The Wizard of Camelot

The Wizard of 4th Street #7

by Simon Hawke

As anarchy rages in the ruins of Earth, Tom Malory battles urban rioters and encounters Merlin, history's greatest wizard, who has returned to Earth to save humanity. Original.

Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Arthurian, Magic, Science Fiction Fantasy

215 pages, Paperback

First published July 16, 1993

About the author

Also published as J.D. Masters.

He was born Nicholas Valentin Yermakov, but began writing as Simon Hawke in 1984 and later changed his legal name to Hawke. He has also written near future adventure novels under the penname "J. D. Masters" and mystery novels.

Reviews

[Jim Razinha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I sometimes suffer from what I call "reader's block", where reading anything I'm already working on and is just unappealing and anything new even more. For a voracious reader, that's just wrong. Fortunately I have some block breakers in the books of Simon Hawke, Jack Chalker and a few others. Old standbys. Easy reads. Fun reads. This and one other of Hawke's Wizard series are actually two that I'd not read yet (The Nine Lives of Catseye Gomez being the other.) I'm not sure why I hadn't read this one (I wasn't interested in Catseye Gomez back when I was first reading these and I've a few thousand miles and many hundreds of books in between then and now serving to fill my reading plate.) I found this to be typical of the series, light and simple. The reader's block isn't completely overcome and I have a review to craft so I'll probably revisit the series from the beginning to get jump started.

[Snake_telegraph · Rating 1 out of 5]

I dunno why this one is so highly rated, it's hands down my least favorite in this series. The framing device is completely uneccessary (wow how novel, it's a book in a book written in the same exact tone as Simon Hawke writes! what's the point) and only adds really dry exposition or jokes? (that aside about the woman psychically projecting her sexual pleasure to her mom accidentally is extremely weird). It's so slow paced until the last 50 pages, and the "villain", who isn't so much telegraphed as immediately said to be evil, is just like, easily killed with no fanfare, and nothing feels substantial or consequential because of the very passive storytelling. I thought it'd be cool to learn about the Collapse days since what I like most about this series is the worldbuilding, but I'd rather have just stuck to my imagination.

[Doris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This "Book 0" of the tales of Merlin and his magic in a world a few years past our times, introduced the man himself to the modern world.

While the book showed us the beginnings of the modern magic, it actually was a prequel, allowing the reader to see how it all began.

The writing itself reads like a military report, which is fitting, as the purported author has a military and law background. It takes the reader through what are some dry reports with a smattering of frenzied or excited reportings, still given in the "sir, yes sir" style of the rest of the book.

It builds a bulwark for the rest of the series. A good read which allows the good and the bad about a famous man to be seen, and appreciated even as you might want to distance yourself from the troubles.

And at least I finally know more about the "Troubles" and the "Riot of London".

[Ragnar Númi Gunnarsson Breidfjord · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun look at an dystopian world of the 23rd century from the late 20th century. Magic is long forgotten, but the return of Merlin brings it back.

It starts well, but soon slowes down, which bored me and forced me to read it over many weeks, even though it is really short. It has alot of talking, but the politics are very simple that it isn't entertaining. But the end of it there is some action. It's alright, but i probebly won't re-read it anytime soon.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was a great ride.
Quick read and enjoyable.
I think its part of a series and
if so, I'm looking forward to this
one.

[Brently Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the Simon Hawke Wizard series of books MANY years ago and enjoyed them. With all of time spent at home due to the COVID-19 hysteria, I will be reading them again.

[Alexander Hernandez · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun!

[MarsianMan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was much better than the others. It is actually a prequel which describes Merlin being freed from his two thousand year sleep. Slowly but surely, he convinces a modern, technological world that Magic does exist. All in the goal of teaching magic for the world to power its technology.

The description of magic and its principles / rationalization was interesting too.

[Michael D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book. Not so full of cliche characters as the first three, this book seems to be so on point about the economic trends we're facing today, though this was writen about 20 years ago. There are satirical riffs on sensationalist talk shows and personalities as well as thought-provoking moments of clarity about the Collapse we fear in our current state.

[Devi · Rating 2 out of 5]

More likely 2.5 stars. I realize it is an introduction to a series but it did little to raise my interest in the rest of the series. As I already have the books I'll continue reading the series however.

[Bryan457 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of how the Wizard series began, when Merlin returns to become the Wizard of 4th Street and lead the world out of the second dark age by bringing back magic.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

prequel detailing emergence of Merlin & the collapse