Customer Reviews

WARLOCK IN SPITE HIMSELF (The Garland Library of Science Fiction)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Like many current readers of The Warlock In Spite of Himself, I had my first encounter with the series a long time ago. Stasheff and Rod Gallowglass were old early teenage favorites, discovered by me when the book was reprinted in 1982.

It makes for an interesting re-read. Fess is nearly as entertaining as a character as he was all those years ago. As a female reader, the female characters make me shudder-- worth remembering that the book was written in 1969. True to the time, a liberated woman was sexually liberated-- not any good at leading things. Stasheff's bone-headed Catharine is simply cringeworthy.

An urbane galactic traveller discovers a planet of lost colonists apparently stuck at a medieval period. His situation as explorer gets very interesting indeed when he discovers that this planet's witches can actually do magic...

I am no longer sure that I would recommend this book for a younger reader. Its biggest appeal is probably to folks like myself-- people looking for nostalgia of books that we read as teenagers. Still good for that purpose, and worth re-reading.

What a treat this book was. I picked it up in a used bookstore and can't wait to delve into the rest of Stasheff's books.

The hero Rod Gallowglass is one of the most enjoyable heroes I have read in a long time. His adventures on a world where elves and magic exist are one of a kind. When the book started I thought I misread the back of the book and was reading a science fiction story but the fantasy element soon came into play and they both combined to make a truly wonderful story.

I recommend this book highly.

I picked up this book in the early 80's and since then, has always held a special place in my heart. I really enjoyed Rod's self-depracating humor and the book's ability to blend fantasy and sci-fi into a cohesive whole.

In later novels in this series, I felt Rod was far too angry at times, since it was his rage that helped fuel his magic, but in the first novel, we don't really see that. What we do see is a warm tale, an author's deft touch, and a book that deserves to be in print for over 35 years.

This book made for a very fun few hours of reading despite a rather dated depiction of women (I had thought the book was written in the '80's when I first picked it up but a few chapters in, had to check the copyright date more carefully and was reassured to see it was written in '69). The fish out of water aspect-- a man from a technologically advanced society making his way in a medieval and magic filled world-- was handled with flair, the main charactor is likeable and funny and the world of Gramarye is nicely drawn. The story moves at a fairly fast clip that pulls you along.

As for the way women are depicted: the author seems to be in the same camp as Heinlein and other male '60's SF authors when it comes to female charactors who all seemed to be oversexed kittens in need of a firm male hand (and this includes the supposedly strong women!). There were only two main female charactors in the book and both are powerful- one a queen and the other the "most powerful witch in the world" (and the hero's romantic interest). And yet both are depicted as badly in need of a man in their lives. The queen is young- about 20- and she isn't a very good one- arrogant, willful, foolish and childish. The hero's solution? He recommends she be spanked by her suitor and at the end of the book arranges for her to marry a man whose wisdom she can defer to. The heroine, Gwendylon, is a more positive charactor who knows her own mind and persues the hero- apparently because she is sexually besotted with him. When the hero first meets her, he mistakes her for a peasant girl interested in a roll in the hay. He obliges and then leaves her, feeling guilty about using her and not wanting to give her false hope that there was any more to it than that: ". . for a woman lives on love, and this was a woman near thirty in a land where girls married at fifteen. She had already accepted that there was to be no lasting love in her life; she must subsist on the few crumbs she could gather". Later, after she has reappeared in his life and shown herself to be intrepid, he marvels at how unusually brave she is for a woman (and this guy is supposed to be from an advanced society!).

I have to reiterate: other than the above type passages that had me snorting and rolling my eyes, the book as a whole is a real hoot and great fun. I didn't sense the Catholic agenda others mentioned but the author does seem to have an interest in comparing political systems. This doesn't get in the way of the story though. I will probably look for the next book in the series.

"The Warlock In Spite of Himself" is one of the best books I've ever read. Combining elements of fantasy, science fiction, and historical fiction has never seemed so easy, or been so entertaining.

The book follows the adventures of Rod Gallowglass (nee D'Armand) and his struggle to free the planet of Gramarye (a lost world of colonists from Terra) from the clutches of a dictator.

What follows has some of the best elements of fantasy swashbuckling and futuristic hocus-pocus of any book in existence. What clinches the book for me, though, is the inclusion of my favorite Fantasy/SF topic: psychic powers!

That's right! Gramarye (whose society has reverted to a medieval setting) has it's own set of "witches" and "warlocks," each with psychic powers of varying degrees.

How Rod gains their trust and friendship, and eventualy enlists their help in his crusade to bring Democracy to the land, makes for a most interesting part of the story.

This is the first book of a rather lengthy series. I urge everyone to read it, but I offer this note of warning: if you read "The Warlock In Spite of Himself," you'll want to read *all* of the "Warlock" series... and you won't regret a second of it

The author writes a wonderful whimsical story. There is a lot of catholicism in this book, but I didn't take it as an attempt to convert people (as some readers apparently did). I believe the author was using his experiences and knowledge as a tool to weave a tapestry of fantasy for the reader (and no, I'm not Catholic). I loved reading this story. This entire series is a pleasure to read.

I love this book. I could not put it down once I started reading. I read this when I was in High School. And I wrote a paper on "Rod Gallowglass", the hero in the book, which actually won me a scholarship to college. It combines Sci-fi and fantasy in a semi-medieval planet. This is light entertainment and a good book to introduce someone into the world of Sci-fi/fantasy.

One of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. This is the beginning of it all with Rod being assigned to the planet where esper talents actually create magical beings. His own talents combined with the technology he controls cause him to be named Warlock as he attempts to eliminate the influence of other outsiders who would subvert the government of this society. An incredible adventure with everything you could ask for in a science fantasy book.

I have read this once a year since it came out in 1969. Yes, it is that good. I am thrilled that I can add it to my electronic collection. If you are even thinking about purchasing it, I promise you won't be disappointed. The writing is fast, smooth and an enormous amount of fun. Underneath are so many little life lessons. YEA!! Rod Gallowglass we meet again!

This was one of my favorite novels from my teenage years. I always loved the combination of Science fiction with medieval fantasy. Stasheff's writing is wry and witty and fun to read. I have loved his character Rod Gallowglass all these years. Unfortunately, near the end, an editing hack job was perpetrated. I can understand the editor's desire to remove the controversial section where Rod brings about the joining of Tuan and Catherine by having Tuan spank and discipline her ... Yes, it's sexist ... But they could have edited it out better, because Tuan makes mention of it to Rod before the battle. It appears that 4 or 5 pages were just removed. Oh, well, a slight hiccough in an otherwise joyful romp down memory lane for me.