Title: Ten Things I Know About the Wizard
Author: Steve Rasnic Tem
In: The Mammoth Book of Dark Magic (Mike Ashley)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Easy reading, Wizards
Dates read: 13th March 2019
Pace: Slow,
Format: Short story
Publisher: Robinson
Year: 1983
5th sentence, 74th page: The wizard was indeed isolated; there seemed to be no other dweelings as far as the eye could see.

There are a lot of wizards in the world, but here are ten things that we know about this wizard in particular…

I read a lot of lists online, but this is the first time that I’ve read a short story that is in list form. And it worked kind of brilliantly. I wasn’t really sure how this format would work, or if it would really be a story. But it did work, and a great story unfolded.

Dark magic always seems to be about power, especially over others. And what can be a more potent power than that of a parent exerted over their child? Especially when they are the creator of the child (not in the sense you are thinking, but you’ll have to read this short story to figure out what I mean there).

This short story plays on the idea of power in a parent-child relationship and the ways in which a suitor can upset this. There is constant plays of power and battles of the will throughout the storyline. And although there seems to be a clear winner at the end, you still have to wonder if he did win in the end…

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Image source: Hachette Australia