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The Complete Compleat Enchanter
Omnibus including The Roaring Trumpet, The Mathematics of Magic, The Castle of Iron, The Wall of Serpents, and The Green Magician.
The Baen edition includes an introduction by David Drake.
The Baen edition includes an introduction by David Drake.
532 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
About the author
L. Sprague de Camp
791 books317 followersLyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of non-fiction, including biographies of other fantasy authors. He was a major figure in science fiction in the 1930s and 1940s.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
March 31, 2012
This omnibus volume brings all five of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt's "Compleat Enchanter" tales together in one nearly 500 page volume -- a good thing or bad thing depending on one's perspective, since each one of them is short, and really, light enough, to tempt one towards perusing on into the next story.
Each of the narratives was told previously in the pages of the SF/Fantasy magazine UNKNOWN, as the "Harold Shea stories," named after one of their most central characters, and he seems a reasonable enough feature to begin with, in rattling off reasons why this volume deserve the mantle of speculative fiction classics.
Shea starts off in the first story, "The Roaring Trumpet," as a fairly unappealing character -- a psychologist by trade, reflective enough to understand his own neurotic need to impress others, unsure of what he wants -- except that he's up for adventure. Quickly enough though, thrown into do-or-die situations, he finds untapped resources of skill, strength, cunning -- and most important -- resolve within himself, catalyzed through demands imposed by, quite literally, a world of gods and heroes, in this story, the gods of Norse myth. Precisely because he must -- both for his own sorry sake, but also, with growing awareness, in order to turn the tides against impending evil -- he experiments with magic, calls back his previous acumen as a fencer, and puts psychology into actual practice.
A digression here by way of explanation might prove helpful. One of the basic premises of the five novellas is that parallel worlds exist and can be accessed -- magic of various sorts working in many of those worlds, analogously to science and technology in our own plane of existence, in each world whatever principles governing it following the internal and intelligible logic of that world. As Reed Chalmers, the elder psychologist who will, from the second book on, become a full-on enchanter -- the intellectual who originally develops the hypothesis to explore -- frames the matter:
"the world we live in is composed of impressions received through the senses. But there is an infinity of possible worlds, and if the senses can e attuned to receive a different set of impressions, we should find ourselves living in a different world"
An epistemologically and metaphysically interesting notion, sort of putting Kantian idealism into play without ever mentioning that great philosopher or (thankfully!) introducing any of his crabbed and at times obscurantist terminology -- not only would attuning the senses of a person allow that person to perceive a different world indexed to those sense-impressions, the person perceiving would literally enter that world and leave this one, no longer being able to be perceived by those in this world -- also becoming vulnerable to all sorts of fates in the other worlds.
It gets still more interesting -- though if one actually follows out the metaphysics involved, unfortunately implausible (so perhaps better not do so!) -- when Chalmers discusses how one actually carries out this transposition from one world to the other:
". . . the method consists in filling your mind with the fundamental assumptions of the world in question. Now, what are the fundamental assumptions of our world? Obviously, those of scientific logic." "Transference to any world exhibiting such a fixed pattern is possible. . . we merely choose a series of basic assumptions. . . To contrive a vehicle for transportation from one world to another, we face the arduous task of extracting from the picture of such a world as that of the Iliad its basic assumptions and expressing these in logical form."
Shea does this, aiming at the world of Irish legend, but winds up instead in the land of Norse myth, close to the end of the world, Ragnarok -- running first into Odin, who he follows to an inn, traipsing through the frozen north, then quickly meeting Thor, Loki, Frey, and Heimdall. Shea almost loses his life, not least by smarting off without considering the contexts in which he's landed, before gaining his bearings -- then finds himself dragged into the adventure he thought he'd been seeking, trying to locate and win back the legendary weapons needed by the gods in their coming battle with the giants.
Sent back to his own earthly plane of existence by one of the denizens of the Norse world, and confirms Chalmer's hypothesis -- a new, much more confident man, quick with his wits, tongue, and sword, and even a bit experienced with magic. The two of them, then travel off together in "The Mathematics of Magic" to the land of Faerie, based on the logic of Spenser's Faerie Queene, where Shea meets and falls in love with the woodswoman and archer Bephelbe, bringing her back to Earth.
I'll not try to even summarize the plots of the various stories, but just mention the "worlds" which "the Castle of Iron," "The Wall of Serpents", and "The Green Magician" introduce: those of Coleridge's Xanadu, Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, the Finnish Kalevala, and finally the land of Irish legend. Several other characters get introduced, and well-developed in these stories as well.
There's two traits of these stories that are particularly striking. The first is that the depictions of each of the worlds are surprisingly rich, without ever lapsing into fantasy world-developing for its own sake. The characters are interestingly sketched and explored, social customs and mores come into play in important ways, even the rules and workings of magic vary from world to world. The second feature is that, for stories written in the 1940s and 1950s, they remain very fresh, unconfined by environing assumptions from their own epoch -- precisely why these stories comprise a classic.
Each of the narratives was told previously in the pages of the SF/Fantasy magazine UNKNOWN, as the "Harold Shea stories," named after one of their most central characters, and he seems a reasonable enough feature to begin with, in rattling off reasons why this volume deserve the mantle of speculative fiction classics.
Shea starts off in the first story, "The Roaring Trumpet," as a fairly unappealing character -- a psychologist by trade, reflective enough to understand his own neurotic need to impress others, unsure of what he wants -- except that he's up for adventure. Quickly enough though, thrown into do-or-die situations, he finds untapped resources of skill, strength, cunning -- and most important -- resolve within himself, catalyzed through demands imposed by, quite literally, a world of gods and heroes, in this story, the gods of Norse myth. Precisely because he must -- both for his own sorry sake, but also, with growing awareness, in order to turn the tides against impending evil -- he experiments with magic, calls back his previous acumen as a fencer, and puts psychology into actual practice.
A digression here by way of explanation might prove helpful. One of the basic premises of the five novellas is that parallel worlds exist and can be accessed -- magic of various sorts working in many of those worlds, analogously to science and technology in our own plane of existence, in each world whatever principles governing it following the internal and intelligible logic of that world. As Reed Chalmers, the elder psychologist who will, from the second book on, become a full-on enchanter -- the intellectual who originally develops the hypothesis to explore -- frames the matter:
"the world we live in is composed of impressions received through the senses. But there is an infinity of possible worlds, and if the senses can e attuned to receive a different set of impressions, we should find ourselves living in a different world"
An epistemologically and metaphysically interesting notion, sort of putting Kantian idealism into play without ever mentioning that great philosopher or (thankfully!) introducing any of his crabbed and at times obscurantist terminology -- not only would attuning the senses of a person allow that person to perceive a different world indexed to those sense-impressions, the person perceiving would literally enter that world and leave this one, no longer being able to be perceived by those in this world -- also becoming vulnerable to all sorts of fates in the other worlds.
It gets still more interesting -- though if one actually follows out the metaphysics involved, unfortunately implausible (so perhaps better not do so!) -- when Chalmers discusses how one actually carries out this transposition from one world to the other:
". . . the method consists in filling your mind with the fundamental assumptions of the world in question. Now, what are the fundamental assumptions of our world? Obviously, those of scientific logic." "Transference to any world exhibiting such a fixed pattern is possible. . . we merely choose a series of basic assumptions. . . To contrive a vehicle for transportation from one world to another, we face the arduous task of extracting from the picture of such a world as that of the Iliad its basic assumptions and expressing these in logical form."
Shea does this, aiming at the world of Irish legend, but winds up instead in the land of Norse myth, close to the end of the world, Ragnarok -- running first into Odin, who he follows to an inn, traipsing through the frozen north, then quickly meeting Thor, Loki, Frey, and Heimdall. Shea almost loses his life, not least by smarting off without considering the contexts in which he's landed, before gaining his bearings -- then finds himself dragged into the adventure he thought he'd been seeking, trying to locate and win back the legendary weapons needed by the gods in their coming battle with the giants.
Sent back to his own earthly plane of existence by one of the denizens of the Norse world, and confirms Chalmer's hypothesis -- a new, much more confident man, quick with his wits, tongue, and sword, and even a bit experienced with magic. The two of them, then travel off together in "The Mathematics of Magic" to the land of Faerie, based on the logic of Spenser's Faerie Queene, where Shea meets and falls in love with the woodswoman and archer Bephelbe, bringing her back to Earth.
I'll not try to even summarize the plots of the various stories, but just mention the "worlds" which "the Castle of Iron," "The Wall of Serpents", and "The Green Magician" introduce: those of Coleridge's Xanadu, Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, the Finnish Kalevala, and finally the land of Irish legend. Several other characters get introduced, and well-developed in these stories as well.
There's two traits of these stories that are particularly striking. The first is that the depictions of each of the worlds are surprisingly rich, without ever lapsing into fantasy world-developing for its own sake. The characters are interestingly sketched and explored, social customs and mores come into play in important ways, even the rules and workings of magic vary from world to world. The second feature is that, for stories written in the 1940s and 1950s, they remain very fresh, unconfined by environing assumptions from their own epoch -- precisely why these stories comprise a classic.
August 25, 2011
A silly book that I read as a kid and enjoyed a great deal. The hero Harold De Shea moves through parallel universes by repeating aloud certain phrases from symbolic logic. (if p is equal to not q, and not q is more than dx' then not dx' is... and so on ad nauseum. Anyone that's ever taken symbolic logic or boolean algebra has probably wished that repeating such would cause their instructor to vanish into another dimension.) I reread this book not long ago and it holds up pretty well. Also, I found that reading the story "The Mathematics of Magic" made Spenser's "Faerie Queene" somewhat more accessible.
June 15, 2010
The Compleat Enchanter (I have a different edition than the one pictured.) is not a novel, but five novels/novellas with a recurring cast of characters. Subtitled, "The Magic Misadventures of Harold Shea," this collection has the unique idea of presenting a psychology professor at a private university (endowed by one particularly generous donor) as the protagonist. Harold Shea is neither the chairman of his department not the most prestigious member of the faculty, but he has not yet become so rooted to the academic vine that he cannot engage in reckless experimentation on the "Road to Adventure."
Now, I am somewhat facetious in calling this the "Road to Adventure" because all of these misadventures would have made great Hope and Crosby movies. Crosby could easily have taken on the role of Harold's mentor and department chairperson, the highly theoretical Dr. Chalmers. Hope would have made a great Harold Shea--both finding ways into and out of trouble with unpredictable turns of events.
Meanwhile, De Camp and Pratt somewhat foreshadow the conceit of Simon Hawke's Timewars series by having Shea (and eventually, company) adventure not in parallel universes only slightly different from our own, but parallel universes which correspond to mythology, literature, and folklore. Hence, Shea ends up at various times in the dimension of Norse gods, Spenser's Faerie Queene, the lesser-known Orlando Furioso (a work by Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto that may have been "borrowed" by Sir Spenser), the Finnish epic known as the Kalevala, and of course, the gritty Ireland of Cuchalain.
Not only is it entertaining to see modern sensibilities trying to grasp the archaic thought forms of these varied civilizations, but it is delightful to see them try to relate to epic heroes in their fictional (or, at least, legendary, in some cases) milieu. Yet, as fascinating as dealing with culture shock may be, the most interesting aspect of each book (at least, to me) was the fact that these social scientists were trying to apply empirical laws to the working of magic. Yet, in each of the five milieus, there is something inherent in the belief system and its effect on the physical environment that makes the "scientific" or perhaps "magical realism" style of magic go haywire. Learning the secrets of the magical differences in each environment is part of the wit and charm of the stories.
My friend and colleague, Pierce Watters, recommended this work to me almost a decade ago. It was one of those books I thought I vaguely remembered reading, so I nodded politely and mostly forgot about it. When I recently saw this in a bookstore, that conversation returned to me and I thumbed through the book enough to realize I hadn't read it before. I brought it home and enjoyed it tremendously. At times, the pace was rather too slow for me and at times, the "mystery" of a given challenge or puzzle was rather too obvious, but overall, this anthology of novels/novellas is worthy of the title, "classic."
Now, I am somewhat facetious in calling this the "Road to Adventure" because all of these misadventures would have made great Hope and Crosby movies. Crosby could easily have taken on the role of Harold's mentor and department chairperson, the highly theoretical Dr. Chalmers. Hope would have made a great Harold Shea--both finding ways into and out of trouble with unpredictable turns of events.
Meanwhile, De Camp and Pratt somewhat foreshadow the conceit of Simon Hawke's Timewars series by having Shea (and eventually, company) adventure not in parallel universes only slightly different from our own, but parallel universes which correspond to mythology, literature, and folklore. Hence, Shea ends up at various times in the dimension of Norse gods, Spenser's Faerie Queene, the lesser-known Orlando Furioso (a work by Italian poet Ludovico Ariosto that may have been "borrowed" by Sir Spenser), the Finnish epic known as the Kalevala, and of course, the gritty Ireland of Cuchalain.
Not only is it entertaining to see modern sensibilities trying to grasp the archaic thought forms of these varied civilizations, but it is delightful to see them try to relate to epic heroes in their fictional (or, at least, legendary, in some cases) milieu. Yet, as fascinating as dealing with culture shock may be, the most interesting aspect of each book (at least, to me) was the fact that these social scientists were trying to apply empirical laws to the working of magic. Yet, in each of the five milieus, there is something inherent in the belief system and its effect on the physical environment that makes the "scientific" or perhaps "magical realism" style of magic go haywire. Learning the secrets of the magical differences in each environment is part of the wit and charm of the stories.
My friend and colleague, Pierce Watters, recommended this work to me almost a decade ago. It was one of those books I thought I vaguely remembered reading, so I nodded politely and mostly forgot about it. When I recently saw this in a bookstore, that conversation returned to me and I thumbed through the book enough to realize I hadn't read it before. I brought it home and enjoyed it tremendously. At times, the pace was rather too slow for me and at times, the "mystery" of a given challenge or puzzle was rather too obvious, but overall, this anthology of novels/novellas is worthy of the title, "classic."
December 13, 2017
This book contains all 5 of the adventures of the wanna-be-wizard, Harold Shea.
Escapism at its finest, and, I was sad to see this book reach its end.
Escapism at its finest, and, I was sad to see this book reach its end.
April 3, 2017
I've been coming back to this, off and on, it seems like forever. Half way through The Castle of Iron I've made the decision to abandon it for good. When a book that promises to be so much fun feels like such a chore you know that something isn't working. The idea of travelling to parallel worlds created from great literature and myth is very enticing to me, but the reality is that the authors just don't know what to do with their characters once they are there and narrative momentum - at least vaguely present in The Roaring Trumpet - ultimately gives way to meeting a bunch of people who are all remarkably similar and constant exclamations of "I'm going to save x from y" without any sense that our protagonists are going to do it before they've met another bunch of characters and had surprisingly similar conversations.
I'm being harsh because Sprague's style and boyish humour just doesn't ultimately gel with me here. It does, in fact, feel as if this has been written by a schoolboy with grandiose visions bigger than the cut of his nib, in thrall to great narrative poetry but never really understanding its nuances or how to communicate its joy to others. In truth, there's a similar sense to Tolkien, in that, although Tolkien revolutionised fantasy writing by using his knowledge of myth and legend as a jumping off point to create something new, whereas Sprague and Pratt are - here, at least - content to play around dumbing down someone else's sandbox. On top of this there's an odd dumbing down of characterisation that happens across the books. At first, I thought we had something mildly interesting going on with Harold Shea, who has to learn how to survive out of his comfort zone (yeah, a common trope, but it provides focus for a story)how to manipulate magic in strange environments, and how to be someone he isn't in order to gain the trust of those around him. But by the time we reach Castle of Iron this has regressed into "where did my wife go ... oh, she's acting a bit strange"
All that said, another interesting read/pick from the Fantasy masterworks series, definitely notable for its concept, if not the execution.
I'm being harsh because Sprague's style and boyish humour just doesn't ultimately gel with me here. It does, in fact, feel as if this has been written by a schoolboy with grandiose visions bigger than the cut of his nib, in thrall to great narrative poetry but never really understanding its nuances or how to communicate its joy to others. In truth, there's a similar sense to Tolkien, in that, although Tolkien revolutionised fantasy writing by using his knowledge of myth and legend as a jumping off point to create something new, whereas Sprague and Pratt are - here, at least - content to play around dumbing down someone else's sandbox. On top of this there's an odd dumbing down of characterisation that happens across the books. At first, I thought we had something mildly interesting going on with Harold Shea, who has to learn how to survive out of his comfort zone (yeah, a common trope, but it provides focus for a story)how to manipulate magic in strange environments, and how to be someone he isn't in order to gain the trust of those around him. But by the time we reach Castle of Iron this has regressed into "where did my wife go ... oh, she's acting a bit strange"
All that said, another interesting read/pick from the Fantasy masterworks series, definitely notable for its concept, if not the execution.
January 2, 2016
This is an omnibus volume of five novellas (the description often claims that there are four novellas and a novel, but the 'novel' is only a little longer than the first two novellas). The adventures of Harold Shea in a multiverse that is based on our epic mythologies and literatures anticipates all parallel-universe-hopping and intertextual adventures that followed.
L. Sprague de Camp was one of the finest writers of the 'Golden Age' of SF. Perhaps his ideas were less wild than those of Asimov, Heinlein, et al, but his prose was solid and muscular and better than theirs. His collaborator, Fletcher Pratt, had a more unusual background: a decade older than de Camp he had worked as a translator of German SF in the 1920s. Together they produced this masterpiece of heroic satire and serious comedy.
Of the five novellas, the first two are the strongest. 'The Roaring Trumpet' (set in the universe of Norse myth) and 'The Mathematics of Magic (set in the world of Spenser's Faery Queen) are crisply written, funny, farcical, profound and exciting, both on a vastly higher plane than most magazine SF and fantasy of the time (they were originally published in Unknown in 1941).
The third novella, The Castle of Iron, is still brilliant. Set in the strange mishmash cosmos of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, there is a slightly strained tone to some of the scenes, but generally it works very well. The fourth and fifth novellas, written ten years after the first three, are weaker still. And yet they have many worthwhile elements and surprises to offer.
So not a perfect work... But still a masterpiece and a fantasy opus of magnificent originality and quirkiness and lasting influence.
L. Sprague de Camp was one of the finest writers of the 'Golden Age' of SF. Perhaps his ideas were less wild than those of Asimov, Heinlein, et al, but his prose was solid and muscular and better than theirs. His collaborator, Fletcher Pratt, had a more unusual background: a decade older than de Camp he had worked as a translator of German SF in the 1920s. Together they produced this masterpiece of heroic satire and serious comedy.
Of the five novellas, the first two are the strongest. 'The Roaring Trumpet' (set in the universe of Norse myth) and 'The Mathematics of Magic (set in the world of Spenser's Faery Queen) are crisply written, funny, farcical, profound and exciting, both on a vastly higher plane than most magazine SF and fantasy of the time (they were originally published in Unknown in 1941).
The third novella, The Castle of Iron, is still brilliant. Set in the strange mishmash cosmos of Ariosto's Orlando Furioso, there is a slightly strained tone to some of the scenes, but generally it works very well. The fourth and fifth novellas, written ten years after the first three, are weaker still. And yet they have many worthwhile elements and surprises to offer.
So not a perfect work... But still a masterpiece and a fantasy opus of magnificent originality and quirkiness and lasting influence.
December 7, 2008
A silly and fun entertaining read. This is an omnibus of several Fantasy novellas originally published in the 1940s in Sci-Fi Mags. What would happen if you could travel into an alternate universe just by thinking about the logical construct of that universe and concentrating? The book goes to several alternative universes based on literature including Norse Mythology, Spencer's Faerie Queene, Coldridge's Xanadu, and ancient Ireland of Cuchulain and the Sidhe.
July 19, 2026
I'm quite glad I came across this collection (although I was reading the version here) and was surprised to see it was apparently a well-known series of fantasy stories, written between the 1940s and 1950s, making it older than the Lord of the Rings. Despite this, you'd never know it from the modern tone and sense of humor that permeates the five stories. I can see how they influenced later writers, with Diana Wynne Jones especially coming to mind. What may be confusing to new readers approaching this "series" is that there seem to be multiple names and multiple collections, not all of which have all five stories. This edition seems to, although, as I said above, I actually read another edition; however, that edition here on Goodreads is listed as "unknown author" for some reason, at least at this time.
The Compleat/Incompleat/Complete Enchanter series, also known as the "Harold Shea" series focuses on the American psychologist Harold Shea. With some of his colleagsues, he discovers a way to essentially use a formula and syllagisms to transport one to another universe/dimension. In each story, Harold is transported to a different world, all of which are based on legends, myths, or classic stories in our world, and he must figure out the basis of magic in each one (based on the rules he already understands) before being able to return home. It's also pretty clear that most of Harold's journeys are mostly unplanned and he rarely arrives where he meant to; he is often leaving our world in a rush to avoid some ongoing trouble.
Personally, I found the first two the best and most enjoyable. I like the character of Harold and most of the side characters, and I like how Belphebe was able to blend in so easily into his world and the stories, despite being from a medieval fairy tale. I would say that by the end, I found Pete the most likable side character, although I rolled my eyes at his exaggerated 1940s "street talk" that was probably supposed to come across as tough. The third story was probably the longest and, I felt, the least eventful... it almost felt like it would've been an adventure, but Harold had to spend most of his time getting Votsy and Chalmers out of the trouble they got themselves into. The 4th and 5th stories were very similar, but I still liked seeing the different worlds and how magic worked a bit differently in each. I would say these were quite enjoyable stories, and I would recommend for a fun, light, fantasy read.
Here are some short descriptions of each story:
1. The Roaring Trumpet: Harold's first journey, which starts as an experiment. He lands in the middle of Norse myths and tags along with several Norse gods, taking part in some classic stories. It's in this story that Harold learns the basics of what will and won't work when traveling between universes, and he is forced to adapt to a whole new society.
2. The Mathematics of Magic: Harold and his mentor, Doctor Reed Chalmers, explore the medieval fantasy world of Spenser's Faerie Queen. They become entangled in the conflict between the black magicians and the Faerie Knights, and thanks to Chalmers' expertise (although I'm not sure how psychology would help you figure out mathematical formulae,) Harold is able to get a bit better at creating his own spells.
3. The Castle of Iron: Harold's new domestic life with his wife Belphebe of Faerie is thrown into chaos when she disappears. Harold realizes it must be something to do with Chalmers, who was left behind in the world of the Faerie Queen, but unfortunately that explanation doesn't fly with his local police. Luckily, just before being taken "downtown," Harold is pulled into another universe along with his colleague Walter Bayard, Votsy Polacek, and police officer Pete Brodsky; they find themselves in Xanadu, as described by Samuel Coleridge. Harold and Votsy are separated from the group, and find themselves pulled into yet another universe, this one similar to Orlando Furiouso, somewhat similar to the Song of Roland. Here, Harold is reunited with Chalmers, but struggles to find Belphebe, who has lost her memory due to the transfer. He also has to once again work with different factions of magicians and armies.
4. The Wall of Serpents: Having found Belphebe and restored her memories, Harold now needs to save Bayard and Brodsky.... or risk returning to his original world wanted not only for the disappearance of his wife but also a police officer. He manages to get them all to the world of the Kalevala, hoping to get help from a magician there, but ends up with the wrong magician. Luckily, his comrades are able to work together to get what they need from the magician and try to avoid clan warfare.
5. The Green Magician: Harold, Belphebe, and Pete are getting closer to their own world, but not there yet. They wind up in Irish mythology and meet the hero Cuchulainn. The couple must try to convince Pete to return with them (so they don't get accused of his murder,) despite the fact that he enjoys his life in mythic Ireland. They also become embroiled in Cuchulainn's dispute with Ailill and Maev, king and queen of Connacht, and even meet up with members of the Sidh.
The Compleat/Incompleat/Complete Enchanter series, also known as the "Harold Shea" series focuses on the American psychologist Harold Shea. With some of his colleagsues, he discovers a way to essentially use a formula and syllagisms to transport one to another universe/dimension. In each story, Harold is transported to a different world, all of which are based on legends, myths, or classic stories in our world, and he must figure out the basis of magic in each one (based on the rules he already understands) before being able to return home. It's also pretty clear that most of Harold's journeys are mostly unplanned and he rarely arrives where he meant to; he is often leaving our world in a rush to avoid some ongoing trouble.
Personally, I found the first two the best and most enjoyable. I like the character of Harold and most of the side characters, and I like how Belphebe was able to blend in so easily into his world and the stories, despite being from a medieval fairy tale. I would say that by the end, I found Pete the most likable side character, although I rolled my eyes at his exaggerated 1940s "street talk" that was probably supposed to come across as tough. The third story was probably the longest and, I felt, the least eventful... it almost felt like it would've been an adventure, but Harold had to spend most of his time getting Votsy and Chalmers out of the trouble they got themselves into. The 4th and 5th stories were very similar, but I still liked seeing the different worlds and how magic worked a bit differently in each. I would say these were quite enjoyable stories, and I would recommend for a fun, light, fantasy read.
Here are some short descriptions of each story:
1. The Roaring Trumpet: Harold's first journey, which starts as an experiment. He lands in the middle of Norse myths and tags along with several Norse gods, taking part in some classic stories. It's in this story that Harold learns the basics of what will and won't work when traveling between universes, and he is forced to adapt to a whole new society.
2. The Mathematics of Magic: Harold and his mentor, Doctor Reed Chalmers, explore the medieval fantasy world of Spenser's Faerie Queen. They become entangled in the conflict between the black magicians and the Faerie Knights, and thanks to Chalmers' expertise (although I'm not sure how psychology would help you figure out mathematical formulae,) Harold is able to get a bit better at creating his own spells.
3. The Castle of Iron: Harold's new domestic life with his wife Belphebe of Faerie is thrown into chaos when she disappears. Harold realizes it must be something to do with Chalmers, who was left behind in the world of the Faerie Queen, but unfortunately that explanation doesn't fly with his local police. Luckily, just before being taken "downtown," Harold is pulled into another universe along with his colleague Walter Bayard, Votsy Polacek, and police officer Pete Brodsky; they find themselves in Xanadu, as described by Samuel Coleridge. Harold and Votsy are separated from the group, and find themselves pulled into yet another universe, this one similar to Orlando Furiouso, somewhat similar to the Song of Roland. Here, Harold is reunited with Chalmers, but struggles to find Belphebe, who has lost her memory due to the transfer. He also has to once again work with different factions of magicians and armies.
4. The Wall of Serpents: Having found Belphebe and restored her memories, Harold now needs to save Bayard and Brodsky.... or risk returning to his original world wanted not only for the disappearance of his wife but also a police officer. He manages to get them all to the world of the Kalevala, hoping to get help from a magician there, but ends up with the wrong magician. Luckily, his comrades are able to work together to get what they need from the magician and try to avoid clan warfare.
5. The Green Magician: Harold, Belphebe, and Pete are getting closer to their own world, but not there yet. They wind up in Irish mythology and meet the hero Cuchulainn. The couple must try to convince Pete to return with them (so they don't get accused of his murder,) despite the fact that he enjoys his life in mythic Ireland. They also become embroiled in Cuchulainn's dispute with Ailill and Maev, king and queen of Connacht, and even meet up with members of the Sidh.
August 23, 2012
This jaunty fantasy novel is perhaps the only one that bears the distinction of having a psychologist for the hero. In a world of massive epics, it’s nice to return to a well-written, light-hearted work as a change of pace. Despite having its share of humor, the authors clearly had a very strong knowledge of Norse and Irish folklore, the Kalevala, the Faerie Queen, and more.
April 3, 2013
LURV THIS BOOK!!! From cover to cover a TRUE classic.
August 6, 2021
Дживс и Вустер в магическом рыцарском сеттинге (скандинавском и романском), в самый раз для отпуска.
Read
December 31, 2024Perfect for - and possibly written by - the precociously well-read 14-year-old boy from 1955 in your life.
July 17, 2026
★★★★★
The Compleat Enchanter is a true fantasy classic that remains remarkably fresh thanks to its clever premise and infectious sense of fun. L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt blend mythology, medieval literature, adventure, and sharp humor into a series of stories where psychologist Harold Shea uses symbolic logic to travel into worlds where legends are literally real. Rather than treating magic as pure mystery, the authors build it around surprisingly consistent rules, making this one of the earliest and most influential examples of systematized magic in fantasy.
This collection shines through its witty dialogue, imaginative world-building, and the entertaining clash between modern scientific reasoning and the chaotic logic of myth. Each adventure draws from a different legendary tradition, including Norse mythology, The Faerie Queene, Orlando Furioso, the Kalevala, and Irish legend, rewarding readers with both exciting quests and playful literary references. Readers who enjoy classic sword-and-sorcery, mythological fantasy, intelligent magic systems, or humorous portal fantasies will find plenty to love here. Fans of authors within the classic Sword and Sorcery genre of Conan, Kane, and even MacArt will have a good read found in these pages. Those new, or not known with those shown here might be a better starting ground, as it is quality Sword and Sorcery, but with the preface of understanding the 'true meaning' of the genre, rather than the heavily watered down standard many now seem to associate with it off of qualities on par with how salt can be used in baking and cooking - just because it is so, does not make them the 'same.' So if you like heroic fantasy with 'happy maids' and 'less evil' stuff - then go elsewhere as it goes a bit deep like a sword and ya gut. A quality 'ooooo' or a 'yikes' can be expected depending on taste!
November 4, 2025
An oldie but a goodie. I stumbled on this complete edition in a 2nd hand bookshop. I already own pre-loved editions of the Incomplete Enchanter and Castle of Iron - but it was great to read all the Harold Shea stories from these legendary authors cover to cover in a few days.
The stories run on from one to the next without a breathe taken as Harold and his companions hop in and out of wildly drawn mythic realities.
Harold is Ohio's only practising magician, and he learns on the go from otherworldly masters of the art as he ports here and there. I appreciated learning that the forthright, straight-shooting Belphoebe was still adventuring with him.
The stories run on from one to the next without a breathe taken as Harold and his companions hop in and out of wildly drawn mythic realities.
Harold is Ohio's only practising magician, and he learns on the go from otherworldly masters of the art as he ports here and there. I appreciated learning that the forthright, straight-shooting Belphoebe was still adventuring with him.
June 13, 2026
I finally got through this one. I had bought it many years ago and had never got around to reading it.
Let's just say there were a few aspects of this story that confused me, number one being the fact that the main character was supposedly an educated man but came off sounding like a cheesy film noir detective.
Perhaps I might have gotten a bit more interested in the story if I had read any of the books that supplied the fantasy lands the characters ended up in, like Orlando Furiosa or an in-depth study of Norse mythology.
For me, this was just a so-so read.
Let's just say there were a few aspects of this story that confused me, number one being the fact that the main character was supposedly an educated man but came off sounding like a cheesy film noir detective.
Perhaps I might have gotten a bit more interested in the story if I had read any of the books that supplied the fantasy lands the characters ended up in, like Orlando Furiosa or an in-depth study of Norse mythology.
For me, this was just a so-so read.
February 23, 2024
This is five isekai fantasy novels published from 1941 to 1954. It is a silly, fun, and entertaining read. Despite having its share of humor, the authors had a solid knowledge of Norse, and Irish folklore, the Kalevala, Faerie Queen, and the Orlando Furioso. At least it seems so to me. I have little to no knowledge of most of those things.
November 12, 2024
Very funny!
March 19, 2026
I really loved the first two novella and found the rest enjoyable and humourous
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October 21, 2007http://nhw.livejournal.com/684127.html[return][return]Reading "The Compleat Enchanter",[return]when I came to the fourth section,[return](set in Finland's Kalevala)[return]somehow I began to wonder:[return]Can one write LiveJournal entries[return]in iambic tetrameter?[return](Yes, I know that last word's bogus[return]and perhaps that gives the answer.)[return][return]This, a five-book compilation[return]of the works of Pratt and de Camp,[return]brings together the adventures[return]of a man called Harold Shea from[return]Ohio, mid-20th century,[return]who is, with his friends and lover,[return]thrust in various fant'sy poems,[return]first Norse legends, second Spenser,[return]third Orlando Furioso[return](also Kubla Khan here featured),[return]fourth (as mentioned) Kalevala[return]ending in Cuchulain's Ireland.[return][return]Though Mark Twain perhaps began it[return]writing of King Arthur's Yankee[return](don't think I can really mention[return]which state that wayfarer came from[return]as it has two unstressed vowels[return]in succession, so won't scan here)[return]this ambitious and effective[return]merging of mundane and mythic[return]surely was an inspiration[return]for much else in the same genre.[return][return]Even the stock story setting -[return]visitors arrive from elsewhere,[return]get entwined in local issues,[return]solve the problem (sometimes fail to)[return]disappear to next adventure[return]using magic means of travel[return]sounds a bit like Doctor Who, ne?[return][return]Also, use of spell components[return]such as "verbal" and "somatic"[return]was employed by Gary Gygax[return]in so far as I remember[return]from my teenage D&D days.[return][return]Anyway, this book is harmless.[return]Irish bit is, sadly, least good -[return]use of silly plot devices[return]to prevent our heroes making[return]any diff'rence to the story.[return]But the rest is entertaining.[return]And I think I'd recommend it.[return]Four stars in my on-line cat'logue.
June 26, 2017
Read 'The Compleat Enchanter' some years ago. Recently read the Harry Potter fanfiction story 'Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality', which makes mention of the 'great wizard Harold Shea', which prompted me to dig out the copy of 'Complete Compleat' that I found at a bookstore a while back but hadn't read yet.
These stories hold up surprisingly well for having been written in the '40s and '50s. I was pleased to discover that final.story gives a decent conclusion to the 'series' (although it does leave the whereabouts of Walter Bayard unknown). I have to admit, however, that I found Pete-the-cop's dialogue a bit much. I wonder if the authors had him talk almost exclusively in mobster-slang on purpose or if that is actually how cops talked in the late 40s in Ohio?!?!
"That's right, play it dumb, lug. Listen, we're from Ohio, see? In our country, when a ghee doesn't get what he wants for his last meal, his ghost comes back on the roach that turned him down, and pretty soon the muzzler is playing with the squirrels."
These stories hold up surprisingly well for having been written in the '40s and '50s. I was pleased to discover that final.story gives a decent conclusion to the 'series' (although it does leave the whereabouts of Walter Bayard unknown). I have to admit, however, that I found Pete-the-cop's dialogue a bit much. I wonder if the authors had him talk almost exclusively in mobster-slang on purpose or if that is actually how cops talked in the late 40s in Ohio?!?!
"That's right, play it dumb, lug. Listen, we're from Ohio, see? In our country, when a ghee doesn't get what he wants for his last meal, his ghost comes back on the roach that turned him down, and pretty soon the muzzler is playing with the squirrels."
January 16, 2019
Rollicking Good Fun
The first book of the series was "The Incomplete Enchanter", but have no fear. the first 2 stories in this book are the same, so you won't miss anything by grabbing this one to start with (if you can find a copy).
The first 2 stories are inspired and will grab the imagination of any fantasy fan. They did mine.
I'd have given the book 5 starts, except that the second two stories were pretty much more of the same, but in different fantasy realms with slightly different "rules" for magic to challenge Mr. Shea. And he's always in the situation of either rescuing his wife (which he acquired in the Faerie Queen realm), or keeping her from falling into the hands of the horny potentates of the realms where they travel.
There's more to his travails then just that, so don't think I've spoiled anything for you. Find a copy and let yourself be transported into swashbuckling fun with some hokus pokus thrown in.
And don't be disappointed when you're done reading it. There are two more books in the series to follow.
The first book of the series was "The Incomplete Enchanter", but have no fear. the first 2 stories in this book are the same, so you won't miss anything by grabbing this one to start with (if you can find a copy).
The first 2 stories are inspired and will grab the imagination of any fantasy fan. They did mine.
I'd have given the book 5 starts, except that the second two stories were pretty much more of the same, but in different fantasy realms with slightly different "rules" for magic to challenge Mr. Shea. And he's always in the situation of either rescuing his wife (which he acquired in the Faerie Queen realm), or keeping her from falling into the hands of the horny potentates of the realms where they travel.
There's more to his travails then just that, so don't think I've spoiled anything for you. Find a copy and let yourself be transported into swashbuckling fun with some hokus pokus thrown in.
And don't be disappointed when you're done reading it. There are two more books in the series to follow.
November 6, 2020
This book assembles five novellas written in the 1940s and 1950s into one volume that tells the tale of Harold Shay, an Ohio psychologist who somehow turns symbolic logic into a means to travel into magical lands of myth and legend. Along the way, he picks up a bride who happily joins him in Ohio.
He and his companions visits with the Norse gods in Asgard and helps them win a battle, winds up helping both Charlemagne's great warrior, Roland, and the Moors he battles, visits the world of knights and ladies from Edmund Spencer's Faerie Queen, gives us a little background in Finnish folklore and winds up trying to keep Ireland's hero Cuchulainn alive. Not bad for a psychologist who learned a little fencing and a little magic appropriate for each realm.
Yes, it is silly at times, and the juxtaposition of 1940s slang with olde English is sometimes a bit tough to take (especially when it is sometimes easier for my modern brain to sort out the archaic English than the slang), but it is light and fun and nostalgic and just what I needed at this time.
He and his companions visits with the Norse gods in Asgard and helps them win a battle, winds up helping both Charlemagne's great warrior, Roland, and the Moors he battles, visits the world of knights and ladies from Edmund Spencer's Faerie Queen, gives us a little background in Finnish folklore and winds up trying to keep Ireland's hero Cuchulainn alive. Not bad for a psychologist who learned a little fencing and a little magic appropriate for each realm.
Yes, it is silly at times, and the juxtaposition of 1940s slang with olde English is sometimes a bit tough to take (especially when it is sometimes easier for my modern brain to sort out the archaic English than the slang), but it is light and fun and nostalgic and just what I needed at this time.
May 26, 2022
This is an imaginative and humorous collection of fantasy, as a psychologist from our time (back in the 1940's) discovers a way to mentally and magically travel to parallel dimensions that inspired ancient poems and songs. The collection was originally written in the 1940's. In each tale, Harold Shea, fencer extraordinaire and logical thinker, either explores or finds himself in a mythical world, ie the Norse, Old Ireland, and other venues. In each place, he must reason out and imitate their ways to cast his own magic spells and often it goes array. Dealing with fabled heroes is always a problem. His partners in exploration range from fellow doctors of psychology, to Belphebe the beauteous archer, and a beat cop whose street wisdom helps keep them out of worse trouble. For the most part, you won't be able to tell it was written that long ago. It reads more like something from the 70's or 80's.
August 10, 2011
One of the most entertainingly tantalising fantasy works I have come across in a long while.. filled with equal parts, wit, humour, inventiveness, adaptation of known fantasy/fictional themes and characters, attention to detail, adventure, action and silliness - this is one of the finest and most innovative examples of fantasy fiction.
Prof. Harold Shea has become hands down one of my all time favourite characters as a result of these stories and I only wish fervently that there had been more! The simple concepts alone are enough to hook you completely, and the characters are so human, and at the same time not even close, that you can actually believe them and imagine yourself in there.
Well worth reading for anyone who has even the slightest taste for fantasy/scifi fiction.
Prof. Harold Shea has become hands down one of my all time favourite characters as a result of these stories and I only wish fervently that there had been more! The simple concepts alone are enough to hook you completely, and the characters are so human, and at the same time not even close, that you can actually believe them and imagine yourself in there.
Well worth reading for anyone who has even the slightest taste for fantasy/scifi fiction.
March 23, 2013
Едно научно отнасяне… и си там, сред митовете: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/n...
Още едно фентъзи от поредицата на “Дамян Яков”, от която открих една от най-интересните книги, които прочетох през 2012 г. – “Кръчмата на Калахан” на Спайдър Робинсън (тя стана и годишен бестселър на “Книга за теб”, едно небивало чудо за нашия ориентиран изцяло към новото пазар). “Наръчник по когнитивна магия” на Лион Спрег де Камп и Флетчър Прат е пак в областта на хумористичните четива, но фентъзи опаковката не ми допадна толкова, колкото на предната спомената – по неясни причини хич не ми допадат книги, които привличат щедро към случването всякакви митологии, сигурно затова и “Американски богове” на онзи, дет всички го славят, хич не ми хареса.
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/n...
Още едно фентъзи от поредицата на “Дамян Яков”, от която открих една от най-интересните книги, които прочетох през 2012 г. – “Кръчмата на Калахан” на Спайдър Робинсън (тя стана и годишен бестселър на “Книга за теб”, едно небивало чудо за нашия ориентиран изцяло към новото пазар). “Наръчник по когнитивна магия” на Лион Спрег де Камп и Флетчър Прат е пак в областта на хумористичните четива, но фентъзи опаковката не ми допадна толкова, колкото на предната спомената – по неясни причини хич не ми допадат книги, които привличат щедро към случването всякакви митологии, сигурно затова и “Американски богове” на онзи, дет всички го славят, хич не ми хареса.
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/n...
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March 18, 2014Both de Camp and Pratt (Pratt far more so than de Camp, alas!) have been unfairly neglected. For L. Sprague de Camp, it's not particularly fair. Pratt vanished from the literary world at his untimely death, but de Camp was in many ways the quintessential 20th century Fantasist - born in 1907 and living to see the new millennium. Many of his works, including the Compleat Enchanter, show a sense of humor that many more modern writers lack - and when they do have a sense of humor, it's certainly not one that de Camp would recognize. Some of his books have been bought back into print, especially in the UK, but far too many remain neglected, even here in his own land. Bring back de Camp!
October 28, 2008
I have this theory if you fence and study history you will find yourself sucked into an alternate universe. The Harold Shea stories by L Sprague DeCamp and Fletcher Pratt go a long way to proving this. Long before the modern fantasy humorists and alternative history gurus Pratt and DeCamp wrote a series of charming stories about Harold Shea doing a tour of alternate realities. Definitely worth checking out.
October 30, 2012
The Bean paperback copy is actually books 1 - 5 of the adventures of Harold Shae. The first of these pre-Tolkien tales was first published in Unknown magazine in 1940. Harold Shae and his co-workers from an Ohio psychiatric institute devise a scientific theory for traveling into mythological realms where they use their knowledge of science, literature and mythology to learn the magic laws of various lands they visit. Enjoyable reading if Pulp Fantasy is your thing.
May 5, 2013
Es un libro entretenido aunque con altibajos, en donde Harold Shea, psicólogo, viaja a diversos universos literarios como el las Eddas nórdicas, el de la reina de las hadas de Spenser, el del Orlando furioso, el del Kalevala y el de los mitos del Ulster. Cada uno de esos viajes está incluido en uno de los relatos cortos que lo componen.
En español se dividió este libro en dos: "El aprendiz de Mago" y "El aprendiz se hace Mago".
En español se dividió este libro en dos: "El aprendiz de Mago" y "El aprendiz se hace Mago".
April 17, 2014
This is a set of five stories, with the premise that a couple of academicians figure out how to use logic to transport themselves to a fantasy world where magic works but modern technology doesn't. They meet interesting people and have adventures, using their newly-developed magic skills to get out of various scrapes. The first story was fun. The rest were okay page-turners, but kind of repetitive. If you pick up this book and just read the first story, you won't be missing that much.
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