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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The magick and swords of Camelot versus an invasion from outer space...,
By H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Magick of Camelot (Paperback)
Once upon a time Arthur H. Landis wrote a thrilling trilogy which seamlessly melded the genres of science-fiction and fantasy and high adventure. I read all three books when I was in high school in the early '80s, and I've gone back to them time and again ever since. If you haven't yet had a chance to check out Landis's work (he only wrote four fiction novels), dare I say that you should jump on this?
This story takes place somewhere in the far, far future... Fregis is a planet which has long puzzled the observers of the Terran Galactic Foundation. It resides in the Fomalhaut binary system, and boasts two moons. But that's not the weird stuff. For one thing, on Fregis, the laws of chivalry rule the day, and knighthood is alive and flourishing. Then, the biggest conundrum of all, which makes this world so unique: magic works! All the more reason to enter this planet in the Galactic listings under the name of Camelot. The first two entries of Arthur H. Landis's trilogy, A World Called Camelot and Camelot in Orbit, focused muchly on a malignant terror threatening all of Fregis. Kyrie Fern, expert on medieval culture and a Galactic Adjuster, is assigned by the Terran Foundation to counter this sorcerous blight, known as the Kaleen or the Dark One. Kyrie passes himself off as a Fregisian native, donning purply-blue contact lenses and, thanks to Terran science, growing body fur. Forever more, in Fregisian lore, Kyrie will be referred to as Sir Harl Lenti, or even more famously as the Collin, the reincarnation of a fabled hero in Marack, the mightiest kingdom on Fregis. After many perilous exploits, and two bloody wars and a climactic showdown with the Kaleen, the Collin thought that he can finally take a break, marry his gorgeous warrior princess Murie, and live happily ever after. But, no. There's a gateway, a warp hole in space thru which the Dark One had come from another universe. And it's still open...and something else has come thru. Some months later, Kyrie and a contingent of his Fregisian friends and allies become witnesses to an alien entity evaporating with ridiculous ease the mighty Terran starship, the Deneb, supposedly "invincible in war and indestructible to all known phenomena." This daunting act of war shakes up even Kyrie's mysterious, near-omnipotent friend, Hooli the Pug-Boo. Suddenly aware of an imminent invasion, the kingdom of Marack looks to the Collin, who had always come up with some formula of derring-do, some audacious scheme, to win the day. Imagine the shock and disbelief of the Marackian court when, instead, Kyrie advocates meek surrender, stating that caution is called for and that time is needed to seek out and exploit the enemy's weaknesses. Soon enough, the extraterrestrials land on Fregis and promptly begin to demonstrate their martial superiority. With insurmountable firepower which could humble the fiercest Fregisian warrior, it's not too long before they've completely taken over. Kyrie learns that these invaders are Alphians, who share the same genetic stock as the Fregisians. The Alphians quickly impose their own iron rule and religion. And the Collin, he finds himself forced to flee, forced to seek solutions and work an insurrection while on the run... It's a sign of how desperate he is that Kyrie has to now rely on the magic of a former foe, the beautiful temptress Elioseen, who may be the most powerful witch in all the land and also Murie's royal aunt. And even less trustworthy is Kilroy, the other remaining Terran in the Fomalhaut system, after Deneb's destruction. Kilroy flaunts a couch potato attitude and a coward's demeanor, and it's debatable whether Kyrie can truly count on him when the chips are down (Kilroy may be depicted more realistically than Kyrie Fern, but it's for sure he's not as much fun). And as for Hooli, that unfathomably superpowerful being who occasionally inhabits the body of a Pug-Boo (a much loved Fregisian animal resembling a koala bear) and who claims to be a Universal Adjuster (compared to Kyrie's merely being a Galactic one), well, Hooli is dependably undependable. Good thing then that the Collin still has his usual retinue of daring fighters and friends, from the deadly Sir Rawl Fergis to the ever lecherous, Hoom-Tet worshipping Lors Sernas. And, even though he now fights sky lords who seemingly wield unmatchable weaponry, Kyrie Fern, the Collin, is himself a sky lord. So, just maybe, the sitch isn't totally hopeless... Okay, this one, THE MAGICK OF CAMELOT, while still entertaining and readable, is the weakest of the three novels. Maybe it's because, this time, the science-fiction portion is much more pronounced. Not that that's a bad thing, except that the "science" here comes off as clunkier than before. Good thing that much of the more technical aspects were glossed over in favor of the spellcastings and the bloody battles. Another downer too, I think, is that Kyrie spends much time flying around, collecting wizards to combat the Alphians. Kind of got old after a while. The good news is that, if you've been following this series, you finally get the lowdown on the entity known as Hooli the Pug-Boo. Also, the source of Fregis's magic is finally revealed. My favorite part of the book is actually at the beginning, as Kyrie at lasts invites his Fregisian lady love and friends on board the starship Deneb, and we get to check out their reactions. The book could've used more of that. If you think having a scout ship hovering over a medieval village makes for a cool image...If you like stories about earthmen kicking boody and taking names in far flung worlds, smiting hosts of scoundrels and winning a princess, and coloring the narrative with his own contemporary sensibilities...If you like deep space battles, followed soon by swords clashing in a feudal backdrop...If you think cuddly and wisecracking alien teddy bears make for a cute story device...then this book is for you. Oozing machismo and bluster and Arthurian high adventure, THE MAGICK OF CAMELOT closes out Arthur H. Landis's great trilogy, and, despite several setbacks, it does it satisfyingly enough. Really, go check out this trilogy. And see why the Collin of Marack rocks!
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