The Wizard of Anharitte

This short novel is readable and mildly entertaining, though rather inconsequential.

It takes place on a planet inhabited by humans with a mediæval society and technology (for unexplained historical reasons), which happens to be a vital trading centre for more advanced human societies on other planets of other solar systems; its importance as a trading centre is stated, and essential to the plot, but inadequately explained.

The story involves a struggle for influence and power on this planet between various off-world interests.

The protagonist, although painted as a decent and fairly likeable man, is responsible for escalating a basically commercial dispute into a small war, and seems curiously unaware that his moral justification for getting people killed is zero.

The entertainment value comes mainly from the ingenuity shown by his mysterious opponent, the Wizard of Anharitte mentioned in the title; although the so-called wizard turns out to have unfair advantages as well as ingenuity.

I note in passing that the cover illustration of this edition has no relevance whatsoever to the story; the artist, Peter Jones, evidently never read the book and never even bothered to ask for a brief summary.