Lloyd Alexander, when discussing the novel, and the series at large, attributed its inspiration to the atmosphere of pre-Revolutionary France and figures of the early nineteenth and late eighteenth centuries like Alessandro Cagliostro, Napoleon Bonaparte, and the paintings of Francisco Goya.

"[3] Like his Chronicles of Prydain, Alexander acknowledged that "an awful lot of situations in Westmark" were inspired by his service in World War II.

The job is to print pamphlets advertising "Doctor Absalom," whose repertoire of quackery is backed up by an enormous payment.

Upon catching up with the duo, Theo discovers that Doctor Absalom is one of many pseudonyms used by the charismatic confidence man Count Las Bombas.

Their scams include attempt to defraud a man named Skeit, who manages to outwit Las Bombas.

Frustrated, Cabbarus dispatches an assassin to deal with Torrens and uses his private intelligence network to try to have himself either appointed heir or induce the abdication of Augustine.

One day, Theo hears that Las Bombas, Musket, and Mickle have been imprisoned in a garrison town called Nierkeeping.

Mickle's resemblance to the dead Augusta and mimicry skills, as well as Las Bombas's oracle trick, have attracted Cabbarus's attention.

[2] Notably, The Encyclopedia of Fantasy refers to the series as "Graustarkian adventures" and compares the setting to its entry on Ruritania.

[5] The series follows Theo, a printer's apprentice, and Mickle, an urchin with secrets, as they lead the country of Westmark through several crises.

After the war with Regia concludes a military coup brings Cabbarus, an oppressive tyrant, to power in Westmark.

"Lloyd Alexander does not answer questions; he raises them", wrote Jean Fritz for the New York Times Book Review when Westmark was published.

[6] Another contemporary review, for the School Library Journal, praised the novel for its "Rich language, excellent characterization, detailed descriptions and a dovetailed plot equal superb craftsmanship.

"[7] Writing for the Horn Book Magazine, Ethel L. Heins was very complimentary, noting that it engagingly portrayed "the age-old perplexities of right and wrong, human weakness and decency, the temptation of power, and the often unclear call of conscience.

"[8] The Journal of Reading's reviewer, M. Jean Greenlaw, referred to it as "an exciting and adventurous story replete with the marvelous facility for language play that Alexander always exhibits.

They also highlight that the uniqueness of the series "became Alexander's opportunity to treat some favorite themes with uncompromising honesty: the brutality and senselessness of war, how oppression bruises the gentle spirit, and how even the mildest individual must sometimes fight against an oppressor.