Wizard Squared

I thought this book was great. When I first read Accidental Sorcerer I liked it, Witches Incorporated was a bit of a snooze, but this book was nonstop page turning. When Gerald fought Lionel and his dragon in the first book, it turns out there was an alternate reality. In our Gerald's world he chose the right path and didn't take in all the evil spells, in the other reality he did. It's got all the same players, but they are nothing like the characters we know and love. Without giving too much away, there is death in this book and it's a bit heartbreaking. It starts a bit slow and I was a bit lost, I had to focus pretty hard, but then the action started and I couldn't put it down. If you are looking for good magic and drama incomparable, this is the book for you. I was also under the impression this was going to be a trilogy and this would have been the last book; not true, the end page says another in the Rogue Agent series is coming. I can't wait.

Calling him an ordinary wizard was being kind to minor third grade bureaucrat Gerald Dunnywood. That all changed in a flash when Gerald the safety inspector for Ottosland's Department of Thaumaturgy was caught in a thaumaturgical factory explosion that brought out his untapped inner magical self (see the Accidental Sorcerer). That was then and this is now as Gerald and his friends Monk Markham, Bibby, Melissande, and Reg perform magical assignments as Witches, Incorporated. Out of nowhere, but actually from a parallel universe arrives Monk Markham. The newcomer explains to Monk and the others except Gerald who is on assignment that his universe's Gerald became more evil than the malevolent wizard-king he defeated when he became The Accidental Sorcerer. The Monk from the other universe has come to plead with Gerald from this universe to return to his to fight Gerald. The concept of opposite personalities is not new (Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde and a classic Star Trek, for instance), but made fresh with the Miller Mythos. The Third Rogue Agent fantasy is an enjoyable story that starts off a bit slow as the crew's amusing bickering and grousing slows down the plot. Towards the middle of the story line, the squabbling is abated and the tale takes off as the audience awaits a confrontation between the two Geralds. Fans of the saga will appreciate the return of Gerald as he is twice the fun with a good and evil versions colliding. Harriet Klausner