This thin book (only 128 pages) starts out as a delightful tale of sword & sorcery. I enjoyed the sardonic tone, reminiscent of the Gray Mouser, and the action was interesting. Unfortunately, after page 68, the narrative seems to break down and the story feels unfinished and haphazard.

Where most stories in the genre have a single hero, or a hero with a sidekick, this one features a true adventuring party where the four members are each specialists in their own field and each member is given equal weight in the narrative. I found this interesting because the book predates the development of fantasy role-playing games by several years. It does not feel like a "game book".

The treatment of women is similarly unusual. While it's made clear that the general view of women is in line with most sword & sorcery settings, the female adventurer in this story is treated with respect by her companions (perhaps because she has a knife), and she seems to be the most competent of the bunch. All this without being particularly assertive. ( )

Dedicated to Lin Carter, 'Wizard Of Storms' shows that imitation is truly the sincerest form of flattery.

Here Van Arnham has written a story so close to standard Lin Carter fare I wondered for a long time if this was Carter himself using a pseudonym.

By-the-numbers sword and sorcery then, enjoyable enough if you're not too picky. ( )