::READERS REVIEWS::

Lord Darcy... ho-hum - 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; sorcerers must be licensed to practice else face severe penalties. There is also Black Magic, outlawed and dangerous. Darcy and O'Lochlainn most definitely have a tangle or two with practitioners of this 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 himself 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.

Sherlock Holmes for the Fantasy Lover - I am an ardent fan of the Sherlock Holmes stories as well as a frequent reader of fantasy, so when I found this book in a library I was hoping it would be a decent read. It has ended up being one of my favorite books of all time. Randall Garrett does a masterful job of creating mysteries in a world that is very different from our own, yet eerily familiar. This complex alternate universe, with its laws of magic and religion rather than science and industry, is a well done backdrop to the mystery solving duo of Lord Darcy and Sean O'Lochlainn.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves Sherlock Holmes, fantasy, or magic.

Great collection of supernateral detective stories - These stories star Lord Darcy and his sourer side kick Sean. The alternate universe is one where the Plantagets kept rule of England and the Empire into the 60s. The laws of magic were discovered early (contagion--things in contact remain in contact) are prevalent. Lots of allusions and puns: for instance the head of the sourcer's guild is Sir Lyons Grandalopuhs Gray, and the Too Many magicians is something of a send up of the Before Midnight: A Nero Wolfe Mystery (Mystery Masters Series) mysteries are still popular and I highly recommend them. A very good attempt to apply the codified laws of magick to an imaginary world and an excellent series of deceive stories. Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe is paralleled by the Marquis of London and while Nero Wolfe's side kick is Archie Goodwin the Marquis' is Lord Bontriomphe. In another story a man is killed and the Kaplin-Sheinwold (bridge writers) test shows that a short club (bridge convention) could not have been used.

Overall a great read with compelling well done characters, excellent plots and nice sometimes sly humor.

Super Reader - collections Murder and Magic, and Lord Darcy Investigates, with a serialized novel, and a couple of stray stories, in a rather nifty volume.

Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 01 The Eyes Have It - Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 02 A Case of Identity - Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 03 The Muddle of the Woad - Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 04 Too Many Magicians - Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 05 A Stretch of the Imagination - Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 06 A Matter of Gravity - Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 07 The Bitter End - Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 08 The Ipswich Phial - Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 09 The Sixteen Keys - Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 10 The Napoli Express - Randall Garrett
Lord Darcy : Lord Darcy 11 The Spell of War - Randall Garrett

Ship swordplay does prove necessary in spy hunt.

3.5 out of 5


A55ignation a55a55ination.

3.5 out of 5


Ancient Albion blackmail.

3 out of 5


A magic detective, a nice premise and style. Definitely enjoyable. Smart duchess, polish agents, master sorcerer duels, and more.

Father son slaying trap.

3 out of 5




Of secret agents and beautiful gypsies.

3.5 out of 5


France is much easier to take in a bar, with beer. Unless stuff there is poisoned.

3.5 out of 5


Enchanting sorceress.

3 out of 5


One train, one dead Captain's funeral, one sword-stick, and a bloke with a lot of guys not liking him.

3.5 out of 5


S3x spells and secret panels.

3 out of 5


A meeting under fire.

3 out of 5





3.5 out of 5

Too Many Magicians is a Great Nero Wolfe Pastiche - Too Many Magicians, a full length novel included in this collection, is a Lord Darcy story, but a large role is also played by several characters clearly from the Nero Wolfe corpus. Archie Goodwin is Lord Bontriomphe, for example. Even if you do not like fantasy, and I don't normally, this book is still good. The magic is limited by rules to mainly the kinds of things now done in forensic laboratories. In fact, Master Sean is a "forensic magician"! The detection is scientific and fair to the reader. I recommend reading the 3 short stories that precede "Too Many Magicians" to get familiar with the limiting rules in advance.