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Lord Darcy #1-3
Lord Darcy
Welcome to an alternate world where Richard the Lion-Heart did not die in the year 1199... where magic is a science and science is an art... where the great detective Lord Darcy and the sorcerer Sean O'Lochlainn combine occult skills and brilliant deductions to bring criminals to the King's Justice and thwart those who plot against the Realm. Welcome to a world where murder may be committed by magic most foul, but crime still does not pay - as long as Lord Darcy is on the case.
673 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1966
44 people are currently reading
1362 people want to read
About the author
Randall Garrett
440 books86 followersRandall Garrett's full name was Gordon Randall Phillip David Garrett. For more information about him see https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?239
He was married to Vicki Ann Heydron
His pseudonyms include: Gordon Randall Garrett, Gordon Aghill, Grandal Barretton, Alexander Blade, Ralph Burke, Gordon Garrett, David Gordon, Richard Greer, Ivar Jorgenson, Darrel T. Langart, Blake MacKenzie, Jonathan Blake MacKenzie, Seaton Mckettrig, Clyde (T.) Mitchell, Mark Phillips (with Laurence Janifer), Robert Randall, Leonard G. Spencer, S.M. Tenneshaw, Gerald Vance.
He was married to Vicki Ann Heydron
His pseudonyms include: Gordon Randall Garrett, Gordon Aghill, Grandal Barretton, Alexander Blade, Ralph Burke, Gordon Garrett, David Gordon, Richard Greer, Ivar Jorgenson, Darrel T. Langart, Blake MacKenzie, Jonathan Blake MacKenzie, Seaton Mckettrig, Clyde (T.) Mitchell, Mark Phillips (with Laurence Janifer), Robert Randall, Leonard G. Spencer, S.M. Tenneshaw, Gerald Vance.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 109 reviews
May 18, 2015
The English royalty with all their pomp and splendor would have been quite a sight for the sore eyes in their days of glory. All that I have are faded photographs and a big bunch of written material about them. But then looking at some of the newspapers and tabloids having a field day when someone from the royal family is pregnant is enough indication of how it would have been in the old days. Randall Garrett envisages for his characters an England where monarchy never died. His world (even in the 1970’s) is ruled by a Plantagenet King – John IV and the Sun does not set over the empire. Let me pick up from the book what Garrett says about His Highness :
John IV, by the grace of God, King and Emperor of England, France, Scotland, Ireland, New England and New France, King of Romans and the Holy Roman Empire, Defender of the Faith et cetera.
The King reigns supreme with his only thorn in his side being the dastardly Poles led by His Slavonic Majesty – King Casimir IX. It is a game of who bests whom among the two of them while the general humanity lives on oblivious. One most interesting factor to note in the King’s lands are that magic is no longer seen as just hocus pocus. In a country where religion has the second best stranglehold on people, magic has now become a branch of science in itself. Interweaving fields of physics, chemistry, thaumaturgy and most importantly – mathematics, magic has evolved into yet another highly stable field of science. There are no wild card magicians around for they all need licenses ratified and approved by the Church before a sorcerer can do as much as raise a finger to perform a spell. It is into such a complicated yet highly interesting World that Garett sets forth his principal character of Lord Darcy.
Any unmarried, energetic and slightly eccentric criminal investigator who focuses almost exclusively on deductive reasoning and logic is bound to draw comparisons with Sherlock Holmes. That weighing of scales needs to be dispelled at the onset for Holmes and Darcy are plainly different. Darcy does not focus on solving problems alone and relies on the magical skills of his companion and master sorcerer Sean O Lachlainn and sometimes with the aid of a chirurgeon (for the uninitiated, that is a forensic surgeon) Dr. Pateley. The two others furnish the data and his lordship ties the ends together and presto ! Mystery solved. Almost all of the stories in the book are the closed room mystery kind and it does get a slight shade repetitive in terms of the setting but not in terms of the mystery itself.
At the onset of the book, WP book reviewer Michael Dirda calls the story ‘Too many magicians’ as a brilliant one worth re-reading. It is by no means an exaggerated claim for it is the longest and the best story of them all. The plot is quite a convoluted one with no clue as to the nature of the perpetrator. The other stories are not really all that first class but not one of them is boring. Beyond the peripheral understanding in the tales, there is not much indication of the lives of the characters and the puzzle always seems to hold sway over the author more than developing his characters. I did not know even an inch more about Darcy by the last tale that I knew from the beginning.
A clever set of little tales. Worth a read.
John IV, by the grace of God, King and Emperor of England, France, Scotland, Ireland, New England and New France, King of Romans and the Holy Roman Empire, Defender of the Faith et cetera.
The King reigns supreme with his only thorn in his side being the dastardly Poles led by His Slavonic Majesty – King Casimir IX. It is a game of who bests whom among the two of them while the general humanity lives on oblivious. One most interesting factor to note in the King’s lands are that magic is no longer seen as just hocus pocus. In a country where religion has the second best stranglehold on people, magic has now become a branch of science in itself. Interweaving fields of physics, chemistry, thaumaturgy and most importantly – mathematics, magic has evolved into yet another highly stable field of science. There are no wild card magicians around for they all need licenses ratified and approved by the Church before a sorcerer can do as much as raise a finger to perform a spell. It is into such a complicated yet highly interesting World that Garett sets forth his principal character of Lord Darcy.
Any unmarried, energetic and slightly eccentric criminal investigator who focuses almost exclusively on deductive reasoning and logic is bound to draw comparisons with Sherlock Holmes. That weighing of scales needs to be dispelled at the onset for Holmes and Darcy are plainly different. Darcy does not focus on solving problems alone and relies on the magical skills of his companion and master sorcerer Sean O Lachlainn and sometimes with the aid of a chirurgeon (for the uninitiated, that is a forensic surgeon) Dr. Pateley. The two others furnish the data and his lordship ties the ends together and presto ! Mystery solved. Almost all of the stories in the book are the closed room mystery kind and it does get a slight shade repetitive in terms of the setting but not in terms of the mystery itself.
At the onset of the book, WP book reviewer Michael Dirda calls the story ‘Too many magicians’ as a brilliant one worth re-reading. It is by no means an exaggerated claim for it is the longest and the best story of them all. The plot is quite a convoluted one with no clue as to the nature of the perpetrator. The other stories are not really all that first class but not one of them is boring. Beyond the peripheral understanding in the tales, there is not much indication of the lives of the characters and the puzzle always seems to hold sway over the author more than developing his characters. I did not know even an inch more about Darcy by the last tale that I knew from the beginning.
A clever set of little tales. Worth a read.
May 16, 2020
Long ago & far away, Randall Garrett wrote this series, about an England "where the great detective Lord Darcy and the sorcerer Sean O'Lochlainn combine occult skills and brilliant deductions to bring criminals to the King's Justice and thwart those who plot against the Realm." Entertaining stuff, in my (mostly) decades-old memories. This omnibus collects them all in one convenient volume (or file)
From a National Review essay on the series, by S.T. Karnick, excerpted here: http://theamericanculture.org/lord-da...
"The Darcy mysteries were written in the 1960s and ’70s and are set in an alternative twentieth century in which the Reformation never happened, the rules of magic were discovered during the Middle Ages, and technology has not advanced beyond the mid-nineteenth century. The stories (and one novel) combine dashing adventure, real fair-play puzzle mysteries, a world where magic is real but bound by definite rules, and some lightly presented insights into the human condition.
To read the stories on the Baen website, click http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200207/.... Once you read them, you will want to read them all.
Here’s some more info on Lord Darcy, from my National Review Online essay on the series:
First published in science-fiction magazines in the 1960s and ’70s, the stories tell the exploits of Lord Darcy, a detective who bears a striking resemblance to Sherlock Holmes.
But if Darcy seems familiar, the world in which he lives is anything but. In this alternative universe, King Richard the Lion-Hearted did not die young, having narrowly escaped death at the Siege of Chaluz (the source of his demise in our world), and that particular event changed everything. The brash, irresponsible king’s brush with mortality sobered him up greatly, and he ruled wisely and well for another two decades and ensured the continuation of a long line of great Plantagenet rulers that has lasted to the present day. ...
Despite the presence of magic, the puzzles are fairly clued; once Garrett establishes the rules of magic, he sticks to them, and we can trust that all the evidence will be laid before the reader before Darcy presents his ingenious solution. The puzzles are quite good, in fact, which is particularly remarkable in that Garrett was mainly a science-fiction writer (and a widely admired one). Darcy uses deduction to solve the crimes, while Sean serves the function of a forensic scientist. The saga consists of three novellas written in the 1960s, six from the 1970s, and the 1966 novel Too Many Magicians. After Garrett’s untimely death, sci-fi and mystery writer Michael Kurland wrote two more Darcy novels in the late 1980s.
Garrett’s writing style is as elegant and charming as his setting, and his mastery of atmosphere is admirable. . . .
Garrett himself was something of a cad. Per his Wikibio, "Garrett was a complicated man. Although cherished by his friends, who often repeated anecdotes of his rakish and endearing behavior, he horrified many women, to whom he routinely introduced himself with obscene propositions..."
From a National Review essay on the series, by S.T. Karnick, excerpted here: http://theamericanculture.org/lord-da...
"The Darcy mysteries were written in the 1960s and ’70s and are set in an alternative twentieth century in which the Reformation never happened, the rules of magic were discovered during the Middle Ages, and technology has not advanced beyond the mid-nineteenth century. The stories (and one novel) combine dashing adventure, real fair-play puzzle mysteries, a world where magic is real but bound by definite rules, and some lightly presented insights into the human condition.
To read the stories on the Baen website, click http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200207/.... Once you read them, you will want to read them all.
Here’s some more info on Lord Darcy, from my National Review Online essay on the series:
First published in science-fiction magazines in the 1960s and ’70s, the stories tell the exploits of Lord Darcy, a detective who bears a striking resemblance to Sherlock Holmes.
But if Darcy seems familiar, the world in which he lives is anything but. In this alternative universe, King Richard the Lion-Hearted did not die young, having narrowly escaped death at the Siege of Chaluz (the source of his demise in our world), and that particular event changed everything. The brash, irresponsible king’s brush with mortality sobered him up greatly, and he ruled wisely and well for another two decades and ensured the continuation of a long line of great Plantagenet rulers that has lasted to the present day. ...
Despite the presence of magic, the puzzles are fairly clued; once Garrett establishes the rules of magic, he sticks to them, and we can trust that all the evidence will be laid before the reader before Darcy presents his ingenious solution. The puzzles are quite good, in fact, which is particularly remarkable in that Garrett was mainly a science-fiction writer (and a widely admired one). Darcy uses deduction to solve the crimes, while Sean serves the function of a forensic scientist. The saga consists of three novellas written in the 1960s, six from the 1970s, and the 1966 novel Too Many Magicians. After Garrett’s untimely death, sci-fi and mystery writer Michael Kurland wrote two more Darcy novels in the late 1980s.
Garrett’s writing style is as elegant and charming as his setting, and his mastery of atmosphere is admirable. . . .
Garrett himself was something of a cad. Per his Wikibio, "Garrett was a complicated man. Although cherished by his friends, who often repeated anecdotes of his rakish and endearing behavior, he horrified many women, to whom he routinely introduced himself with obscene propositions..."
January 29, 2014
3.5 stars for the collection as a whole. The writing is simple and the characterizations are shallow, but the stories are fun. A little hokey, but fun. I was entertained by the setting and amused by the “scientific” applications of magic.
This 700-page omnibus contains the entire Lord Darcy series: 10 short stories and the Hugo-nominated novel Too Many Magicians. They are straightforward detective stories - mostly locked room mysteries - set in an alternate fantasy world where a large and prosperous Anglo-French Empire is still ruled in the 20th century by the descendants of Henry Plantagenet.
It seems that Richard the Lionheart did not die from his arrow wound in 1199, but survived to fight off his wicked brother John and leave the throne to their nephew Arthur (who in real life was probably murdered by King John.) This second King Arthur proved worthy of his namesake, and so the Plantagenets and their empire persevered and flourished.
Lord Darcy is the Chief Criminal Investigator for His Royal Highness, Richard, Duke of Normandy. He’s a dashing man of action with a Sherlock Holmes intellect. This world uses magic, strictly regulated by the church, as a substitute for science, and Lord Darcy solves crimes with the aid of “forensic sorcery” performed by his sorcerer sidekick.
Garrett wrote the early stories in the 1960’s and they take place in the same time frame in this alternate world. The technology is mostly at a Victorian level - gas lighting, horse-drawn carriages, steam engines - but in some areas magic exceeds the capabilities of modern science.
The society of the empire is a cheerful, modern version of feudalism. The hereditary nobility wield actual power in a benevolent, regulated sort of way. It reminds me a little bit of the society in the Honor Harrington novels. The reader might get tired of all the my-lording, since most of the characters are lords, duchesses, marquises or Masters of this-or-that, and nearly always address each other formally.
This 700-page omnibus contains the entire Lord Darcy series: 10 short stories and the Hugo-nominated novel Too Many Magicians. They are straightforward detective stories - mostly locked room mysteries - set in an alternate fantasy world where a large and prosperous Anglo-French Empire is still ruled in the 20th century by the descendants of Henry Plantagenet.
It seems that Richard the Lionheart did not die from his arrow wound in 1199, but survived to fight off his wicked brother John and leave the throne to their nephew Arthur (who in real life was probably murdered by King John.) This second King Arthur proved worthy of his namesake, and so the Plantagenets and their empire persevered and flourished.
Lord Darcy is the Chief Criminal Investigator for His Royal Highness, Richard, Duke of Normandy. He’s a dashing man of action with a Sherlock Holmes intellect. This world uses magic, strictly regulated by the church, as a substitute for science, and Lord Darcy solves crimes with the aid of “forensic sorcery” performed by his sorcerer sidekick.
Garrett wrote the early stories in the 1960’s and they take place in the same time frame in this alternate world. The technology is mostly at a Victorian level - gas lighting, horse-drawn carriages, steam engines - but in some areas magic exceeds the capabilities of modern science.
The society of the empire is a cheerful, modern version of feudalism. The hereditary nobility wield actual power in a benevolent, regulated sort of way. It reminds me a little bit of the society in the Honor Harrington novels. The reader might get tired of all the my-lording, since most of the characters are lords, duchesses, marquises or Masters of this-or-that, and nearly always address each other formally.
June 21, 2017
This is detective fiction from 1964 through 1979, very much in the “locked room” genre, but in a world where magic exists. Lord Darcy’s Dr. Watson is an Irish Doctor of Thaumaturgy.
The principles of magic in this alternate history were discovered before the principles of technology. Perhaps even before the scientific method spread. An accident of history also maintains feudalism, in an empire that combines Britain and France, with no Magna Carta. The United States remains under control of the empire as New England and New France.
Garrett draws this alternate history very well; feudal society holds scientific advancement back just as it did in real life, so that even with magic, life in 1964 is at best up to the level of the late 1800s for the average person. The common man lives in fear of the king’s guards and running afoul of the king’s law, which controls every aspect of his life. He must even be forced to keep his (gas) lights turned on, through fear of summons and fines!
The average person neither bathes regularly nor keeps his hair and nails trimmed.
Something as simple as a flashlight is a prized possession available only to a select few. Nor can they even run cables along the channel floor, let alone the ocean, a feat that was solved in the real world in the 1800s, as ably-described in James Dugan’s The Great Iron Ship.
The description of the flashlight, a combination of magic and technology that solves some engineering issues with magic, makes it clear that in a free society technology in this alternate history should have advanced faster, not slower, than in the real world, and people should have better lives, not worse.
The stories were originally written as standalones—this is actually a collection of three novels, two of which were themselves collections of short stories. So some of the workings of the alternate history are repeated several times to bring the original readers up to speed. Magic works according to laws—spells from this world are readily translatable into games like Dungeons and Dragons—and those laws can be used to help solve crimes and to speculate about the kinds of magic—or lack thereof—that might have been used to commit the various crimes in these stories.
Lord Darcy lives in Rouen, which puts him close enough to solve crimes on both sides of the English Channel. He works directly for His Highness the Duke of Normandy, and also regularly interacts with the Plantagenet King of the Angevin Empire.
It’s Sherlock Holmes with magic, and it is a lot of fun. Many of the stories mirror other famous detective stories, such as the Murder on the Orient Express. Garrett also fills his stories with a lot of subtle, and not-so-subtle, jokes, especially in the names of characters. One of the sorcerors at the sorceror’s convention is Sir Gandolphus Grey, and a master spy is named James Le Lien.
The principles of magic in this alternate history were discovered before the principles of technology. Perhaps even before the scientific method spread. An accident of history also maintains feudalism, in an empire that combines Britain and France, with no Magna Carta. The United States remains under control of the empire as New England and New France.
Garrett draws this alternate history very well; feudal society holds scientific advancement back just as it did in real life, so that even with magic, life in 1964 is at best up to the level of the late 1800s for the average person. The common man lives in fear of the king’s guards and running afoul of the king’s law, which controls every aspect of his life. He must even be forced to keep his (gas) lights turned on, through fear of summons and fines!
The average person neither bathes regularly nor keeps his hair and nails trimmed.
Something as simple as a flashlight is a prized possession available only to a select few. Nor can they even run cables along the channel floor, let alone the ocean, a feat that was solved in the real world in the 1800s, as ably-described in James Dugan’s The Great Iron Ship.
The description of the flashlight, a combination of magic and technology that solves some engineering issues with magic, makes it clear that in a free society technology in this alternate history should have advanced faster, not slower, than in the real world, and people should have better lives, not worse.
The stories were originally written as standalones—this is actually a collection of three novels, two of which were themselves collections of short stories. So some of the workings of the alternate history are repeated several times to bring the original readers up to speed. Magic works according to laws—spells from this world are readily translatable into games like Dungeons and Dragons—and those laws can be used to help solve crimes and to speculate about the kinds of magic—or lack thereof—that might have been used to commit the various crimes in these stories.
Lord Darcy lives in Rouen, which puts him close enough to solve crimes on both sides of the English Channel. He works directly for His Highness the Duke of Normandy, and also regularly interacts with the Plantagenet King of the Angevin Empire.
It’s Sherlock Holmes with magic, and it is a lot of fun. Many of the stories mirror other famous detective stories, such as the Murder on the Orient Express. Garrett also fills his stories with a lot of subtle, and not-so-subtle, jokes, especially in the names of characters. One of the sorcerors at the sorceror’s convention is Sir Gandolphus Grey, and a master spy is named James Le Lien.
April 17, 2018
Rating
Review
*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***
I picked up a copy of Lord Darcy by Randall Garrett a while back as part of my research into a potential future project that would blend the genres of fantasy and mystery. Lord Darcy is just that: alternate historical fiction blended with mystery. It's a world where Richard the Lion-Hearted did not die on the battlefield, but instead went on to build the foundation of the greatest empire the world has ever seen.
Lord Darcy is Chief Special Investigator for the Duke of Normandy and, as such, he's called in to solve particular crimes perpetrated against members of the aristocracy. Much like Holmes had his Watson, Darcy has his O'Lochlainn: Master Sorcerer Sean O'Lochlainn, to be precise. Magic works in a sort of alchemy meets science manner. There are Laws of Magic and symposiums, all regulated by the government to the point where sorcerers must be licensed to practice else face severe penalties. There is also Black Magic, outlawed and dangerous as one might expect. Rest assured Darcy and O'Lochlainn have a tangle or two with practitioners of the dark form of sorcery.
Lord Darcy is a collection of short stories. While some are clever, others are so brief it's hard to immerse oneself in them. There is the novella Too Many Magicians which I found kind of droll--much of it is told through dialog and it quickly wore me down and I really found it confusing at times.
Lord Darcy (the character this time) and others come across as flat, and I think this is the biggest flaw with the entire collection. The characters have histories--Darcy himself is in his 40's (I'm guessing)--but we're never given much of a glimpse into his past or anything about his personal life. It's all about the crimes and the ease at which he sees what no one else can. This unfortunately is the fatal flaw in this book for me. I never cared a whole lot whether the crime was solved or not, the murderer discovered, or the conspirators brought to justice. Sorry, but that's just not good.
Review
*** This review originally appeared on Out of this World Reviews. ***
I picked up a copy of Lord Darcy by Randall Garrett a while back as part of my research into a potential future project that would blend the genres of fantasy and mystery. Lord Darcy is just that: alternate historical fiction blended with mystery. It's a world where Richard the Lion-Hearted did not die on the battlefield, but instead went on to build the foundation of the greatest empire the world has ever seen.
Lord Darcy is Chief Special Investigator for the Duke of Normandy and, as such, he's called in to solve particular crimes perpetrated against members of the aristocracy. Much like Holmes had his Watson, Darcy has his O'Lochlainn: Master Sorcerer Sean O'Lochlainn, to be precise. Magic works in a sort of alchemy meets science manner. There are Laws of Magic and symposiums, all regulated by the government to the point where sorcerers must be licensed to practice else face severe penalties. There is also Black Magic, outlawed and dangerous as one might expect. Rest assured Darcy and O'Lochlainn have a tangle or two with practitioners of the dark form of sorcery.
Lord Darcy is a collection of short stories. While some are clever, others are so brief it's hard to immerse oneself in them. There is the novella Too Many Magicians which I found kind of droll--much of it is told through dialog and it quickly wore me down and I really found it confusing at times.
Lord Darcy (the character this time) and others come across as flat, and I think this is the biggest flaw with the entire collection. The characters have histories--Darcy himself is in his 40's (I'm guessing)--but we're never given much of a glimpse into his past or anything about his personal life. It's all about the crimes and the ease at which he sees what no one else can. This unfortunately is the fatal flaw in this book for me. I never cared a whole lot whether the crime was solved or not, the murderer discovered, or the conspirators brought to justice. Sorry, but that's just not good.
December 5, 2008
A wonderful occult version of Shelock Holmes. The only weak story is the last one.
March 27, 2017
Read 1 of the 4 books contained. Saving rest for later. Too good to read all at once. Must savor. Love Lord Darcy.
June 25, 2016
IF you haven't seen this, don't feel bad. They ( it is a set) are hard to find unless someone has reprinted them. Imagine a world where Richard the Lion Hearted does not go goosing off to fight the infidels and stays home and tends to business. He ushers in an era of peace and prosperity....and magic. Yes the laws of magic are discovered. Centuries pass and enter Lord Darcy chief investigator for his majesty. Magic aids his investigations and he runs into some characters that are amazingly similar to classic detectives of fiction. These are fun books if you can find them and Randal Garrett is not to be missed.
November 13, 2016
There was not anything really "wrong" with this story collection, the problem I have with it is that there just did not seem to be enough to it.
The world created is essentially the Plantagenets winning the Hundred Years War and creating a Western European empire, but it honestly feels just like another of the great powers we had prior to the first world war. The crimes have magical elements but pretty standard cases. Lord Darcy himself feels like a bit of a blank slate.
If there is an issue it is that I just didn't have any fun reading them, it was easy to get through but I was soon doing more out of deteremination than actual sense of enjoyment.
The world created is essentially the Plantagenets winning the Hundred Years War and creating a Western European empire, but it honestly feels just like another of the great powers we had prior to the first world war. The crimes have magical elements but pretty standard cases. Lord Darcy himself feels like a bit of a blank slate.
If there is an issue it is that I just didn't have any fun reading them, it was easy to get through but I was soon doing more out of deteremination than actual sense of enjoyment.
July 5, 2011
A fantastic set of locked-room murder mysteries set in a world where magic, rather than science, has taken the fore (although they do treat magic just as we would science). Lots of love thrown toward Rex Stout, Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and others.
If you're in the set of people who like traditional mysteries AND fantasy, check it out.
If you're in the set of people who like traditional mysteries AND fantasy, check it out.
December 4, 2021
Un très bon recueil composé d'un roman et de dix nouvelles, autant d'enquêtes rondement menée par Lord Darcy dans un monde uchronique plutôt original.
L'Empire Plantagenet a survécu huit siècles, Richard Coeur-de-Lion n'est pas mort prématurément, son frère Jean ne lui a pas succédé, et la dynastie détient toujours la couronne dans les années 1960 et 1970. L'Empereur britannique domine une grande partie de l'Europe et de l'Amérique. Seul le roi de Pologne semble un rival digne de ce nom. Ajoutez à cela de la magie expliquée par des lois quasi-scientifiques et réglementée par l'Eglise, vous obtenez un cadre intéressant et très bien mis en scène par l'auteur.
Autour de ce décor plaisant, Randall Garrett propose des enquêtes policières presque classiques, mais passionnantes à suivre. Il y a des références à de grands noms du genre, j'ai particulièrement aimé la ré-interprétation du Meurtre de l'Orient-Express d'Agatha Christie.
J'ai beaucoup aimé ce recueil : le roman "Too Many Magicians" qui en constitue le coeur est peut-être un peu long, les dix nouvelles qui l'accompagnent constituent à mon avis le format idéal pour les enquêtes de Lord Darcy.
L'Empire Plantagenet a survécu huit siècles, Richard Coeur-de-Lion n'est pas mort prématurément, son frère Jean ne lui a pas succédé, et la dynastie détient toujours la couronne dans les années 1960 et 1970. L'Empereur britannique domine une grande partie de l'Europe et de l'Amérique. Seul le roi de Pologne semble un rival digne de ce nom. Ajoutez à cela de la magie expliquée par des lois quasi-scientifiques et réglementée par l'Eglise, vous obtenez un cadre intéressant et très bien mis en scène par l'auteur.
Autour de ce décor plaisant, Randall Garrett propose des enquêtes policières presque classiques, mais passionnantes à suivre. Il y a des références à de grands noms du genre, j'ai particulièrement aimé la ré-interprétation du Meurtre de l'Orient-Express d'Agatha Christie.
J'ai beaucoup aimé ce recueil : le roman "Too Many Magicians" qui en constitue le coeur est peut-être un peu long, les dix nouvelles qui l'accompagnent constituent à mon avis le format idéal pour les enquêtes de Lord Darcy.
December 23, 2021
This is a tough one. I've been wanting to read these stories for a long time, after having read "The Ipswich Phial" in at least a couple anthologies many, many years ago. And in terms of the premise and setting, the stories lived up to what I hoped they would be. Garrett has constructed an enjoyable world in these stories, and he's put some thought into how they evolved. The laws of magic he uses will be familiar to any reader of Isaac Bonewits (among others), so they mesh perfectly with the European setting.
But in the end the stories left me felt wanting. The stories do get better as they go along, but I kept wishing Garrett was a better stylist than he was. The first three stories, in particular, are painfully earnest at times. And as mysteries, well, they don't quite deliver. The "body in a locked room" scenarios are a little too cliched, and the guilty parties make one too many, "You'll never take me, copper!" style attempts to escape.
Having said that, these are definitely entertaining diversions. Baen would've done everyone a favor by going with a smaller font, so this 650+ page book would have been at least slightly easier to take along on a vacation or a plane ride, which would be the perfect venue for them. (A slightly less horrendous cover would've been nice too, but, you know, Baen.) If you're a fan of mysteries and of fantasy settings, I would still say they're worth a try.
But in the end the stories left me felt wanting. The stories do get better as they go along, but I kept wishing Garrett was a better stylist than he was. The first three stories, in particular, are painfully earnest at times. And as mysteries, well, they don't quite deliver. The "body in a locked room" scenarios are a little too cliched, and the guilty parties make one too many, "You'll never take me, copper!" style attempts to escape.
Having said that, these are definitely entertaining diversions. Baen would've done everyone a favor by going with a smaller font, so this 650+ page book would have been at least slightly easier to take along on a vacation or a plane ride, which would be the perfect venue for them. (A slightly less horrendous cover would've been nice too, but, you know, Baen.) If you're a fan of mysteries and of fantasy settings, I would still say they're worth a try.
August 25, 2019
I like the idea of these stories more than I like the stories themselves. They're set in an alternate universe where the Plantagenet dynasty continues to rule in an unbroken line, so it's now 1965 but the "Anglo-French Empire" rules over half the known world. The characters speak "Anglo-French" as a language and the culture is dominated by the Norman-French aristocracy. There's also magic, and no science as we would understand it. In this interesting world, Lord Darcy is the Chief Investigator to the Duke of Normandy. They're mysteries, some of them locked-room mysteries, and Darcy - who has shades of Sherlock Holmes about him - solves them all efficiently with the assistance of Master Sean, who is a sorcerer and Darcy's Watson. But they're not at all character stories - you never get much of a sense of Darcy as a person, and he's the main character - and so they come across as interesting but without much heart.
July 18, 2014
The premise is wonderful. The execution is lacking.
The premise is that an English-French empire formed with the Plantagenet kings of England and that for 800 years the Plantegenets had ruled this empire. Throw into the mix that this is a universe where magic works but is considered a science and you have the basis for some interesting stories.
The problem is that the mystery element of the stories is lacking. Lord Darcy knows all, almost without effort, though we as the reader never have enough information to possibly solve the mystery. The characters are also fairly uninspired making it hard to stay engaged.
So, while the premise was wonderful and got me through the books, I never went looking for anything more by the same author.
The premise is that an English-French empire formed with the Plantagenet kings of England and that for 800 years the Plantegenets had ruled this empire. Throw into the mix that this is a universe where magic works but is considered a science and you have the basis for some interesting stories.
The problem is that the mystery element of the stories is lacking. Lord Darcy knows all, almost without effort, though we as the reader never have enough information to possibly solve the mystery. The characters are also fairly uninspired making it hard to stay engaged.
So, while the premise was wonderful and got me through the books, I never went looking for anything more by the same author.
October 20, 2009
Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy stories were — basically — reasonably well-written fan fiction. They star an alternate (magical) universe Sherlock Holmes, who spends most of his time Mary-Sueing around, while showing up alternate universe versions of Inspector Clouseau, Nero Wolf, and half-a-dozen other semi-contemporary fictional detectives.
October 30, 2011
bored now
March 10, 2025
This omnibus volume contains two short story collections and one novel (all published previously as separate works) in addition to two stories not included in any of the collections--listed last, though the Lord Darcy collection organizes all of the detective works chronologically according to Darcy's timeline. The final story actually occurs the earliest in Darcy's career, but as our editor points out, it is a story of Darcy's war years and not truly a fantasy/detective story. I plan on reading these as if they were the separate volumes they once were (with the final stories as a bonus and counting for the Lord Darcy overall collection).
Our editor also tells us about the detectives making appearances (albeit under different names) throughout. He especially challenges us to find three puns referring to The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in Too Many Magicians. I spotted two...but the third one has eluded me. ★★★★ for the entire collection
*********************
Murder & Magic (1979)
"The Eyes Have It": Lord Darcy is called upon to investigate the murder of Count D'Evreaux, found shot in his bedroom. A gun is found in a hidden staircase (used by the count's lady friends for privacy) and it's distinctive nature seems to point towards a certain suspect. But there is more to the mystery than meets the eye...
"A Case of Identity": Lord Darcy begins his investigation with a quest for the missing Marquis of Cherbourg. When another man who looks enough like the Marquis to be a twin is found dead, Darcy suspects an even deeper plot. One that involves a plot by the Polish kingdom to disrupt the Anglo-French economy. Shades of Sherlock Holmes as well as espionage thriller in this one.
"The Muddle of the Woad": When the Duke of Kent dies after an illness, his master woodworker prepares to bring his coffin for the burial. What a surprise to find that the coffin already has an occupant--the Duke's chief investigator who had disappeared while on a mission to Scotland. Lord Darcy is called upon to get to the bottom of the mystery. This has a definite air of tribute to Lord Peter Wimsey--The Nine Tailors in particular. Instead of bell-ringing, we have a focus on woodworking. But a great many of the character names used by Sayers in the bell-ringing scenes may be found here--Masters Gotobed, Lavender, Wilderspin and Venable all tip their hats to the Sayers work. And Master Gotobed is every bit as particular about his woodworking as Harry Lavender ever was about bell-ringing. There is even evidence given by the young woman of the piece--just as Hilary Thorpe provides a vital clue to Lord Peter.
"A Stretch of the Imagination": When a publisher is found dead, it appears to be suicide. But since a member of the aristocracy is involved Lord Darcy is asked to investigate. Interesting locked room mystery where Lord Darcy must figure out how a man could be hanged (other than suicide) in a room where no one entered and the window was shellacked so it could not have been opened far enough to admit anyone.
Overall, Randall Garrett has given us a fine look at what the world might have been like in such an alternate history. And he mixes the best of fantasy and detective fiction to produce a very interesting collection of fantasy-driven mystery short stories. The mysteries are fairly straight-forward and most are fairly clued. The final (and shortest), "A Stretch of the Imagination," is the most Holmes-like with Lord Darcy appearing very much as the detective genius with admiring audience and few clues given to the reader, but it is the exception. A very entertaining book--coming in at ★★★★ (up from a previous reading of the stand-alone edition)
**************************
Too Many Magicians (1966): Lord Darcy is asked to investigate a murder in Cherbourg, but before he can get very far his assistant Master Magician Sean O'Lochlainn is arrested in London for murder of a very important master magician at a magician's conference. Sir James Zwinge, a Master Magician as well as spymaster for London's branch of intelligence for the Empire, has been killed behind a locked door. A door locked not just in the conventional sense, but with a level of magic that few could tamper with. But with a hotel full of magicians is a locked room ever really just a locked room? And since Master Sean was the last one near the room...and was known to have had a "loud discussion" with Sir James...he's the prime suspect.
The Marquis de London (and, incidentally, Lord Darcy's cousin) knows full well that Master Sean didn't do it, but he also knows the arrest will bring Darcy to London and he wants Darcy to investigate without having been asked directly. Because that would involve a fee and the Marquis is not only lazy (though brilliant), he hates spending money on anything other than himself...and his hobby, rare plants. As soon as we meet the Marquis, we recognize the detective Garrett has modeled this story after...Nero Wolfe. The Marquis is a hefty fellow, brilliant, lazy, and uses ten-dollar words. He says, "pfui" and "lummery." He has a side-kick who does his legwork and who appreciates the female form as much as Archie Goodwin. (The Marquis doesn't.) He has a red leather chair for important guests. Lord Bontriomphe (a lovely French nom de plume for the Archie character) doesn't quite have the smart-aleck commentary style down, but it's definitely there. And when Lord Darcy first enters Wol--er, the Marquis's rooms, he seems to have taken on a Cramer-liker attitude towards his cousin, though only briefly.
Garrett gives us not only a very fine Nero Wolfe pastiche, while sneaking in some references to The Man from U.N.C.L.E., he also gives us a very clevery locked room mystery. It's evident throughout Garrett's magical detective works that he is well-steeped in both detective literature and popular media and he employs references to both in ways that will delight mystery connoisseurs of all types. ★★★★★
**************************
Lord Darcy Investigates (1981)
The last collection of Lord Darcy short stories printed during Garrett's lifetime. Another enjoyable quartet of mysteries. ★★★★
"A Matter of Gravity": Another locked room mystery. This time we have an aristocrat who has apparently flung himself out of closed tower window. The only clue is a bright flash of light that seemed to bounce around the room (and observed by guardsmen below) before he fell. Garrett's story, like many of his others, pays homage to various Golden Age detectives/authors. John Dickson Carr was the master of locked room mysteries and both he and Michael Innes have stories which feature a death involving a tower. But the murder itself most resembles a Sayers story featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. But to speak plainly about it would reveal all to anyone who has read the story.
"The Ipswich Phial": More cloak and dagger with Polish agents. The body of one of His Majesty's secret agents is found shot to death on the unbroken sand of a Normandy beach. A visiting gentlewoman out for a walk discovers him and the only footprints are her own. The agent had been on the trail of a Polish spy who had stolen a new secret weapon--the Ipswich Phial. Darcy not only solves the apparently impossible murder, but retrieves the missing weapon. No direct references to other authors/detectives that I caught, but the plot has the feel and humor of a Steed & Peel Avengers episode.
"The Sixteen Keys": Lord Sefton is found dead in a locked room in his locked summer cottage. He had gone to retrieve an important packet containing a top-secret naval treaty for the Duke of Normandy. Now he's dead and the packet is nowhere to be found. Lord Darcy & Master Sean are on the case! This one returns to the very Holmesian feel of some of the others--Lord Darcy keeps things very much in the dark till the very end. There is also a connection to Oscar Wilde--though the maintenance of youth isn't as much due to the dark arts.
"The Napoli Express": Lord Darcy and Master Sean are travelling incognito to deliver the naval treaty rescued in the previous story. While aboard the Napoli Express, the murder of a naval officer occurs and the two simply must get the crime solved quickly so they don't miss their appointment with foreign dignitaries. But how can they do so without breaking their cover--especially Lord Darcy's? Garrett has given us a Murder on the Orient Express pastiche with both very familiar scenes and dialogue: "They are lying," Praefect Cesare said flatly, three hours later. Each and severally, every single one of the bastards are lying." after interviewing the passengers one-by-one in the dining car. And they all know each other, though they are trying (unsuccessfully) to pretend otherwise. But Garrett also gives circumstances and scenes a twist allowing for a different solution.
***************Bonus Stories***********
"The Bitter End": An unknown man is poisoned in a bar in Paris at the same time that an entire family of some importance is killed by gas. Master Sean is on the spot--a patron in the bar as he waits for a connecting train to take him back to Rouen--and gives assistance to the local investigating team--although the sergeant in charge of the case views him with grave suspicion and insists he can't leave the city. Lord Darcy arrives from Rouen to clear up the case; mostly because he's in need of evidence that Master Sean was bringing back with him. Here Master Sean gives us a bit of Dr. McCoy from Star Trek: "I'm a thaumaturgist, not a miracle worker." [despite being a magician which seems to me to be very similar....]. I don't this time see an obvious connection to any particular classic mystery, however. Not quite as good as previous stories, but still very enjoyable. ★★★ and 1/2
"The Spell of War": The last story about Lord Darcy written by Garrett, but it takes the reader back to the first meeting between Lord Darcy and the magician Sean O'Lochlainn. Not strictly a mystery in line with the other stories, but Lieutenant Darcy (as he was then) does have to figure out how the Polish Army is stealing such a march on his company of soldiers. He solves the puzzle neatly and manages to pull of a nifty bit of counter-strategy as well The meeting of the two men makes me think of what it might have been when Lord Peter and Bunter met in World War I. Interesting backstory episode and it shows the early stages of Darcy's abilities as an investigator. ★★★
Our editor also tells us about the detectives making appearances (albeit under different names) throughout. He especially challenges us to find three puns referring to The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in Too Many Magicians. I spotted two...but the third one has eluded me. ★★★★ for the entire collection
*********************
Murder & Magic (1979)
"The Eyes Have It": Lord Darcy is called upon to investigate the murder of Count D'Evreaux, found shot in his bedroom. A gun is found in a hidden staircase (used by the count's lady friends for privacy) and it's distinctive nature seems to point towards a certain suspect. But there is more to the mystery than meets the eye...
"A Case of Identity": Lord Darcy begins his investigation with a quest for the missing Marquis of Cherbourg. When another man who looks enough like the Marquis to be a twin is found dead, Darcy suspects an even deeper plot. One that involves a plot by the Polish kingdom to disrupt the Anglo-French economy. Shades of Sherlock Holmes as well as espionage thriller in this one.
"The Muddle of the Woad": When the Duke of Kent dies after an illness, his master woodworker prepares to bring his coffin for the burial. What a surprise to find that the coffin already has an occupant--the Duke's chief investigator who had disappeared while on a mission to Scotland. Lord Darcy is called upon to get to the bottom of the mystery. This has a definite air of tribute to Lord Peter Wimsey--The Nine Tailors in particular. Instead of bell-ringing, we have a focus on woodworking. But a great many of the character names used by Sayers in the bell-ringing scenes may be found here--Masters Gotobed, Lavender, Wilderspin and Venable all tip their hats to the Sayers work. And Master Gotobed is every bit as particular about his woodworking as Harry Lavender ever was about bell-ringing. There is even evidence given by the young woman of the piece--just as Hilary Thorpe provides a vital clue to Lord Peter.
"A Stretch of the Imagination": When a publisher is found dead, it appears to be suicide. But since a member of the aristocracy is involved Lord Darcy is asked to investigate. Interesting locked room mystery where Lord Darcy must figure out how a man could be hanged (other than suicide) in a room where no one entered and the window was shellacked so it could not have been opened far enough to admit anyone.
Overall, Randall Garrett has given us a fine look at what the world might have been like in such an alternate history. And he mixes the best of fantasy and detective fiction to produce a very interesting collection of fantasy-driven mystery short stories. The mysteries are fairly straight-forward and most are fairly clued. The final (and shortest), "A Stretch of the Imagination," is the most Holmes-like with Lord Darcy appearing very much as the detective genius with admiring audience and few clues given to the reader, but it is the exception. A very entertaining book--coming in at ★★★★ (up from a previous reading of the stand-alone edition)
**************************
Too Many Magicians (1966): Lord Darcy is asked to investigate a murder in Cherbourg, but before he can get very far his assistant Master Magician Sean O'Lochlainn is arrested in London for murder of a very important master magician at a magician's conference. Sir James Zwinge, a Master Magician as well as spymaster for London's branch of intelligence for the Empire, has been killed behind a locked door. A door locked not just in the conventional sense, but with a level of magic that few could tamper with. But with a hotel full of magicians is a locked room ever really just a locked room? And since Master Sean was the last one near the room...and was known to have had a "loud discussion" with Sir James...he's the prime suspect.
The Marquis de London (and, incidentally, Lord Darcy's cousin) knows full well that Master Sean didn't do it, but he also knows the arrest will bring Darcy to London and he wants Darcy to investigate without having been asked directly. Because that would involve a fee and the Marquis is not only lazy (though brilliant), he hates spending money on anything other than himself...and his hobby, rare plants. As soon as we meet the Marquis, we recognize the detective Garrett has modeled this story after...Nero Wolfe. The Marquis is a hefty fellow, brilliant, lazy, and uses ten-dollar words. He says, "pfui" and "lummery." He has a side-kick who does his legwork and who appreciates the female form as much as Archie Goodwin. (The Marquis doesn't.) He has a red leather chair for important guests. Lord Bontriomphe (a lovely French nom de plume for the Archie character) doesn't quite have the smart-aleck commentary style down, but it's definitely there. And when Lord Darcy first enters Wol--er, the Marquis's rooms, he seems to have taken on a Cramer-liker attitude towards his cousin, though only briefly.
Garrett gives us not only a very fine Nero Wolfe pastiche, while sneaking in some references to The Man from U.N.C.L.E., he also gives us a very clevery locked room mystery. It's evident throughout Garrett's magical detective works that he is well-steeped in both detective literature and popular media and he employs references to both in ways that will delight mystery connoisseurs of all types. ★★★★★
**************************
Lord Darcy Investigates (1981)
The last collection of Lord Darcy short stories printed during Garrett's lifetime. Another enjoyable quartet of mysteries. ★★★★
"A Matter of Gravity": Another locked room mystery. This time we have an aristocrat who has apparently flung himself out of closed tower window. The only clue is a bright flash of light that seemed to bounce around the room (and observed by guardsmen below) before he fell. Garrett's story, like many of his others, pays homage to various Golden Age detectives/authors. John Dickson Carr was the master of locked room mysteries and both he and Michael Innes have stories which feature a death involving a tower. But the murder itself most resembles a Sayers story featuring Lord Peter Wimsey. But to speak plainly about it would reveal all to anyone who has read the story.
"The Ipswich Phial": More cloak and dagger with Polish agents. The body of one of His Majesty's secret agents is found shot to death on the unbroken sand of a Normandy beach. A visiting gentlewoman out for a walk discovers him and the only footprints are her own. The agent had been on the trail of a Polish spy who had stolen a new secret weapon--the Ipswich Phial. Darcy not only solves the apparently impossible murder, but retrieves the missing weapon. No direct references to other authors/detectives that I caught, but the plot has the feel and humor of a Steed & Peel Avengers episode.
"The Sixteen Keys": Lord Sefton is found dead in a locked room in his locked summer cottage. He had gone to retrieve an important packet containing a top-secret naval treaty for the Duke of Normandy. Now he's dead and the packet is nowhere to be found. Lord Darcy & Master Sean are on the case! This one returns to the very Holmesian feel of some of the others--Lord Darcy keeps things very much in the dark till the very end. There is also a connection to Oscar Wilde--though the maintenance of youth isn't as much due to the dark arts.
"The Napoli Express": Lord Darcy and Master Sean are travelling incognito to deliver the naval treaty rescued in the previous story. While aboard the Napoli Express, the murder of a naval officer occurs and the two simply must get the crime solved quickly so they don't miss their appointment with foreign dignitaries. But how can they do so without breaking their cover--especially Lord Darcy's? Garrett has given us a Murder on the Orient Express pastiche with both very familiar scenes and dialogue: "They are lying," Praefect Cesare said flatly, three hours later. Each and severally, every single one of the bastards are lying." after interviewing the passengers one-by-one in the dining car. And they all know each other, though they are trying (unsuccessfully) to pretend otherwise. But Garrett also gives circumstances and scenes a twist allowing for a different solution.
***************Bonus Stories***********
"The Bitter End": An unknown man is poisoned in a bar in Paris at the same time that an entire family of some importance is killed by gas. Master Sean is on the spot--a patron in the bar as he waits for a connecting train to take him back to Rouen--and gives assistance to the local investigating team--although the sergeant in charge of the case views him with grave suspicion and insists he can't leave the city. Lord Darcy arrives from Rouen to clear up the case; mostly because he's in need of evidence that Master Sean was bringing back with him. Here Master Sean gives us a bit of Dr. McCoy from Star Trek: "I'm a thaumaturgist, not a miracle worker." [despite being a magician which seems to me to be very similar....]. I don't this time see an obvious connection to any particular classic mystery, however. Not quite as good as previous stories, but still very enjoyable. ★★★ and 1/2
"The Spell of War": The last story about Lord Darcy written by Garrett, but it takes the reader back to the first meeting between Lord Darcy and the magician Sean O'Lochlainn. Not strictly a mystery in line with the other stories, but Lieutenant Darcy (as he was then) does have to figure out how the Polish Army is stealing such a march on his company of soldiers. He solves the puzzle neatly and manages to pull of a nifty bit of counter-strategy as well The meeting of the two men makes me think of what it might have been when Lord Peter and Bunter met in World War I. Interesting backstory episode and it shows the early stages of Darcy's abilities as an investigator. ★★★
July 24, 2016
Originally posted on my website, Koenix
This is a complete collection of all of the Lord Darcy alt-history fantasy detective stories that Garrett wrote in the 60's and 70's. I'd never heard of Lord Darcy or Randall Garrett until I picked up the Fantasy Masterworks edition. And it was a fun read! The stories are set in the 1960's, in an alternate timeline where Richard the Lionheart didn't die, and the Plantagenet kings continued to rule Britain and its vast empire for the next 800 years. The rules of magic were discovered, rather than science.
Lord Darcy is a detective, in the vein of Sherlock Holmes. Most of these stories are very, very much like detective stories of the Golden Age of detective fiction. There's a murder, multiple suspects or very few clues, and the King or his brother the Duke or some other noble character calls in Darcy to figure it out. Darcy is aided by his friend Sean O Lochlann, a forensic sorcerer, who does such things as determine that the bullet did come from the gun or cast preservation spells on the body.
These stories are great light reading! They can be slightly repetitious, especially in that most murders are "closed room" mysteries where the person dies in a locked room by themselves, and Darcy has to figure out who or what could have gotten in and out to commit the crime. The stories become better and more varied in the latter half of the collection. There's very little character development, and most of the characters are really stereotypes. I knew absolutely nothing more about Lord Darcy or Sean at the end than I did at the beginning! But otherwise, the stories are good old-fashioned detective fiction with magical twists.
Some points of interest: The worldbuilding is interesting, but also problematic by some of today's hot-button topics. For example, Britain still has its empire. Colonialism is still in full force. Other cultures and societies are erased or ruled by British culture and aristocracy. It's... odd and a little troubling, to say the least, because the whole world is so very, very white and British, and the only people of color who appear are clearly also Anglicized in order to be "proper".
Also, magic is a substitute for science. And not a very good one, I have to say! Most inventions and scientific breakthroughs haven't happened. This 1960's feels very backwards even though they have sorcery. In some cases, it's funny to see how Garrett has created sorcerous alternatives to scientific methods. But also, sorcery has a cost that science does not. Particulary the case of the sorcerous refrigerator that is abandoned because a single "magical cold box" needs a sorcerer to refresh the spell constantly! This is a Victorian 1960's, and in fact it was hard for me to remember that the time period is supposed to be the 1960's rather than the 1800's. I could also talk more about the lack of women... but I think you can imagine what I mean! It's Victorian.
Lord Darcy is a collection to read for the detective plots, and if any of the worldbuilding tickles your fancy. I was sad that there weren't any more stories to read when I finished.
September 26, 2016
Randall Garrett was an American sci-fi and fantasy author active from the 1950s through the 70s. He is best known for his Lord Darcy character and books. He wrote three books about the super-sleuth, two of them short story collections, and one novel. This is an omnibus edition including all of Garrett’s work on Darcy; two more novels were written by Michael Kurland.
Included in the omnibus edition are the following:
Murder and Magic, a short story collection including:
“The Eyes Have It”
“A Case of Identity”
“The Muddle of the Woad”
“A Stretch of the Imagination”
Too Many Magicians, the novel
Lord Darcy Investigates, a short story collection including:
“A Matter of Gravity”
“The Ipswich Phial”
“The Sixteen Keys”
“The Napoli Express”
Lord Darcy is a well-to-do investigator in the alternate world of the Anglo-French Empire ruled by the English Plantagenet dynasty. The setting was contemporary with the period in which Garrett wrote, the 1960s, although the real-world timeline is not the same. One of the major differences in the alternate world is that magic works and has been codified by the government. It is treated as a science by enlightened Westerners.
Overall, the book is enjoyable. Darcy is usually compared, of course, to Sherlock Holmes, and both make the same deductive leaps of the imagination/reason that are possible when the author is the one controlling the setting and action. The episodes are still enjoyable for all that. The presence of magic is an interesting draw, and the fact it is treated as a science makes for an intriguing juxtaposition. The world is also a mixture of the old and new, with the equivalent of telephones and trains existing merrily with swords and armour. Horse drawn carriages possess pneumatic tires, and the overall effect, to me, seems like Steampunk.
I think anyone who likes mysteries in the Sherlock Holmes style will like this book as the appeal is the same in both. Those wanting to read about Steampunk-esque settings will also enjoy this volume. Alternate history buffs should not pass up on the opportunity to mix men and magic in the 20th century that could have been.
Included in the omnibus edition are the following:
Murder and Magic, a short story collection including:
“The Eyes Have It”
“A Case of Identity”
“The Muddle of the Woad”
“A Stretch of the Imagination”
Too Many Magicians, the novel
Lord Darcy Investigates, a short story collection including:
“A Matter of Gravity”
“The Ipswich Phial”
“The Sixteen Keys”
“The Napoli Express”
Lord Darcy is a well-to-do investigator in the alternate world of the Anglo-French Empire ruled by the English Plantagenet dynasty. The setting was contemporary with the period in which Garrett wrote, the 1960s, although the real-world timeline is not the same. One of the major differences in the alternate world is that magic works and has been codified by the government. It is treated as a science by enlightened Westerners.
Overall, the book is enjoyable. Darcy is usually compared, of course, to Sherlock Holmes, and both make the same deductive leaps of the imagination/reason that are possible when the author is the one controlling the setting and action. The episodes are still enjoyable for all that. The presence of magic is an interesting draw, and the fact it is treated as a science makes for an intriguing juxtaposition. The world is also a mixture of the old and new, with the equivalent of telephones and trains existing merrily with swords and armour. Horse drawn carriages possess pneumatic tires, and the overall effect, to me, seems like Steampunk.
I think anyone who likes mysteries in the Sherlock Holmes style will like this book as the appeal is the same in both. Those wanting to read about Steampunk-esque settings will also enjoy this volume. Alternate history buffs should not pass up on the opportunity to mix men and magic in the 20th century that could have been.
February 4, 2017
Randall Garrett's classic fantasy detective makes for a fun read. Unlike many detective stories readers are given enough information that most of the time you have a chance of figuring out the answer from the clues. But the answer is never so obvious that anyone but a dedicated reader of mysteries will figure it out quickly--if at all.
For those who do figure out the answer on the first page, there is plenty of fun character interaction, a bit of political maneuvering and even a touch of romance to keep the story interesting.
Magic- and world building-geeks will appreciate the well thought out magic system and the pedagogal Master Seamus who loves to explain how and why magic works to anyone who asks. Since these explanations are often important to understanding the clues to the mystery, they don't slow down the narrative too much but your mileage may vary.
All-in-all a fun read for fans of fantasy and mystery.
For those who do figure out the answer on the first page, there is plenty of fun character interaction, a bit of political maneuvering and even a touch of romance to keep the story interesting.
Magic- and world building-geeks will appreciate the well thought out magic system and the pedagogal Master Seamus who loves to explain how and why magic works to anyone who asks. Since these explanations are often important to understanding the clues to the mystery, they don't slow down the narrative too much but your mileage may vary.
All-in-all a fun read for fans of fantasy and mystery.
November 12, 2019
Mostly short stories containing a well-balanced mixture of mystery and magic. The characterization is painted in broad strokes, the emphasis is on the plot. Each story is intricately plotted with magical equivalents of our world’s forensic tests. (For example, instead of using a microscope to identify a gun as the murder weapon, they use a spell.)
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories lack the magical elements but are otherwise an *excellent* readalike match.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories lack the magical elements but are otherwise an *excellent* readalike match.
January 5, 2020
Antologia di racconti e romanzi brevi dedicati all'investigatore Lord Darcy, a capo di un team in un'epoca moderna che però è il risultato di un universo storico parallelo, dove domina un Impero che deriva da Riccardo Cuor di Leone e discendenti.
Idea bella, alcune soluzioni dei gialli molto interessanti, però la narrazione è asettica, senza approfondimenti su lord Darcy.
Idea bella, alcune soluzioni dei gialli molto interessanti, però la narrazione è asettica, senza approfondimenti su lord Darcy.
April 7, 2015
It was OK, but it completely failed to keep my interest and I stopped reading after the first 2 stories.
October 1, 2022
I seldom read or like short stories (a little, sometimes), but I really liked this collection. Almost 700 pages long, I never got tired of picking it up, and I just wanted it to go on. (In fact, I already ordered one of the books that follow, though it's written by another author. Maybe it can keep the fun going for a bit. Fingers crossed.)
Set in an alternate Europe, where the Plantagenet descendants of Richard the Lionheart keep the throne, France and England remain united under one line, the entire New World is administered (though not much colonized, apparently) by the Anglo-French Empire, and magic works but isn't terribly common, it has a sort of steampunk feel. The original stories were set in the years they were written, in the 1960s and 1970s, but they seem 60 or 80 years behind technologically. The main enemy of the empire is the Polish empire, mirroring the east-west split of those years, but with a twist. All in all, it is clever and well carried out, leaving lots of room for more stories that we probably will never see. Alas.
Lord Darcy is rather like Sherlock, intuitive and well informed, gathering slight clues others miss, though he is much more socially adept and friendly. His assistant, Sean O Lochlainn, is a master wizard, using magic to do the kind of tests we expect forensics to do in modern stories. Together, they're highly effective, and they're both as round as they need to be for the stories to work.
I get it; deep stories need characters with tragic backstories, filling the pages with pathos. There's not a ton of that here, though. Instead, we get to see interesting people with amazing abilities be awesome while working as a team. That's my favorite thing.
(Every time I differ from the masses of novel readers--when I dislike books that everybody else loves--it's because the main characters are all kinda shitty to each other. They're not a team. They're not nice. It's every man and woman for themselves. Ack. I don't like that. In fact, I hate that. I love good friends or a found family, especially with awesome people being awesome. That's my favorite. That's this collection.)
(Others are free to continue liking the stuff I don't. I won't understand it, but that's cool.)
Anyway, these are entertaining short stories (and one novel) that I highly recommend to readers of all types--Sherlock-style mystery, fantasy, alternate history, espionage, and more--and I suspect lots of people who would love it missed it back in the 70s like I did. And if it weren't for the Austen-sounding title, I might not have taken a chance myself. Glad I did.
Good stuff.
Set in an alternate Europe, where the Plantagenet descendants of Richard the Lionheart keep the throne, France and England remain united under one line, the entire New World is administered (though not much colonized, apparently) by the Anglo-French Empire, and magic works but isn't terribly common, it has a sort of steampunk feel. The original stories were set in the years they were written, in the 1960s and 1970s, but they seem 60 or 80 years behind technologically. The main enemy of the empire is the Polish empire, mirroring the east-west split of those years, but with a twist. All in all, it is clever and well carried out, leaving lots of room for more stories that we probably will never see. Alas.
Lord Darcy is rather like Sherlock, intuitive and well informed, gathering slight clues others miss, though he is much more socially adept and friendly. His assistant, Sean O Lochlainn, is a master wizard, using magic to do the kind of tests we expect forensics to do in modern stories. Together, they're highly effective, and they're both as round as they need to be for the stories to work.
I get it; deep stories need characters with tragic backstories, filling the pages with pathos. There's not a ton of that here, though. Instead, we get to see interesting people with amazing abilities be awesome while working as a team. That's my favorite thing.
(Every time I differ from the masses of novel readers--when I dislike books that everybody else loves--it's because the main characters are all kinda shitty to each other. They're not a team. They're not nice. It's every man and woman for themselves. Ack. I don't like that. In fact, I hate that. I love good friends or a found family, especially with awesome people being awesome. That's my favorite. That's this collection.)
(Others are free to continue liking the stuff I don't. I won't understand it, but that's cool.)
Anyway, these are entertaining short stories (and one novel) that I highly recommend to readers of all types--Sherlock-style mystery, fantasy, alternate history, espionage, and more--and I suspect lots of people who would love it missed it back in the 70s like I did. And if it weren't for the Austen-sounding title, I might not have taken a chance myself. Glad I did.
Good stuff.
June 10, 2018
The time: the 1960’s. The place: the bustling port of Cherbourg. A nobleman in the Anglo-French Empire, engaged in a sensitive international inquiry, is missing. Lord Darcy, detective, and Master Sean O Lochlainn, forensic sorcerer, have been summoned to investigate.
This is the setup at the start of A Case of Identity, one of Randall Garrett’s classic Lord Darcy stories. In this alternate world, history diverged with Richard the Lionheart’s return to England. The Plantagenets still rule an undivided empire. The Americas are still colonies. And in the 13th century, the laws of magic were discovered, and the foundation laid for an academic discipline as sophisticated as our physics. Science and engineering, as we know them, are not well-developed in this world, since attention is instead focused on understanding and applying the laws of magic.
The eleven stories in this omnibus volume are interesting enough as Holmesian mysteries, but to me the most entertaining aspect is the magic, and the ways in which it both parallels and diverges from the technological marvels of our world. Long distance communication devices are magically-powered telesons, not telephones. Preservator chests keep food fresh. There are no automobiles, but there are steam trains. (This world feels more 19th-century, plus magic, than 20th-century.) And in the forensic sciences, the laws of magical relevancy can be used to determine if a bullet was fired from a particular gun, or to separate dye, deliberately spread, from the accidentally spilled ink it was intended to cover.
The stories aren’t entirely successful. The characterisations are shallow and the dialog often rather wooden. They are repetitious, and suffer from back-to-back readings. Too Many Magicians is too long, and has too little focus on the magic. And the whole premise of the alternate history is preposterous. An unbroken succession of benevolent and wise kings maintaining social cohesion and smoothing out all serious problems for more than 700 years? Yeah, right.
Some readers will be put off by the world’s political implausibility and excessive formality—all references to a person include their titles, the more the better. For other readers, like me, it’s possible to dip into them occasionally, accept their limitations, and enjoy a light, fun read about a world where magic is as real and essential as science.
This review was first published on This Need to Read
This is the setup at the start of A Case of Identity, one of Randall Garrett’s classic Lord Darcy stories. In this alternate world, history diverged with Richard the Lionheart’s return to England. The Plantagenets still rule an undivided empire. The Americas are still colonies. And in the 13th century, the laws of magic were discovered, and the foundation laid for an academic discipline as sophisticated as our physics. Science and engineering, as we know them, are not well-developed in this world, since attention is instead focused on understanding and applying the laws of magic.
The eleven stories in this omnibus volume are interesting enough as Holmesian mysteries, but to me the most entertaining aspect is the magic, and the ways in which it both parallels and diverges from the technological marvels of our world. Long distance communication devices are magically-powered telesons, not telephones. Preservator chests keep food fresh. There are no automobiles, but there are steam trains. (This world feels more 19th-century, plus magic, than 20th-century.) And in the forensic sciences, the laws of magical relevancy can be used to determine if a bullet was fired from a particular gun, or to separate dye, deliberately spread, from the accidentally spilled ink it was intended to cover.
The stories aren’t entirely successful. The characterisations are shallow and the dialog often rather wooden. They are repetitious, and suffer from back-to-back readings. Too Many Magicians is too long, and has too little focus on the magic. And the whole premise of the alternate history is preposterous. An unbroken succession of benevolent and wise kings maintaining social cohesion and smoothing out all serious problems for more than 700 years? Yeah, right.
Some readers will be put off by the world’s political implausibility and excessive formality—all references to a person include their titles, the more the better. For other readers, like me, it’s possible to dip into them occasionally, accept their limitations, and enjoy a light, fun read about a world where magic is as real and essential as science.
This review was first published on This Need to Read
October 23, 2019
2.5 stars
This collection includes all Lord Darcy short stories and one novel, all in the genre of fantasy mystery. The stories all take place in an alternative universe, identical to our Earth geographically, but different historically. Plus, it has magic.
The author gives the timing of his stories as the 1960s and 1970s, the same time he wrote the stories, but the technology level puts them somewhere at the end of the 19th century of this Earth. There are trains and horses, swords and guns, gaslight and candles. No electricity.
The protagonist, Lord Darcy, is a top criminal investigator for the Duke of Normandy. Together with his partner, a forensic Master Sorcerer Sean O’Lochlainn, Darcy works on special murder cases involving European aristocracy, which is still dominant in the world of Garrett’s creation, probably as powerful as it was in the 18th century England, if not more. Definitely not as it was in the 1960s.
The mysteries might be interesting, although not very original, and sorcery replaces forensic science in these stories, but the writing itself is certainly dated. No depth of characters. No emotional involvement at all. Lots of explanations and summarizations. The dialog is simplified. Besides, all the “my lords” and “Your Highnesses” that pepper the pages get old pretty fast.
Furthermore, the author feels like someone writing for a white male reader only. Women play very small, purely supportive roles in most stories, and the Native Americans are mentioned as barbaric aboriginals.
But one facet of these tales I find the most objectionable is the role of the Christian Church. It permeates every aspect of people’s lives, like it did in the Middle Ages. The citizens of Garrett’s world have never heard of church and state separation, and the concept ‘freedom of religion’ is alien to them. Healers are all priests or monks. The church also controls all magicians, and everyone who disagrees with the Christian doctrine is outlawed.
As I’m an atheist, you could guess what I think about that idea.
This religious super-penetration is stronger in the earlier stories and peters out in the later ones, but it still colors my opinion of this collection, and not in a positive way. Besides, the emotional distance between the characters and the readers remains consistent from the first to the last page.
Overall, a disappointing book.
This collection includes all Lord Darcy short stories and one novel, all in the genre of fantasy mystery. The stories all take place in an alternative universe, identical to our Earth geographically, but different historically. Plus, it has magic.
The author gives the timing of his stories as the 1960s and 1970s, the same time he wrote the stories, but the technology level puts them somewhere at the end of the 19th century of this Earth. There are trains and horses, swords and guns, gaslight and candles. No electricity.
The protagonist, Lord Darcy, is a top criminal investigator for the Duke of Normandy. Together with his partner, a forensic Master Sorcerer Sean O’Lochlainn, Darcy works on special murder cases involving European aristocracy, which is still dominant in the world of Garrett’s creation, probably as powerful as it was in the 18th century England, if not more. Definitely not as it was in the 1960s.
The mysteries might be interesting, although not very original, and sorcery replaces forensic science in these stories, but the writing itself is certainly dated. No depth of characters. No emotional involvement at all. Lots of explanations and summarizations. The dialog is simplified. Besides, all the “my lords” and “Your Highnesses” that pepper the pages get old pretty fast.
Furthermore, the author feels like someone writing for a white male reader only. Women play very small, purely supportive roles in most stories, and the Native Americans are mentioned as barbaric aboriginals.
But one facet of these tales I find the most objectionable is the role of the Christian Church. It permeates every aspect of people’s lives, like it did in the Middle Ages. The citizens of Garrett’s world have never heard of church and state separation, and the concept ‘freedom of religion’ is alien to them. Healers are all priests or monks. The church also controls all magicians, and everyone who disagrees with the Christian doctrine is outlawed.
As I’m an atheist, you could guess what I think about that idea.
This religious super-penetration is stronger in the earlier stories and peters out in the later ones, but it still colors my opinion of this collection, and not in a positive way. Besides, the emotional distance between the characters and the readers remains consistent from the first to the last page.
Overall, a disappointing book.
July 29, 2023
I just didn't really vibe with this one. It's a really fun idea, murder-mystery crime stories in a world where magic is the predominant science handled in a way that reasonably integrates it into the investigation, but there was just something about the way these stories are told that kept me from really enjoying them. There's so much background geography and politics and all of that (with -many- sections repeated time and time again throughout each story; if these were compiled into this collection, why weren't they edited to take that fact into account? In literally every single story in this batch the narration went over the timeline split where the old King survived the crossbow bolt and went on to blah blah blah and King Arthur, but not the one from myth, blah blah blah) and a lot of that confuses what's actually happening within the context of the present story itself.
Then maybe it's just my high-fantasy brain, but it's never explained why or how the magic works, or what it's supposed to do. I understand that in some cases it's not exactly necessary, but that still obfuscates it as a storytelling device convenient to advance the plot in the specific ways it needs to (thinking primarily of one story in particular, "the spells show that this was indeed the murder weapon, and that this is indeed the victim's blood". So it's alright that it's never used to bring about huge revelations in the case, and instead just as a way to quicken other smaller bits of evidence, but it still definitely stuck out to me.
Honestly of the pieces here I enjoyed the final one the best, being very obviously in homage But I hate to say that of everything here, part of why I enjoyed that one so much was because for the first three quarters of the story Sean and Darcy were nowhere to be seen.
So, yeah. All in all I wanted to like this, and I wish I liked it better, but I just didn't. I'm more glad to be done with it than I am to have read it, if that makes sense.
Then maybe it's just my high-fantasy brain, but it's never explained why or how the magic works, or what it's supposed to do. I understand that in some cases it's not exactly necessary, but that still obfuscates it as a storytelling device convenient to advance the plot in the specific ways it needs to (thinking primarily of one story in particular, "the spells show that this was indeed the murder weapon, and that this is indeed the victim's blood". So it's alright that it's never used to bring about huge revelations in the case, and instead just as a way to quicken other smaller bits of evidence, but it still definitely stuck out to me.
Honestly of the pieces here I enjoyed the final one the best, being very obviously in homage But I hate to say that of everything here, part of why I enjoyed that one so much was because for the first three quarters of the story Sean and Darcy were nowhere to be seen.
So, yeah. All in all I wanted to like this, and I wish I liked it better, but I just didn't. I'm more glad to be done with it than I am to have read it, if that makes sense.
June 20, 2025
Wow, what a terrible, terrible cover this edition has...
Which happens to be the one I own, pulled off my shelf for a reread lo these many years later when I was reminded of the Darcy books by some online comments. I first read the stories when they appeared in Analog Magazine in the late 1960s -- I can still vaguely recall some of the interior illustrations.
Anyway, this big trade paperback edition has all the Lord Darcy stories, which makes it worth hunting down; I see some recent ebooks are around, containing fewer selections. But at least are more widely accessible, so, go for 'em.
I see a couple of recent reviews from style-sensitive readers who rather bounced off the utilitarian prose, which, fair. All the stories read in a row, instead of spread out over years, rather highlight the repeated authorial tics. But damn, I did remember those tales. For going on 6 decades now.
Most of the humor, and Garrett has lots, is meta, having fun with developing his underlying worldbuilding premise -- an alternate our-world Europe where magic, not science, was developed. Resulting in a world as if the Society for Creative Anachronism were running it; I believe Garrett was active in same. And loads of mystery genre pastiche (and puns), much of which may pass harmlessly over the heads of anyone not steeped in 20th C. classic mysteries, but they'll be missing some jokes. (The reclusive my lord de London and his faithful assistant Lord Bontriomphe, introduced in the novel-length Too Many Magicians, were particular faves of mine, for old Nero Wolfe fans.)
Garrett also deserves credit for initiating a whole lot of now-common subgenres and genre tropes, taken up by many subsequent writers who may not even know the origins of these tools in their storytelling toolboxes. Steampunk, for one.
3 stars for the prose, 5 stars for the memories.
Ta, L.
June 8, 2025
After re-reading the Lord Darcy story, "A Case of Identity" in the Analog anthology last month, I sought out this collection of other tales featuring the character and I'm very glad I did. This was an excellent work.
The setting is an alternate history Europe where the monarchies endured and magical science was developed.
Lord Darcy is a detective, a royal Investigator brought in to find murderers or missing items. He's often accompanied by Sean O'Lochlainn, a sorcerer who does the magical forensics.
The magic in this world is more alchemical, ritual stuff and isn't used as a cheat for the solving of the mysteries but in place of real world science. For example, using a preservation spell on a dead body to avoid decay until an autopsy can be done or a ritual using "the law of similarity" to confirm a blood splatter belonged to a victim or a bullet to a gun. Like real world science, it takes time and equipment to cast the spell, or bypass someone else's spell.
The mysteries are fun to read, and possible to figure out, if you care to take the time, or are genius level intellect.
I really enjoyed these stories not just for the mysteries themselves, but also the world-building and humor Garrett put into them. The little touches. Variations in place names, but close enough you know what they're talking about (such as Mechicoe in the New World). Or references to other fictional detectives. It's done subtly so if you don't get the reference it won't derail the story but if you do, it's a fun easter egg. I'll admit, I'm a fan of the Nero Wolfe stories and it still took some time to figure out two characters in one of the stories were expies of Nero and Archie.
If you love detective stories, alternate histories and that sort of thing, do yourself a favor and give these a try.
The setting is an alternate history Europe where the monarchies endured and magical science was developed.
Lord Darcy is a detective, a royal Investigator brought in to find murderers or missing items. He's often accompanied by Sean O'Lochlainn, a sorcerer who does the magical forensics.
The magic in this world is more alchemical, ritual stuff and isn't used as a cheat for the solving of the mysteries but in place of real world science. For example, using a preservation spell on a dead body to avoid decay until an autopsy can be done or a ritual using "the law of similarity" to confirm a blood splatter belonged to a victim or a bullet to a gun. Like real world science, it takes time and equipment to cast the spell, or bypass someone else's spell.
The mysteries are fun to read, and possible to figure out, if you care to take the time, or are genius level intellect.
I really enjoyed these stories not just for the mysteries themselves, but also the world-building and humor Garrett put into them. The little touches. Variations in place names, but close enough you know what they're talking about (such as Mechicoe in the New World). Or references to other fictional detectives. It's done subtly so if you don't get the reference it won't derail the story but if you do, it's a fun easter egg. I'll admit, I'm a fan of the Nero Wolfe stories and it still took some time to figure out two characters in one of the stories were expies of Nero and Archie.
If you love detective stories, alternate histories and that sort of thing, do yourself a favor and give these a try.
November 11, 2019
"Lord Darcy" is a very interesting read. It is a collection of fantasy mystery short stories surrounding the character of Lord Darcy and his Master Magician partner Master Sean. Together, they solve crimes in a Sherlockian setting where magic exists.
This collection is certainly a product of its time, and therefore any character will be a man unless the character has to be a woman for plot reasons and references to women are usually about their appearance in stereotypical purple prose.
That being said, the magic systems developed in the world building are fascinating. The various descriptions of the magicians' tools are wonderful - this is solid fantasy work.
The mysteries, however, are hit or miss. Some seem a bit obvious or disappointing by the time they're revealed (after much build up). On the other hand, the novel inside of this collection ("Too Many Magicians") has possibly my favorite mystery that I've ever read, and have already re-read it to find the clues I missed. It might warrant another re-read in a month or so.
A miscellaneous thought about this collection of short stories is that sometimes I find I think about why Mr. Garrett wrote a particular story - there's one entirely dedicated to why Murder on the Orient Express makes no sense, and one that appears to take place at a publishing office seemingly to complain about the publishing industry. Additionally, there are conversations that seem to be entirely to make a Sherlock reference (they are a lot of fun but I won't spoil them for you here).
I do recommend reading this book, but perhaps with a grain of salt.
This collection is certainly a product of its time, and therefore any character will be a man unless the character has to be a woman for plot reasons and references to women are usually about their appearance in stereotypical purple prose.
That being said, the magic systems developed in the world building are fascinating. The various descriptions of the magicians' tools are wonderful - this is solid fantasy work.
The mysteries, however, are hit or miss. Some seem a bit obvious or disappointing by the time they're revealed (after much build up). On the other hand, the novel inside of this collection ("Too Many Magicians") has possibly my favorite mystery that I've ever read, and have already re-read it to find the clues I missed. It might warrant another re-read in a month or so.
A miscellaneous thought about this collection of short stories is that sometimes I find I think about why Mr. Garrett wrote a particular story - there's one entirely dedicated to why Murder on the Orient Express makes no sense, and one that appears to take place at a publishing office seemingly to complain about the publishing industry. Additionally, there are conversations that seem to be entirely to make a Sherlock reference (they are a lot of fun but I won't spoil them for you here).
I do recommend reading this book, but perhaps with a grain of salt.
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