Wizard's Bane

Proto-isekai that I read back in 2000, about a software programmer that gets pulled into a world of magic and creates a compiler for spells. I wanted to reread after Rick Cook's passing this month. It has its moments with the programming details, but at the end of the day, is barely entertaining. The kind of D&D-inspired fantasy that had its heyday in the 80s and has thankfully been replaced for the better. Great for the memories, though.

Original idea to apply computer science concepts to a fantasy world with magic.

Besides that the plot is high-fantasy predictable - and the characters are cut from cardboard. Kind of expected that so not much of a disappointment.

(that doesn't mean I won't read the next books in the series...)