A Wizard and a Warlord: The Adventures of the Rogue Wizard [Hardcover]

Christopher Stasheff (Author)

Book Description

Series: Rogue Wizard | Publication Date: March 2, 2000

Under the nom de guerre of Gar Pike, renegade psychic wizard Magnus D'Armand travels the stars fighting injustice and oppression, like his father, Rod Gallowglass, the Warlock in Spite of Himself. But unlike his famous father, Magnus refuses to play by the rules, sowing the seeds of freedom and revolution throughout the galaxy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Magnus d'Armand, son of the warlock from Stasheff's popular The Warlock in Spite of Himself, travels the galaxy to save Terran colony worlds ruled by corrupt governments. The seventh novel in the Chronicles of the Rogue Wizard (after A Wizard in Midgard) finds Magnus--aka Gar Pike--and his Midgard-born companion, Alea Larsdattar, exploring a planet with no apparent government. The colonial society seems placid, prospering at a Neolithic level, with the world populated by small farming villages. The only technology is in the hands of priestesses who believe each machine and bit of hoarded knowledge is magic from their gods. Unwilling to take the culture's peaceful nature at face value, Gar and Alea travel the land to learn more. A local warlord threatens villages, yet no one seems concerned. Villagers assure Gar that if the warlord becomes a real threat, he'll be dealt with by a mysterious group known as the Scarlet Company. Alea eventually solves the riddle of this secret organization thanks to ancient history books, and she and Gar meet the group firsthand as the warlord is finally, easily, vanquished. Despite Gar's previous experience, here he seems blind and deaf to obvious questions. Meanwhile, Alea's surprising encounter with a native whose life there precedes the colonists' arrival fails to add any real depth to the story. While Stasheff's fans are sure to want to read the latest of Gar's adventures, others will find the plot and characters lackluster. (Feb.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Pursuing their self-imposed mission to save as many planets as possible from self-imposed tyranny, Gar Pike and his companion Alea Larsdatter discover a world of simple peasants who seem to survive without any formal government except for a legendary group of warriors who call themselves the Scarlet Company. The latest addition to Stasheff's popular "Rogue Wizard" series offers a blend of science and magic laced with tongue-in-cheek humor. Purchase where the series is popular.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (March 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312866496
• ISBN-13: 978-0312866495
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,406,158 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A likeable addition to this series, February 13, 2000

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Wizard and a Warlord: The Adventures of the Rogue Wizard (Hardcover)

The Wizard In Spite of Himself has created a dynasty that any person would be proud of. His son Magnus D'Armand follows in his father's footsteps by traveling from one lost colonial planet to another fermenting revolutions so that eventually democracy will come to the local residents. Magnus has visited six worlds in his artificially intelligent spaceship Herkimer. He has guided people on all six planets on a path leading to democracy. On the planet Midgard, Magnus selected a companion with psychic powers to join him on his quest.

Magnus under the guise of Gar Pike and Alea land on a newly discovered lost colony that seems to have no centrally managed government. However, Gar is uneasy because in his experience, a country with no governing body should lead to chaos and anarchy. Traveling as peddlers, the duo finds happy contented people abiding by the Ten Commandments in each village. Only the outlaw General Malachi and his army of thugs stand in the way of peace. However, Gar thinks there must be more to the power structure than he or Alea see.

Magnus is the most fascinating and enigmatic of the brood sired by Rod Galloway (see THE WIZARD IN SPITE OF HIMSELF). His tale is narrated in a fast-paced, breezy, and humorous story line that shows him in a new light due to his interactions with Alea. The audience will care for both characters as they join them on their travels. The seventh novel in the "Rogue Wizard" series, A WIZARD AND A WARLORD, contains all the liveliness and freshness we have come to expect from the Christopher Stasheff novels.

Harriet Klausner

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Magnus continues to search for meaning..., March 3, 2000

By 

Erich Mohr "Arandil" (Sonoma County, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Wizard and a Warlord: The Adventures of the Rogue Wizard (Hardcover)

Magnus continues the journey he began over seven books ago... the quest for meaning, self-worth, and companionship. I applaud Stasheff's restraint in not forcing the relationship between Magnus and his companion, Alea, into an overly predictable direction. Each character remains true to his and her strengths and weaknesses. The story, which involves Magnus' continuing mission to help oppressed peoples find the government best suited to them, gives Magnus a world where there appears to be no visible government, or rather, not one he can classify. Like the other books in this series, the story is self contained, and makes you want to learn more about Magnus. To catch the WHOLE story, one should read the Warlock Series which begins in Warlock In Spite Of Himself.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Mediocre at best, June 29, 2001

By 

Yoshitsune (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Wizard and a Warlord: The Adventures of the Rogue Wizard (Hardcover)

Christopher Stasheff is an author who's works I usually enjoy reading. Unfortunately, "A Wizard and a Warlord" was a rather disappointing read for me. The story was rather mediocre at best, and I found it difficult to really care about the story or what was happening to the characters. Not really much else to say about this book; I can only recommend that fans of the author should skip over this book and read one of his other more enjoyable works.