Rod Gallowglass is a man of science who does not believe in magic. ** Gramarye is a world of witches and warlocks. Of strange abilities and phenomena. A world where society mirrors Earth’s own Middle Ages, and a world headed for doom. ** Rod Gallowglass must become a part of the local fabric to save the world from both itself and external forces that threaten its existence. But to do so, he must … so, he must put aside his own convictions and beliefs, and become a warlock, in spite of himself. **
A grand adventure mixing science fi ction with elements of fantasy, this is the book that launched a whole series (fourteen books and counting).
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Great Science meets Magic.. Our science could appear to be Magic with some civilizations.
this book is a sheer delight from jump. if you love whimsey, fantasy and wordplay, you’ll love rod gallowglass. buy it. read it. read it again. giggle uncontrollably.
In this book Christopher Stasheff begins the story of Rod Gallowglass, his faithful robot companion Fess, and a landing on Gramarye, a world where to his great surprise, magic seems to work! There are explorations, surprises, conflict, and the beginning of a series that spans at least 14 volumes.
I love the whole series.
I first read this book in my late teens (and multiple times since) and it was a perfect blend of fast moving, easy to read adventure with a touch of “he finds the girl of his dreams”. If you liked Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague deCamp’s book The Incomplete Enchanter, you’ll like this one too.
I enjoyed this book so much that I have read it a number of times over the last 10 years. A fun take on taking chances and (Hopefully) coming out okay – or mostly okay!
Interesting interjection of philosophy and civics education. Somewhat bonkers, but fun/interesting, and the storyline works. Funny thing–the best character is the “horse.”
I love Stasheff’s work. I think it’s interesting to watch how he works out his feelings and comes to answers about his faith.
A highly imaginative book 1 in a series I truly enjoyed–at least for the first seven books.
Rod Gallowglass is an agent for an interstellar democracy, and it’s his job to travel to other planets and put them on the path to self-determining government. Grammarye looks like it’ll be just another assignment, until he meets actual elves and “witches,” people born with ESP talents.
Even though he tries to insist that he’s not a warlock–all his “magic” comes from technology–he’s soon dubbed one, and he’s drawn into a brewing conflict on the side of the espers and a queen who’s the best hope the planet has for a constitutional monarchy.
Lots of fun with plenty of serious moments–a terrific book. : )
It’s an old standby. Be warned, this was written in ‘68, updated in the early 70’s. That means it’s “charmingly dated.” But, if you’re old or don’t really care if some of the technology (yes, there are technology references in this fantasy) is very outdated, it’s worth a read.
It is the first book in an excellent series. There is much that is thought provoking. There is much political and social commentary. I highly recommend it. My favorites involve the children. Quicksilver’s Knight is delightful.
I enjoyed this book. It was not my favorite of this series, but we’ll worth reading.
For what it’s worth, I enjoyed this book. The author’s world tends towards the misogynistic, primarily in the roles of the female characters, but I think this is more of a statement of when the book was written than a grand flaw in the author. The book is sort of a Future Jock with an astonishing education and an idealist outlook meets magic and strangeness on lost colony. A bit dated, but decent story.
Fun adventure, be sure to read!
It wasthe tupe you had to finish
Awesome book. I read this first 20 years ago and it never fails to please.
Great fun to read an old school sci fi fantasy!
Good start to an excellent series, although later books are more magic and less tech.
Excellent fantasy with sci-fi elements. Great read that sets up a fun series. It can be read as a stand alone.
Fantasy meets SYFY. Great characters you get fond of quickly. Great story for men and women both.