Ten Little Wizards [Paperback]

Michael Kurland (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Ace (March 1, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441800572
• ISBN-13: 978-0441800575
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 3.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,337,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A plump, middle-aged man with greying hair and mild, hazel eyes looking out from behind wire-rim glasses, Author Michael Kurland has the perpetually nervous look of a rabbit invited to lunch at the Lions' Club. He has been a teacher of obscure subjects to disinterested children, the editor of a magazine even more idiosyncratic than himself, a seeker of absent persons, a magical explainer, and guest lecturer at numerous unrelated events. But he has never wandered far from his chosen profession of scrivener for very long, since he finds the fawning idolatry of his fans a useful counterbalance to the disinterest of landlords and the disapproval of bank managers.

In Kurland's over 30 books he has romped through a variety of fields. His non-fiction works cover topics as diverse as forensic science, criminal law, espionage, amateur radio, and the history of crime in America, and have been selections of the Military Book Club, the Readers' Digest Book Club, the Junior Literary Guild, and the Writers' Digest Book Club, among others.

Kurland has written a dozen or so science fiction and fantasy novels, notably "Ten little Wizards" and "A Study in Sorcery," set in Randall Garrett's Angevin Empire, and "The Unicorn Girl," which was nominated for a Hugo. He now mainly writes mysteries, including "The Infernal Device," the first of (currently) five Professor Moriarty novels, which was nominated for both an Edgar and an American Book award, and "Too Soon Dead" and "The Girls in the High-Heeled Shoes," set in the 1930s and chronicling the mystery-solving talents of Alexander Brass, a columnist for the New York World. A couple of his books, notably "The Last President," and "Button Bright" fit tenuously into that nondescript category known as "mainstream."

The next Moriarty novel, tentatively titled "Who Thinks Evil," is in the works.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A suspense/mystery in an alternate history England, November 10, 2000

By 

Juliana L. Cox - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ten Little Wizards (Paperback)

Garrett's Lord Darcy revisited. The original 3 stories were take-offs of classic Sherlock Holmes stories but set in an England based on Richard the Lion Hearted having retained power and the Plantagenet dynasty having continued for several generations. A system of working magic has evolved to support technology instead of mechanical knowledge. This delightful story is a take-off of the classic Agatha Christie story, 10 Little Indians, and stars an older and mellower Darcy. The dry, factual style of the original Darcy stories is appparent in this book also and, other than the setting, this might be a straight mystery. The magical science is clever and logical although a bit belabored. The original 3 novels were among the first in the field to explore the consepts of magical technology and all the Lord Darcy books kind of point to their magical ideas and say "see how clever". Lord Darcy is an adventure hero, an alternate history James Bond. Thus, while this story is a good mystery in a fantasy setting, it will not apeal to readers looking for in depth characterizations. Readers who enjoyed Patricia Wrede's Merlion the Magicion might like the Lord Darcy stories because the setting is very similar.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nick G, January 21, 2010

By 

Nicholas A. Glaskowsky Jr. - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ten Little Wizards (Paperback)

Another wonderful murder mystery solved by Lord Darcy in a time when magic has replaced science.