A Wizard In The Way [Hardcover]

Christopher Stasheff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 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.

A Wizard in the Way

When his longtime traveling companion settled down and got married, Gar Pike—the Rogue Wizard—had thought it would be even better to work alone: no distractions, no disagreements, no one to care about but himself. But he wasn’t alone for long. He recently managed to saddle himself with a new companion: Alea, a young woman with a certain amount of psychic ability and a heavy dose of attitude to boot. The funny thing is, he’s beginning to like having her around—particularly when they land on the planet of Oldeira.

The problems Gar and Alea encounter on Oldeira include not only the tyrannical Wizard Lords who rule the provinces, but also the attitude that has been beaten and bred into their serfs. To complicate matters, Gar and Alea adopt two desperate peasants who are perfect examples of the mind-set of the entire lower class. How to raise morale and shape these people into a force that will overcome their oppressors while not getting caught or killed themselves—these are all questions that Gar and Alea must answer fast. And the only way to do it is: The Way.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The latest chapter in Stasheff's ongoing Rogue Wizard fantasy series about well-meaning renegade Magnus d'Armand (aka Gar Pike) and his quest to free lost colony worlds from oppressive local governments stumbles in the execution, but is still likely to satisfy fans. Gar and his plucky female sidekick, Alea (introduced in A Wizard in Midgard), arrive on the forgotten Terran colony world of Oldeira to discover a medieval society in fear of its magician oppressors. These psychically talented men came to power in the void left centuries ago when Earth stopped sending supplies. They rule by force of minor psychic talents, commanding ghosts (the psychic remnants of dead colonists) and cleverly disguised technology to frighten the unruly into obedience. With help from runaway peasant girl Mira and young "ghost-leader" Blaize, Gar and Alea introduce the population to Taoism and the idea of balance in interconnecting life forces. Blaize's ability to lead ghosts and Mira's burgeoning talent as a wyvern wrangler come in handy as the team faces increasingly larger armies sent by wizard lords to quell the uprising. Fortunately, the peasants and ghosts are all willing and quick studies; most absorb Gar's version of the Tao in a few weeks or less. Evanescent, a catlike psionic who secretly stowed away in Gar's ship at the end of A Wizard and a Warlock, also manages to help the do-gooders without giving itself away. While Stasheff treats Taoism as lightly as learning to ride a bicycle, his fans are likely to forgive that in favor of his usual fast-paced storytelling, light humor and well-meaning heroes. (Sept.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Gar Pike and his galaxy-hopping companion Alea encounter a planet of downtrodden serfs suffering under the tyrannical rule of "wizard lords." With the help of a pair of fugitives, Gar and Alea strive to introduce the concepts of hope and freedom to a world too ready to accept oppression. The latest in Stasheff's popular "Wizard" series provides a fast-paced plot, likable protagonists, and the expected blend of medieval fantasy and space opera. Libraries should purchase where the series is popular.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (September 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312866488
• ISBN-13: 978-0312866488
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,130,101 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun read as always, August 19, 2000

By 

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

This review is from: A Wizard In The Way (Hardcover)

THE WARLOCK IN SPITE OF HIMSELF is one of SCENT's more powerful agents. Rod Galloglass is dedicated to finding the lost colonies and bringing democracy to them. He is permanently assigned to the planet Gramarye, a medieval type of place with potent psychics. Rod's oldest son Magus is one of the most powerful psychics in the universe. Although he no longer works for SCENT, he and his companion Alea and their ship Herkimer roam the galaxy trying to save people from tyrants.

Herkimer picks up television signals from a lost planet of Old Earth. Magnus AKA Gar Pike and Alea learns the cities have deteriorated and a nasty feudal society exists. Most of the residents are mistreated serfs while the overlords are magicians who control the local ghosts (energy forces that acquire the memory of the dead) used to frighten the peasants. Gar and Alea with the help of some intrepid locals begins a revolution that brings the planet one step closer to democracy.

Christopher Stasheff has provided his fans with many pleasant novels that center on the exploits of Rod and his kin. The latest tale, A WIZARD IN THE WAY, is another entertaining combination of science fiction and fantasy in a universe where the mundane, magical, and technological live side by side. Anyone who relishes an action adventure tale set on a distant planet in a far away galaxy will want to read this book and its predecessors.

Harriet Klausner

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Is there an editor in the house?, October 27, 2000

By 

"makotosama" (Mino Town, Japan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Wizard In The Way (Hardcover)

If you've read Stasheff before, you know what to expect. A pleasant mix of science fiction and fantasy, with some philosophy, political science, and religion thrown in. Stasheff has been amazingly productive this year, publishing something like four books in six months. I would say that this is a wonderful thing, since I love his books and always look forward to reading the next installments in all his series, except for one thing...

There were some strange little mistakes the kept cropping up. To tell the truth, they appear to be more in the nature of poor editting than hurried writing. A character would say something, and the other would answer with a phrase that almost fit, but not quite...or the second character would echo the first character, with an extra set of quotes and all, except the first character never said that exact word. It seems like an overzealous editor changed part of a conversation without making sure to keep all the dialogue consistent.

If you're holding your breath waiting for Magnus and Alea to resolve things...breathe. You'll have to wait for at least one more book. A new friend has joined them, and the world they are visiting bears a striking resemblance to Magnus' home planet in many respects...local life forms interracting with human psi-powers, large numbers of local espers.... They use the Tao to help the planet overthrow their cruel overlords.

The story was fun, and I definately can't wait for the next adventure (not the least because I'm waiting for Alea and Magnus to resolve all this sexual tension...), but I was surprised and disappointed to see the strange little inconsistencies in the writing...such things jar me out of the story and ruin my ability to immerse myself completely in Stasheff's wonderful stories.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Cat is getting in the Way... slipping focus off center.., September 13, 2001

By 

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

This review is from: A Wizard In The Way (Hardcover)

Magnus D'Armand,AKA Gar Pike, is the son of Rodney D'Armand, the greatest agent SCENT has ever known. He has, or rather he will have with the aid of his family, changed a medieval society of telepaths into the strongest force for Democracy ever known. While Magnus was an aid to SCENT in the beginning, he soon realized that Democracy was not the answer for ALL cases... and with this point in mind he left SCENT under rather poor circumstances... this is Magnus' mission. To reform oppressive societies using that system which will most benefit the people of that planet.

This time Magnus arrives with not only his good friend and constant companion Alea, but an additional stowaway as well. He finds a planet that mirrors the developement of his homeworld in that they have empathic and projective telepathy that reacts to the environment of the planet producing... ghosts. He finds a feudal society that manages it's serfs through fear, and exists solely to grab the land of other lords. The power is either technology mastered through ritualized rote memorization, or low level psionic control of the ghosts. What to do? What is the Way?

This book sees control and creativity begin to seep away from Magnus and Alea, as their "silent partner" gives them subtle urgings throughout the campaign. Magnus fails to see his own manipulation, and that of his travelling companion.Their ideas come to them in dreams... hello? Magnus DID that trick! On the up side, Alea becomes more aware of her attraction to Magnus, while Magnus, always aware of his attraction to Alea, continues to sublimate his own desire. This is well done... realistically. Magnus is repressed, as well as deeply emotionally scarred. He can not easily overcome these scars, and it will take some time for Alea to get over her own scars enough so that she can help meet him halfway. I would like to see Magnus become aware of his stowaway and/or restore Alea's memories... both WELL within his awsome capabilities...

While I did not enjoy this story as much as the last, I did find it less formulaic than some in this series, and because of this it was still an enjoyable read. I will continue to devour anything Stasheff continues to spend some time on producing, and can only suggest that, if confused or dissatisfied by this work, one start earlier on in the series. Please take this as it was meant, a constructive critique by one who enjoys the Warlock series and the Rogue Wizard series... thank you for your time...