“Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz: Stories of the Witch Knight and the Puppet Sorcerer” by Garth Nix

Main Index / Reviews Index / Fiction Reviews Index / 2023 Reviews Index

Rating: 3/5 Stars

A set of interesting stories set around the characters of Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz. Sir Hereward is the only male born from an order of witches, and Mister Fitz is a sorcerous puppet who was once Hereward’s nurse. Both are sworn Agents of the Council of the Treaty for the Safety of the World, pursuing and ridding the world of malicious godlets using Hereward’s skill and Fitz’s sourcery. Recalling Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, they journey in a fantasy world full of magic and the more than occasional damsel, which are never in distress.

• “Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz Go to War Again”: Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz journey to a city of plenty sitting in the middle of desolation. Once there, they discover a god which is draining the surrounding land of life as it grows more powerful. It is by chance that the barrier protecting the god does not stop Mister Fitz, but in defending the puppet, Sir Hereward gets injured and we learn some of the background of the pair.
• “Beyond the Sea Gate of the Scholar-Pirates of Sarsköe”: the pair make a deal with a pirate ship to go after the treasure hidden by a barrier left by the Scholar-Pirates. But what they don’t tell the pirates, led by a cannibalistic captain, is that a rather deadly proscribed god also lies behind the barrier.
• “A Suitable Present for a Sorcerous Puppet”: while recovering from an injury, Hereward reads about a possible birthdate for Mister Fitz and sets out to find a suitable gift. But the gift turns out to be more than just a gift when sorcery is involved.
• “Losing Her Divinity”: told from a viewpoint of a person being ‘interviewed’ by Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz, it tells the story of two goddesses who want the pleasures that come with being mortal, but forgot about what being mortal really means.
• “A Cargo of Ivories”: the two become robbers to penetrate a house holding small pieces of ivories that could summon unwanted godlets. Unfortunately, they arrive too late and are off to chase the godlet before it does more damage.
• “Home Is the Haunter”: while hauling a large cannon, the two encounter a watery oasis in the middle of a large field of grass, created from a conflict between two warring godlets. Unexpectedly, they also find a fortified house and are treated as houseguests. But a closer examination reveals a chilling secret that would require all their skill, and Hereward’s running speed, to handle the situation.
• “A Long, Cold Trail”: the two are on the trail of a malevolent godlet who is draining life from others to grow stronger and waiting for more help to arrive from their Order. But help, wanted or not, comes in the form of another god slayer, whom Hereward considers to be a pretender. But any help is needed if they are to prevent this godlet from taking more lives, including theirs.
• “Cut Me Another Quill, Mister Fitz”: both are hunting for a dragon and its hoard in a city. Hereward gives up on making a list of the wealthiest inhabitants of the city, which finally leads them to the dragon. But the dragon may not be the one they are seeking for.
• “The Field of Fallen Foe”: a godlet lays hidden in a toxic field full of the bones of pasts monsters. But Hereward and Fitz are reluctant to banish it, for it is not proscribed and being hunted for causing the death of one of Hereward’s relatives. But a solution may be possible, if the execution of the plan doesn’t blow up in their faces, literally.

Book read from 2023/10/07 to 2023/10/13