In the land of Baroken it is the Wizard Lord's duty to protect the land, people, and magical ler. Since hunting down rogue wizards is one of their most important duties they are gifted with a set of talismans, ler that have been bound to an object, to ensure they have the most power. It was not long until the wizards of the Council of Immortals realized that those talismans would make it very difficult to deal with a rogue Wizard Lord, a Dark Lord. They created a second set of talismans that would be linked to those of the Wizard Lord and given to talented individuals who would act as a team to take down Dark Lords. The talismans of The Chosen as they are called enhance their natural abilities with specific magics according to their role in the team but they also bear a curse. When one of the Chosen dies the Wizard Lord loses the power of his linked talisman so should he kill all of the Chosen he is no more powerful than other members of the Council. They think they have covered every possibility. They are wrong.

The Chosen are comprised of the following archetypes; the Leader, Beauty, Scholar, Seer, Archer, Swordsman, Speaker, and the Thief. Most of their abilities are based upon those found in role-playing games but not all are obvious from the title. One of the key roles is that of the Scholar who remembers every true thing they hear but not falsehoods as well as occasionally being gifted with necessary information at the right time. Beauty is always the most beautiful woman in Baroken even before her attractiveness is enhanced by magic but is also gifted with the ability to heal. Then there is the issue of their various curses which aren't serious but must be satisfied every day. Leader must use his enhanced charisma to make someone do something they ordinarily wouldn't at least once a day while the Swordsman must practice with his sword for an hour. Together they usually make an effective team for taking down a Dark Lord no matter how they have defended themselves. 

The story begins in a remote village when the Swordsman arrives hoping to find someone worthy so he can pass on his responsibility. Breaker is eager to take it on so after rudimentary training he takes and passes the test of the Swordsman. The Wizard Lord himself watches the test through the eyes of an animal because it is usually the Swordsman who actually kills a Dark Lord, although the Archer has done it as well. The retiring Swordsman assures Breaker that the presence of the Wizard Lord and a few other wizards in animals is normal but something about it bothers him and he decides to travel hoping to meet some of the other Chosen. By the time he meets up with some of the others, the Seer knew he was heading their way, Breaker thinks something is off kilter in Baroken, especially with the Chosen. All of them are new in their roles and some of their predecessors died or retired in odd ways. Even worse, some are bad choices for their new roles. The Speaker is extremely timid and barely talks. The Thief is a housewife and mother who doesn't want to leave home. Although Breaker is suspicious he doesn't discover until too late that one of them has chosen to fill a secondary role. The Traitor.

Breaker is an easy young man to like. He's young and idealistic but also smarter and more perceptive than his enemies expect with a strong sense of duty they end up regretting. Each of the Chosen may be a magically enhanced archetype but they aren't exactly defined by those roles. In general, the magic can't compensate for those with mediocre skills or are unwilling to fill their roles. There are two Dark Lords in the series but they are very different villains. One is definitely an evil power-hungry type while the other might not be evil by the strictest definition but is actually an even greater threat to Baroken than the first which makes the second and third books very different from the first. Overall, its a well-written short series. Some of the character back stories are too dark to describe it as fun, but its still a good adventure story.

The Wizard Lord, The Summer Palace, and The Ninth Talisman must be read in order. All three are available in paperback and E-book, but they are not on Audible. Lawrence Watt-Evans, sometimes seen as Lawrence Watt Evans and not to be confused with Lawrence Evans the non-fiction writer, has also written sci-fi series tie-ins (mostly Star Trek) under the name Nathan Archer. Admittedly, The Annals of the Chosen is probably his least well known series but my favorite of his works.