Customer Reviews

The Compleat Enchanter

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3 star:		(1)
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This is a delightful compilation of work by 2 of the giants. De Camp and Pratt were at their best when working together. Both were masters of many disciplines and keyed off each other, creating tales of wild imagination, liberally sprinkled with humor. The beauty of these stories is in the variety of persons that are caught up in them and the sheer logical progression of the ideas. Harold Shea and his friends are pure delight, if a tad naive by today's standards. These characters do what we all do in our imaginations and insert themselves into the myths and stories of history. Sure, these are reprints -- the originals were serials in pulp magazines. I own several editions and reread them every few years. The important thing is not which printing or compilation you read, but that you do read them. While I do usually disapprove of the re printing and retitling of classic fiction, anything that keeps these stories being read by new generations has my approval.

Yes, magic works by specific laws, but not always as you expect it to, especially if you, like Harold Shea, are new to the art. Harold trying to hold his own among the Norse Gods... the prison guard with huge, huge nose... Harold's first time on a flying broom... the laughing until your sides ache and tears are running down your face. If I had a criticism of these wonderful novels, it would be that in my opinion, the second and third are not quite as good as the first. But that would be a splitting of hairs that are already quite fine to begin with. These books are simply splendid.

"The Compleat Enchanter" is, roughly, the same as "The Incompleat Enchanter" with an added story that I do not like as much as the other material. If you read one, there is little reason to read the other. Oh well, I read both.