The Warlock in Spite of Himself

SCIENCE AND SORCERY DO NOT MIX-EXCEPT ON GRAMARYE

Skeptical, cynical Rod Gallowglass is a spacefaring man of science who does not believe in magic. He's also an operative of the agency SCENT, tasked with finding lost colony planets, then guiding them toward democracy and eventual membership in the galactic community.

But when he stumbles across the strange new planet Gramarye, he's shocked to discover a medieval society full of witches and warlocks, elves and monsters. How is it even possible? Worse, Rod's advanced technology quickly gets him labeled a warlock, despite his constant denials.

Moreover, the Kingdom is in political turmoil, with a young girl-queen on the brink of civil war with her rebellious lords. Rod slowly discovers off-world organizations are behind the unrest, trying to subtly corrupt Gramarye away from democratic rule. His mission is threatened at every turn by fascists, anarchists, and double-dealing royalists playing vicious political power games for the future of the most unique-and perhaps most important-planet in the galaxy.

Aided only by a coven of teenage witches, a ragtag army of beggars, and his epileptic robot horse Fess, Rod decides the only way to thwart these destructive influences-both native and off-planet-is for him to become a part of the local fabric and lead Gramarye as one of their own. But to do so, Rod Gallowglass must put aside his own convictions and beliefs, and become a warlock, in spite of himself.

Author: Christopher Stasheff
Publisher: Stasheff Literary Enterprises
Published: 11/27/2023
Pages: 260
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.14lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.63d
ISBN: 9781953215741

About the Author
Stasheff, Christopher: - "Christopher Stasheff (1944 - 2018) was a teacher, thespian, techie, and author of science fiction & fantasy novels. One of the pioneers of "science fantasy," his career spanned four decades, 44 novels (including translations into Czech, German, Italian, Russian, and Japanese), 29 short stories, and seven 7 anthologies. His novels are famous for their humor (and bad puns), exploration of comparative political systems, and philosophical undertones. He always had difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality and tried to compensate by teaching college. When teaching proved too real, he gave it up in favor of writing full time. He tended to pre-script his life, but couldn't understand why other people never got their lines right. This caused a fair amount of misunderstanding with his wife and four children. He wrote novels because it was the only way he could be the director, the designer, and all the actors too. Chris died in 2018 from Parkinson's Disease. He will be remembered by his friends, family, fans, and students for his kind and gentle nature, his willingness to guide and mentor any who asked, and for his witty sense of humor. His terrible puns, however, will be forgotten as soon as humanly possible."

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