Wizard at Large

Last updated
Wizard at Large
Wizard at Large Cover.jpg
Book cover
Author Terry Brooks
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish language
Series Magic Kingdom of Landover
Genre Fantasy novel
Publisher Del Rey Books
Publication date
October 1988 Print (hardback & paperback)
Pages320 pp
ISBN 0-345-36227-6
OCLC 20212750
Preceded by The Black Unicorn  
Followed by The Tangle Box  

Wizard At Large by Terry Brooks is the third novel of the Magic Kingdom of Landover series, following The Black Unicorn . Written in 1988, the plot has Abernathy accidentally transported to Earth by one of Questor's ill-conceived spells, while a demonic imp is unleashed upon the kingdom of Landover. It was the last of a trilogy of annual Landover novels until The Tangle Box was published six years later. The book was re-released as part of a Landover omnibus in 2009.

Plot

In an attempt to return Abernathy to his former human self, court wizard Questor Thews inadvertently sends the canine court scribe, along with Ben Holiday's royal medallion, to Earth. Specifically, Abernathy ends up with the medallion in the menagerie of Michel Ard Rhi, a cruel former prince of Landover who was banished from Landover years ago. Ard Rhi is now a Washington state millionaire who keeps a collection of rare and magical items in his personal castle. As part of the botched spell, Abernathy is exchanged for one of Ard Rhi's magical artifacts, and a strange bottle appears in Landover in Abernathy's place. The bottle contains a Darkling, a creature similar to an evil genie that corrupts its master.

The bottle is stolen by the G'home Gnomes Filip and Sot, and Ben gives chase along with Questor, Willow, and Bunion. Ben and Willow later decide to use Questor's magic to travel to Earth to find Abernathy. With the help of Miles, Ben's old law partner, and Elizabeth, the daughter of one of Ard Rhi's employees, Abernathy is rescued. However, Ard Rhi uses his influence to have the party detained at a police station.

Meanwhile, Questor continues to pursue the Darkling. He finds that through a series of thefts, the bottle has ended up in the hands of the evil witch Nightshade. Knowing that only the High Lord can defeat Nightshade, Questor decides to try to convince the dragon Strabo to fly him through the fairy mists to Earth. Using an itch spell, Questor gets the dragon to agree. They arrive at the last moment to rescue Ben and his friends from the police station and fly them back to Landover, but not before Questor uses his magic to restore Ard Rhi's conscience and convince him to give away his vast estate.

Ben and Questor confront Nightshade, and Ben uses his medallion to summon his knight champion, the Paladin. Nightshade, however, uses the Darkling to conjure a perverse version of the Paladin, and the creations give battle. Questor, meanwhile, manages to shrink himself and act as a stopper in the Darkling's bottle, cutting off the source of its power. The Darkling is destroyed, Nightshade flees, and order is restored to Landover.

Related Research Articles

<i>Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire</i> 1990 video game

Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire is the second video game in Sierra On-Line's Quest for Glory series, and the sequel to Hero's Quest: So You Want to Be a Hero.

<i>The Sword of Truth</i> Series of 21 epic fantasy novels

The Sword of Truth is a series of twenty-one epic fantasy novels and 6 novellas written by Terry Goodkind. The books follow the protagonists Richard Cypher, Kahlan Amnell, Nicci, Cara, and Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander on their quest to defeat oppressors who seek to control the world and those who wish to unleash evil upon the world of the living. While each novel was written to stand alone, except for the final three that were intended to be a trilogy, they follow a common timeline and are linked by ongoing events that occur throughout the series.

<i>The Flight of Dragons</i> 1982 film by Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin, Jr., Katsuhisa Yamada

The Flight of Dragons is a 1982 animated fantasy film produced and directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. loosely combining the speculative natural history book of the same name (1979) by Peter Dickinson with the novel The Dragon and the George (1976) by Gordon R. Dickson. It stars the voices of John Ritter, Victor Buono, James Gregory, James Earl Jones, and Harry Morgan. The film centers upon a quest undertaken to stop an evil wizard who plans to rule the world by dark magic. A major theme within the story is the question of whether science and magic can co-exist. This is told mostly through the experience of character Peter Dickinson, drawn from the 20th century into the magical realm.

<i>HeroQuest</i> 1989 fantasy-RPG-themed board game (re-released 2021)

HeroQuest, sometimes written as Hero Quest, is an adventure board game created by Milton Bradley in conjunction with the British company Games Workshop. The game was loosely based around archetypes of fantasy role-playing games: the game itself was actually a game system, allowing the gamemaster to create dungeons of their own design using the provided game board, tiles, furnishings and figures. The game manual describes Morcar/Zargon as a former apprentice of Mentor, and the parchment text is read aloud from Mentor's perspective. Several expansions were released, each adding new tiles, traps, artifacts, and monsters to the core system.

The magic in Dungeons & Dragons consists of the spells and magic systems used in the settings of the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). D&D defined the genre of fantasy role-playing games, and remains the most popular table-top version. Many of the original concepts have become widely used in the role-playing community across many different fictional worlds, as well as across all manner of popular media including books, board games, video games, and films.

<i>Paladins Quest</i> 1992 video game

Paladin's Quest, originally released as Lennus: Kodai Kikai no Kioku in Japan, is a utopian/dystopian science fantasy role-playing video game developed by Copya System and published in Japan by Asmik Corporation on November 13, 1992, for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was published in North America by Enix in October 1993. It was different from other role-playing games at the time, because when the player casts magic, it takes away HP instead of MP.

<i>Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light</i> Television series

Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light is a science fantasy media franchise that consisted of a short-lived toyline of action figures and vehicles produced by Hasbro, and an animated television series by Sunbow Productions that ran for one season of thirteen episodes in 1987. Star Comics published a bimonthly comic book series that lasted six issues from November 1987 to September 1988. The animated series was the first Hasbro property to be produced by Sunbow without the aid of Marvel Productions, and utilized Japanese studio TMS Entertainment for overseas animation work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic item</span> Magic object used or present in mythology

A magic item is any object that has magical powers inherent in it. These may act on their own or be the tools of the person or being whose hands they fall into. Magic items are commonly found in both folklore and modern fantasy. Their fictional appearance is as old as the Iliad in which Aphrodite's magical girdle is used by Hera as a love charm.

The paladin is one of the standard playable character classes in most editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. The paladin is a holy knight, crusading in the name of good and order, and is a divine spellcaster.

The wizard is one of the standard character class in the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. A wizard uses arcane magic, and is considered less effective in melee combat than other classes.

<i>Tome of Magic</i>

Tome of Magic is a handbook of rules and guidelines for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. As its name implies, it is a supplement to be used to expand the magical options available in the game. It was first released for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 2nd Edition, and the name was reused for a book released for the 3rd Edition of D&D.

<i>The Tangle Box</i>

The Tangle Box by Terry Brooks is the fourth novel of the Magic Kingdom of Landover series. This book was first published on April 12, 1994. The plot has an inept old wizard, Horris Kew, accidentally releasing an evil creature called the Gorse. The creature soon imprisons Ben, the dragon Strabo, and the witch Nightshade in a device known as the Tangle Box. They must find a way out while Ben's allies find a way to handle the new threat from the Gorse.

<i>The Black Unicorn</i>

The Black Unicorn is the second novel in the Magic Kingdom of Landover series by Terry Brooks, and the follow-up to Magic Kingdom for Sale -- SOLD!. Published in 1987, the book revolves around the evil wizard Meeks, attempting to wrest control of the kingdom from Ben Holiday, the High Lord and the appearance of a mythical black unicorn in the kingdom.

<i>Magic Kingdom for Saleā€”Sold!</i> 1986 fantasy novel by Terry Brooks

Magic Kingdom for Sale—Sold! is a fantasy novel by American writer Terry Brooks, the first in his Magic Kingdom of Landover series. Written in 1986, it tells the story of how Ben Holiday, a talented but depressed Chicago trial lawyer, comes to be king of Landover, an otherworldly magical kingdom. The book was re-released as part of a Landover omnibus in 2009.

<i>Witches Brew</i> (novel)

Witches' Brew (1995) by Terry Brooks is the fifth novel of the Magic Kingdom of Landover series. The plot has an usurper who claims to be from another world calling for Ben's abdication from the throne. Upon Ben's refusal, he soon begins to send several evil, magic creatures against him. During this time, Nightshade kidnaps Ben and Willow's new child, Mistaya, in a dangerous attempt to subvert her and use her innate magic. Meanwhile, Questor and Abernathy are stuck back in Earth to meet up with an old friend, leaving Ben and Willow alone to deal with the new threat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magician (fantasy)</span> Magicians appearing in fantasy fiction

A magician, also known as an enchanter/enchantress, mage, magic-user, archmage,sorcerer/sorceress, spell-caster, warlock, witch, or wizard, is someone who uses or practices magic derived from supernatural, occult, or arcane sources. Magicians are common figures in works of fantasy, such as fantasy literature and role-playing games, and enjoy a rich history in mythology, legends, fiction, and folklore.

<i>Complete Mage</i>

Complete Mage is a supplemental rule book for the 3.5 edition of the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. It is effectively the sequel to Complete Arcane.

<i>Magic Kingdom of Landover</i> Fantasy fiction series by Terry Brooks

The Magic Kingdom of Landover series is a series of six fantasy novels by Terry Brooks following the adventures of a former trial lawyer named Ben Holiday and the collection of friends and enemies that he encounters when he purchases a magical kingdom.

<i>A Princess of Landover</i>

A Princess of Landover by Terry Brooks is the sixth novel of the Magic Kingdom of Landover series.

This is the complete list of works by American fantasy author Terry Brooks.