A fun jaunt into the realm of heroic fantasy, this is actually three short books starring Harold Shea, a modern-day psychologist bent on practicing magic in the lands of epic myth. Bungling magical spells and inventing himself along the way, our hero discovers he can even use a sword when the need arises. Somehow we are led to believe that it is possible to access these places using mathematical formulas. All highly improbable, but fantasy that nevertheless retains its sense of humor. ( )

Contains the first three books in the series. L. Sprague de Camp (and his editors) and his erstwhile collaborator, Fletcher Pratt, knew a good thing when they saw it. These were some very popular stories (they were fun, the writing was great, popularity was deserved). The first two novels were combined into "The Compleat Enchanter" and when there was additional work, it became this work. Thank goodness they didn't try to add in the fourth; this book is thick enough as it is.

These are fun. They are just honestly fun. Get a snack and curl up in a chair, and read for a while. It'll be good for you. ( )

Amiable, amusing set of stories about psychologists stumbling their way through literary realms of magic. More than a little dated, but great concept, fun execution. ( )

http://nhw.livejournal.com/684127.html

Reading "The Compleat Enchanter",
when I came to the fourth section,
(set in Finland's Kalevala)
somehow I began to wonder:
Can one write LiveJournal entries
in iambic tetrameter?
(Yes, I know that last word's bogus
and perhaps that gives the answer.)

This, a five-book compilation
of the works of Pratt and de Camp,
brings together the adventures
of a man called Harold Shea from
Ohio, mid-20th century,
who is, with his friends and lover,
thrust in various fant'sy poems,
first Norse legends, second Spenser,
third Orlando Furioso
(also Kubla Khan here featured),
fourth (as mentioned) Kalevala
ending in Cuchulain's Ireland.

Though Mark Twain perhaps began it
writing of King Arthur's Yankee
(don't think I can really mention
which state that wayfarer came from
as it has two unstressed vowels
in succession, so won't scan here)
this ambitious and effective
merging of mundane and mythic
surely was an inspiration
for much else in the same genre.

Even the stock story setting -
visitors arrive from elsewhere,
get entwined in local issues,
solve the problem (sometimes fail to)
disappear to next adventure
using magic means of travel
sounds a bit like Doctor Who, ne?

Also, use of spell components
such as "verbal" and "somatic"
was employed by Gary Gygax
in so far as I remember
from my teenage D&D days.

Anyway, this book is harmless.
Irish bit is, sadly, least good -
use of silly plot devices
to prevent our heroes making
any diff'rence to the story.
But the rest is entertaining.
And I think I'd recommend it.
Four stars in my on-line cat'logue. ( )

Symbolic logic helps define the science of magic. Not just easy reading, but captivating...I read all 5 stories in 6 days. The only reason I gave the stories a 4, instead of 5, is that the last 3 stories aren't as compelling as the first 2. ( )