.
