Warlock and Son

Warlock #11

by Christopher Stasheff

Even the son of a warlock gets restless sometimes. And when Magnus sets off to see the world, his father, Rod Gallowglass, and the robot horse, Fess, can't resist trailing behind. Someone's got to protect young Magnus from spellbinding witches, enchanted maidens, and jealous husbands. But when it comes to real danger--and growing up is on his own...

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic, Humor, Wizards

234 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

The late Christopher Stasheff was an American science fiction and fantasy author. When teaching proved too real, he gave it up in favor of writing full-time. Stasheff was noted for his blending of science fiction and fantasy, as seen in his Warlock series. He spent his early childhood in Mount Vernon, New York, but spent the rest of his formative years in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Stasheff taught at the University of Eastern New Mexico in Portales, before retiring to Champaign, Illinois, in 2009. He had a wife and four children.

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the next-to-last book in Stasheff's Warlock series, and is actually more of a set-up for the spin-off Wizard series that featured Magnus, Rod and Gwen's oldest son. Rod Gallowglass is an interstellar agent in charge of protecting the planet Graymayre from nefarious time-travelers, political extremists, and all manner of other evil. The planet is home to a mediaeval society where telepathy flourishes, but is commonly known as witchcraft. Ron marries native Gwendolyn and they have four children; years later, as this book opens, they're all nearly grown and Magnus is setting off on his own for the first time. Naturally Rod, the worried father, has misgivings and so decides to trail along, just out of sight... Things never work out quite the way he plans... Stasheff's mix of fantasy and science fiction concepts is clever and intelligent, and his insight into parental worries and family dynamics is most poignant. Very good stuff!

[Stuart Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars really. A shocking surprise ending to a story that looked to be linear. This more than made up for the dud that was the last book. The futurists finally succeed with a well thought out plan that takes more than the immediate generation into account, which makes sense since they have access to a time machine and should be able to twist the future no matter how many times they are thwarted by Rod and company. I am now up to the final novel. Since the futurists have to be defeated to make this series worth finishing, I am going to speculate that Rod and company find a way to take the secret of the time machine away from them or find a way to irrevocably destroy it (another paradox in itself to resolve). Let’s see what comes!! Onward!!

[Đenis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magnus je už pekne vyspelý a premýšľa, čo so životom. Háda sa s Rodom a diskutujú nad oprávnenosťou implementácie demokracie na Gramarii. Cestujú cestou necestou a stretávajú napríklad aj teokraciu. Rozhovory vedú k čoraz očividnému, Marcus sa musí dostať z otcovho tieňa. Koniec knihy je venovaný Marcusovi a jeho bojom so ženami a pokušením, sklamaním a určením životnej dráhy. V tomto diele sa toho udialo moc rôznorodého a prijemne sa to počúvalo.

[Nathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was interesting seeing the differences of opinion between father and son, but the focus on sex seemed excessive.

[Al "Tank" · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 12th book in the "Warlock" series.

I almost gave this book 3 stars, but kept the 4th because Stasheff's writing is still top-notch. The plot, however, seemed to wander and drag until the last few chapters.

Overall, the book is a vehicle to set up another series (can't say more without spoiling it). IMHO, the story itself could have been told in half the space. But then, it would have been too "thin" for the bookshelves.

Recommendation: if you're a fan of this series, by all means read it. If you can take or leave the "Warlock" series, you might want to skip it (or skip to the end so you'll understand the follow-on series).

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magnus and his father are seemingly at odds, whenever Rod thinks he might be making progress getting through to him he seems to make it worse. How can he keep his son safe yet give him the space to work out his problems on his own? Well he is a spy who can blame him if he should happen upon his son in trouble. Some rather wild and not altogether wonderful women seem to be coming out of the woods.

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a way, this was the transition point between Rod's adventures ("Warlock" series) and Magnus' adventures ("Rogue Wizard" series). A lot of what happens in this series is important when you read Magnus' books.

[Cindy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of pointless story of how Magnus falls for every single girl he meets, and naturally he only meets the hottest girls, and how he and his father agree to part ways. This is about where the series jumps the shark, and it's sad because it didn't have to be this dumb.

[C.G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting transition from focussing on Rod to focussing on Magnus.

[Rhiannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great story of the coming of age in a world where magic rules in a universe focused on science.

[Vader · Rating 2 out of 5]

5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish