Zelazny's prose is delightful and there were parts of this book I really enjoyed--in fact, most of it. I just found the ending to be not satisfying. ( )

Prefer Zelazny's Amber series to this book, but it was okay. Babies switched at birth to protect them, and then slowly realizing their respective powers and destiny. ( )

Its been too long since I read this, but I enjoyed it. You can't go wrong with Zelazny. ( )

Two books are included in this volume, "The Changling" & "Madwand". I'm very tempted to suggest that you buy & read the first & never read the second. Not that it isn't good, but it leaves you hanging & Zelazny died, so this story will never be finished. The first can stand alone. The second leaves you dying for a third that we'll never see.The world is one where magic rules & it connects to other worlds, such as one where technology rules. In 'The Changeling', children are swapped between two worlds, but unfortunately each is a master of their set of rules. Pol, born to master magic, is out of place in the technological world. He finds his way back to his world of magic, to find the baby he was switched with has built a technological empire there. It is so at odds with the world that their conflict is inevitable. So again, Zelazny has blended SF & Fantasy, although this is really a fantasy novel. His take on how magic is used is very interesting. Pol manipulates & sees threads of magic, spells are knots made of almost living threads of power. It's a colorful world & well worth visiting. ( )

Interesting fantasy with a uniqe handling of magic.: "Wizard World" is actually "changeling" and "Madwand" combined.In "changeling" we reveal that Pol Detson , a son of a sorcerer , and Mark Marakson , a son of Our-world-computer-genius , have been switched when they were babies in order to prevent the murder of the sorcerer's son. Mark grows in a world that chose to go in the ways of magic , but his machanical talents are stronger within him. He does'nt care about the reaction he gets from his surrounding , until he's almost lynched , and vows to revange. Pol detson , mean-while , is in our world. He is an artist , a musician , a guy with a free soul and feeling he does'nt belong. Since childhood , he had a white streak going trough his black hair. He has mild telekinetic powers , and while playing he sometimes build castles and dragons and such from smoke. The day comes , when Mark , with the help of ancient technolegy , is becoming a real threat to the delicate balance in his world. The only way to stop him is to confront him with Pol. Pol is hauled into this world of magic by the old sorcerer that made the switch to begin with , and is amazed. He is in the land of his dreames. Being from a long lineage of sorcerers his powers grow. When he is recognized as belonging to that lineage he is almost lynched himself , but eventhough he's been treated horribly he decides to confront Mark Marakson in protection of civilization and in guarding the status-quo between technolegy and magic. In "Madwand" Pol lives in his father's castle and is studying sorcery. He is a Madwand - that is , a natural magician , but he too can learn alot in matters of techniqe. I can't reveal the plot since it's a story about how Pol is driven into the schemes and plots of the sorcereres guild , and finds out detailes about his lineage and father. In this books you will find a marvelous interpatation to magic - a combined hallucination , based on telepathy , that makes all the "fireworks" in a strugle of will-power between psionic people. Offcourse , when you read about Pol's "second sight" (the way he sees magic) and follow him in his understanding that every sorcerer sees magic diffrently , it's a little more exciting than reading it here. I gave the book only four stars because I can't compare it to "Lord of light" or "Creatures of light and darkness" - those are 5 star books , but it is a very good fantasy non-the-less. Recommended.