Ethshar
Encyclopedia
Ethshar is a constructed world first developed by American fantasy author Lawrence Watt-Evans
for use in role-playing games, in which he later set a number of novels and short stories. He loosely modeled the political and economic aspects of the world on the Roman Empire
of about the 2nd century AD.
Notable features of Ethshar, in contrast to some other fantasy worlds:
Notable features of the Ethshar series, in contrast to some other invented-world fantasy series, include:
The first six Ethshar novels were published by Ballantine
's Del Rey imprint, all of them being accepted and nominally edited by Lester Del Rey
. The seventh and eighth were published by Tor Books
, but disappointing sales led Tor to ask Lawrence Watt-Evans to concentrate on his non-Ethshar material, which generated much better sales. After writing several non-Ethshar fantasy novels for Tor, Watt-Evans began experimentally serializing the ninth Ethshar novel, The Spriggan Mirror, on his website under a modified form of the Street Performer Protocol
. That novel was published in trade paperback, along with the following, The Vondish Ambassador. LWE has moved on to a third Ethshar serial The Final Calling.
The Ethshar short stories were first published in various anthologies; later six of them were included as bonus material in Wildside Press
's reprints of the Del Rey Ethshar novels.
Lawrence Watt-Evans
Lawrence Watt-Evans is one of the pseudonyms of American science fiction and fantasy author Lawrence Watt Evans...
for use in role-playing games, in which he later set a number of novels and short stories. He loosely modeled the political and economic aspects of the world on the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
of about the 2nd century AD.
Background
Ethshar is the common name of three large cities in the major civilization of this world: Ethshar of the Spices, Ethshar of the Sands, and Ethshar of the Rocks, making up a political entity called the Hegemony of the Three Ethshars. To the southeast of the Hegemony is where the original "Old Ethshar" once was. The former Ethshar, which became embroiled in a generations-long war with the Northern Empire, broke up into more than two hundred statelets collectively called the Small Kingdoms before the end of the "Great War." The inhabitants don't have a name for their world, simply calling it the World.Notable features of Ethshar, in contrast to some other fantasy worlds:
- Besides humans there are few other intelligent races, including dragons.
- There are many different varieties of magic in EthsharVarieties of magic in EthsharThe world of Ethshar was created by American fantasy author Lawrence Watt-Evans. Originally created for use in role-playing games he has since used it for a number of novels and short stories...
, each with its own laws. Some, like the telekinesis exhibited by Ethshar's warlocksVarieties of magic in EthsharThe world of Ethshar was created by American fantasy author Lawrence Watt-Evans. Originally created for use in role-playing games he has since used it for a number of novels and short stories...
, seem to owe more influence to science fictional than fantasy influences. - Ethshar, as a world, does not seem to be on a planet- the known world is the end-cap of a cylinder surrounded by what seems to be a noxious yellow gas.
- Magic, in particular wizardryVarieties of magic in EthsharThe world of Ethshar was created by American fantasy author Lawrence Watt-Evans. Originally created for use in role-playing games he has since used it for a number of novels and short stories...
, is powerful enough to create other universes.
Notable features of the Ethshar series, in contrast to some other invented-world fantasy series, include:
- The novels and stories stand alone and don't need to be read in a particular order (with some exceptions mentioned by Watt-Evans on the Ethshar site).
- The scope of the stories tends to be personal rather than cosmic.
The first six Ethshar novels were published by Ballantine
Ballantine Books
Ballantine Books is a major book publisher located in the United States, founded in 1952 by Ian Ballantine with his wife, Betty Ballantine. It was acquired by Random House in 1973, which in turn was acquired by Bertelsmann AG in 1998 and remains part of that company today. Ballantine's logo is a...
's Del Rey imprint, all of them being accepted and nominally edited by Lester Del Rey
Lester del Rey
Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey was the author of many of the Winston Science Fiction juvenile SF series, and the editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books, along with his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.-Birth...
. The seventh and eighth were published by Tor Books
Tor Books
Tor Books is one of two imprints of Tom Doherty Associates LLC, based in New York City. It is noted for its science fiction and fantasy titles. Tom Doherty Associates also publishes mainstream fiction, mystery, and occasional military history titles under its Forge imprint. The company was founded...
, but disappointing sales led Tor to ask Lawrence Watt-Evans to concentrate on his non-Ethshar material, which generated much better sales. After writing several non-Ethshar fantasy novels for Tor, Watt-Evans began experimentally serializing the ninth Ethshar novel, The Spriggan Mirror, on his website under a modified form of the Street Performer Protocol
Street Performer Protocol
The threshold pledge or fund and release system is a way of making a fundraising pledge as a group of individuals, often involving charitable goals or financing the provision of a public good. An amount of money is set as the goal or threshold to reach for the specified purpose and interested...
. That novel was published in trade paperback, along with the following, The Vondish Ambassador. LWE has moved on to a third Ethshar serial The Final Calling.
The Ethshar short stories were first published in various anthologies; later six of them were included as bonus material in Wildside Press
Wildside Press
Wildside Press is an independent publishing company located in Maryland, USA. It was founded in 1989 by John Gregory and Kim Betancourt. While the press was originally conceived as a publisher of speculative fiction in both trade and limited editions, it has broadened out somewhat since then, both...
's reprints of the Del Rey Ethshar novels.
Novels
- The Misenchanted Sword
- With a Single Spell
- The Unwilling WarlordThe Unwilling WarlordThe Unwilling Warlord is a fantasy novel by Lawrence Watt-Evans. It details the story of hereditary warlord Sterren of Semma taking over, unwillingly, the position of warlord for one of Ethshar's Small Kingdoms.-Plot introduction:...
- The Blood of a Dragon
- Taking Flight
- The Spell of the Black Dagger
- Night of Madness
- Ithanalin's Restoration
- The Spriggan Mirror
- The Vondish Ambassador
- The Unwelcome Warlock (in process as of Sept 2010)
Short stories
- Portrait of a Hero
- The Guardswoman
- Sirinita's Dragon
- The Bloodstone
- Night Flight
- Weaving Spells
- Ingredients
- The God in Red (chapbookChapbookA chapbook is a pocket-sized booklet. The term chap-book was formalized by bibliophiles of the 19th century, as a variety of ephemera , popular or folk literature. It includes many kinds of printed material such as pamphlets, political and religious tracts, nursery rhymes, poetry, folk tales,...
)
External links
- Ethshar home page
- A F.A.Q. page about Ethshar written by Lawrence Watt-Evans
- A fan wiki collecting information about Ethshar
- Review of the Ethshar books by Jo WaltonJo WaltonJo Walton is a Welsh-Canadian fantasy and science fiction writer and poet. She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in 2002 and the World Fantasy award for her novel Tooth and Claw in 2004. Her novel Ha'penny was a co-winner of the 2008 Prometheus Award...