A Wizard In Midgard : The Sixth Chronicle of the Rogue Wizard

Rating:
Summary: A Wizard in Midguard,but why?
Review: A wizard in Midguard was a great disappointment to me, as a regular Stasheff reader. Having finished Quicksilver's Knight immediately beforehand, I was ready for some of the expected Stasheff magic with this story, especially since the last two Wizard books had left me rather lukewarm. I wasn't surprised to see the theme of Norse Mythology, as there are various references to it in his other work, and I had fully expected a novel dealing with it in detail. To my disappointment, our dear author expected the reader to have a much greater background on the subject than the average person, and did not use his best descriptive techniques to pull the reader head over heels into the story. To me, the book read more like an outline, and after the great lengths taken in Quicksilver's Knight to make the love interest a very three dimentional heroine, Alia seemed more like a plot device to move Magnus through the story. It will be interesting to see if Stasheff rounds out the character of Alia, in the forthcoming book, A Wizard and a Warlord, and attempts to make her Magnus love interest, which totally violates the premise of locking Magnus' heart away in the magic casket, as logically, the 'right' woman would come equipped with a key from the start (no fair finding one conveniently!), or uses her as a vehicle to further alienate him from the rest of the universe. Either way, A Wizard in Midguard is a must for those who wish to continue the saga of Magnus Gallowglass, Rogue Wizard, but alas, the book does not get my vote as an interesting read for its own sake.

Rating:
Summary: A Wizard in Midguard,but why?
Review: A wizard in Midguard was a great disappointment to me, as a regular Stasheff reader. Having finished Quicksilver's Knight immediately beforehand, I was ready for some of the expected Stasheff magic with this story, especially since the last two Wizard books had left me rather lukewarm. I wasn't surprised to see the theme of Norse Mythology, as there are various references to it in his other work, and I had fully expected a novel dealing with it in detail. To my disappointment, our dear author expected the reader to have a much greater background on the subject than the average person, and did not use his best descriptive techniques to pull the reader head over heels into the story. To me, the book read more like an outline, and after the great lengths taken in Quicksilver's Knight to make the love interest a very three dimentional heroine, Alia seemed more like a plot device to move Magnus through the story. It will be interesting to see if Stasheff rounds out the character of Alia, in the forthcoming book, A Wizard and a Warlord, and attempts to make her Magnus love interest, which totally violates the premise of locking Magnus' heart away in the magic casket, as logically, the 'right' woman would come equipped with a key from the start (no fair finding one conveniently!), or uses her as a vehicle to further alienate him from the rest of the universe. Either way, A Wizard in Midguard is a must for those who wish to continue the saga of Magnus Gallowglass, Rogue Wizard, but alas, the book does not get my vote as an interesting read for its own sake.

Rating:
Summary: just a guy
Review: Christopher Stasheef is an excellent writer and has taught me alot. However this book demonstrates that even the best have an off day. The Wizard undertakes to reform a slave society, A laudable idea. What really happens is that the author pulls from his hat a solution that doesn't quite fit. It resembles a mystery where the sluth withholds evidense from the reader and suddenly the suspect is revealed. I won't ruin this book for you, but it is far from this great mans best effort.

Rating:
Summary: blech.
Review: I didn't like it because I don't like the idea of Magnus getting a girlfriend. After all, the idea of him wanting one in the first place is preposterous, since he's been totally warped by bad past experiences. I rather liked that there was a male character out there who didn't chase after women, and seemed to be terminally single. Romance ruins the story.

Rating:
Summary: A Decent Work
Review: I don't agree that Midgard was a bad story. I think it was even better than the predecessor, Chaos. After all, weren't the people of the hollow hills a kind of "magic" last-minute solution, too? The giants and dwarves were among the best races Stasheff ever wrote about. While it is true that Magnus cheats a bit with his powers to win, the stakes are high. Alea appears to be a welcome addition to the characters. Though many of these books are beginning to get a little formulaic (it is hard for them not to be with so many), I still think this one is an improvement over the last - but there is still much room for further improvment.

Rating:
Summary: A Decent Work
Review: I don't agree that Midgard was a bad story. I think it was even better than the predecessor, Chaos. After all, weren't the people of the hollow hills a kind of "magic" last-minute solution, too? The giants and dwarves were among the best races Stasheff ever wrote about. While it is true that Magnus cheats a bit with his powers to win, the stakes are high. Alea appears to be a welcome addition to the characters. Though many of these books are beginning to get a little formulaic (it is hard for them not to be with so many), I still think this one is an improvement over the last - but there is still much room for further improvment.

Rating:
Summary: Good Stuff.
Review: Magnus is off on another adventure, this time via Norse Mythology. On the way, he picks up another companion, Alea (to replace Dirk). Much romantic potential there, and it's about time! Stasheff has been hinting about it for several books now. The world he has created is quite interesting, though the plot is similiar to the rest of the series. But then who really cares, since it's all great fun anyway!

Rating:
Summary: The Rogue Wizard Finds True Love?
Review: The newest installment of the Rogue Wizard finds our hero on the brink of romance and perhaps true love. This is the book I've been waiting for, a possible love interest for Magnus, yes! As far as the plot goes, typical Stasheff, which means it is a nice read. To me, this is one of the better Rogue Wizard novels, a series that has been a bit uneven. I'm a sucker for Stasheff's more romantic work (I loved M'Lady Witch) and this one delivers.

Rating:
Summary: The Rogue Wizard Finds True Love?
Review: The newest installment of the Rogue Wizard finds our hero on the brink of romance and perhaps true love. This is the book I've been waiting for, a possible love interest for Magnus, yes! As far as the plot goes, typical Stasheff, which means it is a nice read. To me, this is one of the better Rogue Wizard novels, a series that has been a bit uneven. I'm a sucker for Stasheff's more romantic work (I loved M'Lady Witch) and this one delivers.

Rating:
Summary: A Decent Work
Review: This was a great book! I had been wondering how Stasheff could solve Magnus' girl problem. In this book, Magnus meets the woman who is his true love. She has been hurt as badly as he has and distrusts men. She recognizes his problem, too. At the end of the book, she leaves with Magnus. They will have a platonic relationship at first, but I know that eventually they will heal each other. I was pleased to see that Stasheff did not solve Magnus' problem in one book. The adventure part is one of the best ever. The world is based on Norse mythology. Inbreeding has created three races: dwarves, giants, and "regular" humans, who oppress the other two groups. Magnus, as a half giant, is enslaved at one point. Alea, his new friend, is also a half-giant (she is six foot five) who is an escaped slave. She and Magnus travel to the strongholds of the giants and dwarves to encourage them to rebel against the Midgarders(normals). They also meet a snotty band of half-giants who mistreat their wives and children. I liked the end of the book. Magnus starts a rebellion that will take more than twenty years to complete. Magnus used myths and stories to inspire the people- I loved that touch. Magnus is my favorite Stasheff character, and he has matured a lot since A Wizard in Absentia.