The Witch Doctor
| File:The witch doctor.JPG The Witch Doctor cover | |
| Author | Christopher Stasheff |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | A Wizard in Rhyme |
| Genre | Fantasy novel |
| Publisher | Del Rey Books |
Publication date | 1994 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-345-38851-8 Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| Preceded by | The Oathbound Wizard |
| Followed by | The Secular Wizard |
The Witch Doctor is the third in the A Wizard in Rhyme series by Christopher Stasheff.
Plot introduction
In the third installment of the A Wizard in Rhyme series, poet and martial arts expert, Saul Bremener, is drawn into Allustria when looking for his missing friend, Matt Mantrell.
Plot summary
The beginning of this book took off directly from the beginning of Her Majesty's Wizard. After parting with Matt Mantrell one evening, Saul Delacroix Bremener discovered Matt seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. Saul took it upon himself to track down his missing chum. But nobody, not Matt's family, not the other friends not the police, could help. Breaking into Matt's apartment, he found the rune-filled scrap of parchment which had transported Matt into the magical alternate world ...
Like Matt, Saul found himself able to wield magic by reciting verses. And not too soon, for he quickly made himself a formidable foe: yet another a powerful monarch steeped in wickedness and evil - Queen Suettay.
Intrigued by Saul's command of magic, Suettay was determined make him hers, or destroy him.
A menagerie of unlikely allies gave Saul the critical help needed : Gruesome the troll, young squire Gilbert, the miserable poet Frisson, a guardian angel, a handful of the faerie folk, and the beautiful but wraithlike Angelique.
But Saul would need more than that, he would have to find a way to enlist the mysterious Spider King to help Saul to counter the machinations of the evil sorceress.
Themes covered
In a departure from the first 2 novel in the series, the author explored the magical realm through the perspective of an agnostic whose primary concern was not to commit himself to others, but to stay true to himself and his conscience. The division between good and evil is less distinct compared to previous books.
Also explored largely through discussions amongst the characters was the institutions of government, bureaucracy, accountability of the public servants to those they serve, balanced against the need to keep things running.
Sources
[1] The Witch Doctor, Christopher Stasheff, 1994