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The compleat enchanter
the magical misadventures of Harold Shea
First published 1975 · 544 pages
A playful romp through parallel mythologies where magic is just another system of logic waiting to go hilariously wrong.
What it feels like
Reading this classic American fantasy feels like taking a brisk, joyful ride through the very fabric of myth and legend. The atmosphere is wonderfully nostalgic and energetic, steeped in a lighthearted tone that never takes itself too seriously. It thrives on the delightful friction between cold, symbolic logic and the chaotic reality of unpredictable magic, dropping a modern mind into the heart of Norse mythology and classic literary realms. The prose is witty and straightforward, carrying the reader through a series of playful misadventures with evil wizards and fantastic beasts. It is a perfect match for readers who love a fish-out-of-water tale where the rules of magic are meant to be calculated, tested, and inevitably bungled.
- Mood
- whimsical
- energetic
- nostalgic
- Tone
- lighthearted
- playful
- wry
- adventurous
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- fish out of water · the logic of magic · parallel universes · mythological exploration
- The writing
- Witty and classic, blending mid-century American straightforwardness with the grand tradition of mythological fantasy.
- The arc
- A playful journey from logical calculation to chaotic, unpredictable magical misadventures.
- Who it's for
- Readers who delight in classic, lighthearted fantasy where modern logic collides with ancient myths and unpredictable magic.
Content notes
- mild fantasy peril
About the book
The Harold Shea stories are parallel world tales in which magic exists in separate universes which coexist with our own, and which can be reached by aligning one's mind to them by a system of symbolic logic. The worlds frequently are based on the mythologies, legends, and literary fantasies of our world. In the stories collected as The Incomplete Enchanter, the authors' protagonist Harold Shea visits two such worlds, that of Norse mythology and that of Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.
Grab your Syllogismobile and join Harold Shea as he copes with evil wizards, fantastic beasts, and not entirely successful magic. Light-hearted fantasy in the grand tradition.
Description from Open Library.
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