The Oathbound Wizard

infobox Book |
name = The Oathbound Wizard
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = The Oathbound Wizard cover
author = Christopher Stasheff
illustrator =
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country = United States
language = English
series = A Wizard in Rhyme
genre = Fantasy novel
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release_date = 1993
media_type = Print (Hardcover, Paperback)
pages =
isbn = ISBN 0-345-34713-7
preceded_by = Her Majesty's Wizard
followed_by = The Witch Doctor

The Oathbound Wizard is the second in the A Wizard in Rhyme series by Christopher Stasheff.

Plot introduction

In Her Majesty's Wizard, Matthew "Matt" Mantrell found himself in an alternate world, where he could do magic by reciting verses. He came to the rescue of a princess-in-distress and helped her regain her kingdom. Mutually in love, Matt discovered he couldn't marry his true love - Queen Alisande, since he was ultimately just a commoner.

Out of frustration, Matt swore to conquer the neighbouring kingdom of Ibile which was ruled under the evil sorcerer king Gordogrosso, only to realise too late that in this world, oaths were binding. Accompanied by strange allies, a surly dracogriff, a well-mannered cyclops and yet another damsel-in-distress, Matt realised he has a lot to learn about magic in this world before he could be a match for Gordogrosso ...

Characters

* Matthew "Matt" Mantrell: Lord Wizard of Merovence, he found himself unexpectedly transported into Ibile after rashly swearing to bring down Ibile's evil ruler and win himself a kingdom, just to gain compatible status to marry his beloved, Queen Alisande. Matt learned the hard way that his oath was binding and the only way forward for him was to fulfill it.

* Queen Alisande: Ruler of Merovence. Though her heart loved Matt, her upbringing demanded a queen married for "the good of the kingdom" instead of personal reasons. After Matt's impetuous oath, she tried to protect him by imprisoning him and gagging him from reciting spells. When that proved futile, she mobilised her army to march into neighbouring Ibile, where she deduced he was, to aid him in his venture.

* Narlh: A dracogriff rescued by Matt in Ibile when the former fell foul of a sorcerer's trap, and became Matt's first companion in Ibile. Though he was capable of flight, Narlh preferred to walk, his fear of flying stemming from being spotted and badly savaged by a dragon in the past. The character Narlh had a big chip on his shoulder arising from his origins as the result of unorthodox mating between a female gryphon and male dragon.

* Fadecourt: A cyclops caught by Narlh trying to get food from Matt's camp. He was well-mannered and knowledgable on lores of Ibile, but otherwise reticent about his own personal affairs. Both his size and his mind made him a valuable ally to Matt in the quest. His real identity was revealed at the end of the story.

* Gordogrosso: current ruler of Ibile, from the capital Orlequedrille. He had supposedly seized the throne from Dredplen, who had previously seized the throne from Yzrprz, the first usurper of the Ibile throne more than 200 years before.

* Yverne: Only child of Duke of Toumarre. She was rescued by the heroes when her castle fell to the forces of Duke of Bruitfort. She descended from the elder son of Tomas, last rightful king of Ibile.

* Tomas IV: Last rightful ruler of Ibile. He made a misjudgment of taking Gordogrosso as counsellor whose advice weakened the kingdom's military, costing him his throne and his life. Tomas lingered on through the ages as a ghost, seeking to put things right.

* Duke of Bruitfort: An Ibilian aristocrat who to capture Yverne to marry him and give him a claim to the throne.

* Duke of Montmarte: A trusted courtier of Queen Alisande. He was entrusted to protect Merovence when she led an army into Ibile. He maned to persuade the queen to allow his son, Marquis Sauvignon, to join her campaign.

* Earl of Norville: Formerly aligned to the false king Astaulf. He now served Alisande and marched with her into Ibile.

* Baron D'Art: Commander of the bodyguards of Queen Alisande.

* Saint Iago: Patron saint of Ibile.

* Puck: A (mostly) benign sprite summoned by Matt to help him deal with some gargoyles. A most mischievous creature, he proved invaluable but soon found Matt rather boring.

* Robin Hood and his merry men: The legendary Robin Hood of Sherwood, his band of merrymen and Maid Marian made an appearance in this novel. Apparently, they had existed in another plane of existence, but had been given faerie enchantment to never die but travel from one plane of existence to another to continue their fight against evil.

* Sir Guy de Toutarien, Stegoman, Maxwell's Demon: Companions of Matt in the previous novel. They had earlier journeyed into Ibile to fight against evil about three years before. They managed to raise a resistance force and established a stronghold which was besieged by Gordogrosso's forces when Matt encountered them again.

* Don de la Luce: Guardian and sole human occupant of Castillo Adamanto, a keep on an island in the sea, near Orlequedrille. For 500 years, the keep had served as a check against kings' tyrannies in Ibile, functioning as stronghold for barons to resist unreasonable rule by the kings. It had for decades been isolated by Gordogrosso's forces, though some enchantment protected it from falling to the sorcerer-king.

* Sinelle: A maid from the sea kingdom of Ys. Ys had been a surface kingdom in the ancient past, but flooded by a disaster, sank to the bottom of the sea, but survived under protection of the Sea King Poseidon.

* Rinaldo del Beria: descendant of rightful royal house of Ibile from younger son of Tomas, last rightful king of Ibile.

Sources

[1] The Oathbound Wizard, Christopher Stasheff, 1993