The Compleat Enchanter
Encyclopedia
The Compleat Enchanter: The Magical Misadventures of Harold Shea is an omnibus collection of three classic fantasy
stories by science fiction
and fantasy
authors L. Sprague de Camp
and Fletcher Pratt
, gathering material previously published in two volumes as The Incomplete Enchanter
(1941) and The Castle of Iron
(1950), the first two books in their Harold Shea series, with the essay "Fletcher and I," de Camp's paean to his deceased collaborator. The collection was first published in hardcover by Nelson Doubleday
in 1975 as an offering for its Science Fiction Book Club, and was reissued in paperback by Del Rey Books
in 1976. Minus the essay, it has more recently been combined with Wall of Serpents
(1960), the third book of the series in the omnibus edition The Complete Compleat Enchanter
(1989). This book had been left out of The Compleat Enchanter due to "considerations of space and ... contractual considerations." (Afterword, p. 338) The stories in the collection were originally published in the magazine Unknown
in the issues for May and August, 1940 and April, 1941.
The Harold Shea stories are parallel world
tales in which universes where magic works coexist with our own, and in which those based on the mythologies, legends, and literary fantasies of our world and can be reached by aligning one's mind to them by a system of symbolic logic. Psychologist Harold Shea and his colleagues Reed Chalmers, Walter Bayard, and Vaclav Polacek (Votsy), travel to several such worlds, joined in the course of their adventures by Belphebe and Florimel of Faerie, who become the wives of Shea and Chalmers, and Pete Brodsky, a policeman who is accidentally swept up into the chaos. The three stories collected in The Compleat Enchanter explore the worlds of Norse mythology
in "The Roaring Trumpet," Edmund Spenser
's The Faerie Queene
in "The Mathematics of Magic," and Ludovico Ariosto
's Orlando Furioso
(with a brief stop in Samuel Taylor Coleridge
's Kubla Khan
) in "The Castle of Iron."
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
stories by science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
authors L. Sprague de Camp
L. Sprague de Camp
Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction and fantasy books, non-fiction and biography. In a writing career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, including novels and notable works of non-fiction, including biographies of other important fantasy authors...
and Fletcher Pratt
Fletcher Pratt
Murray Fletcher Pratt was an American writer of science fiction, fantasy and history, particularly noted for his works on naval history and on the American Civil War.- Life and work :...
, gathering material previously published in two volumes as The Incomplete Enchanter
The Incomplete Enchanter
The Incomplete Enchanter is a collection of two classic fantasy short stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, the first volume in their Harold Shea series. The pieces were originally published in the magazine Unknown in the issues for May and August, 1940...
(1941) and The Castle of Iron
The Castle of Iron
The Castle of Iron is the title of a fantasy novella by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, and to the novel into which it was later expanded by the same authors. It was the third story in their Harold Shea series...
(1950), the first two books in their Harold Shea series, with the essay "Fletcher and I," de Camp's paean to his deceased collaborator. The collection was first published in hardcover by Nelson Doubleday
Nelson Doubleday
Nelson Doubleday was a U.S. book publisher. He was the nephew of author Russell Doubleday, the son of Frank Nelson Doubleday and Neltje Blanchan, and the father of Nelson Doubleday Jr....
in 1975 as an offering for its Science Fiction Book Club, and was reissued in paperback by Del Rey Books
Del Rey Books
Del Rey Books is a branch of Ballantine Books, which is owned by Random House and, in turn since 1998, by Bertelsmann AG. It is a separate imprint established in 1977 under the editorship of author Lester del Rey and his wife Judy-Lynn del Rey. It specializes in science fiction and fantasy...
in 1976. Minus the essay, it has more recently been combined with Wall of Serpents
Wall of Serpents
Wall of Serpents is a collection of two classic fantasy short stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, the third volume in their Harold Shea series. The pieces were originally published in the magazines Fantasy Fiction and Beyond Fantasy Fiction in the...
(1960), the third book of the series in the omnibus edition The Complete Compleat Enchanter
The Complete Compleat Enchanter
The Complete Compleat Enchanter is an omnibus collection of five classic fantasy stories by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, gathering material previously published in three volumes as The Incomplete Enchanter , The Castle of Iron , and Wall of Serpents ,...
(1989). This book had been left out of The Compleat Enchanter due to "considerations of space and ... contractual considerations." (Afterword, p. 338) The stories in the collection were originally published in the magazine Unknown
Unknown (magazine)
Unknown was an American pulp fantasy fiction magazine, published from 1939 to 1943 by Street & Smith, and edited by John W. Campbell. Unknown was a companion to Street & Smith's science fiction pulp, Astounding Science Fiction, which was also edited by Campbell at the time; many authors and...
in the issues for May and August, 1940 and April, 1941.
The Harold Shea stories are parallel world
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
tales in which universes where magic works coexist with our own, and in which those based on the mythologies, legends, and literary fantasies of our world and can be reached by aligning one's mind to them by a system of symbolic logic. Psychologist Harold Shea and his colleagues Reed Chalmers, Walter Bayard, and Vaclav Polacek (Votsy), travel to several such worlds, joined in the course of their adventures by Belphebe and Florimel of Faerie, who become the wives of Shea and Chalmers, and Pete Brodsky, a policeman who is accidentally swept up into the chaos. The three stories collected in The Compleat Enchanter explore the worlds of Norse mythology
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
in "The Roaring Trumpet," Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English...
's The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene is an incomplete English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. The first half was published in 1590, and a second installment was published in 1596. The Faerie Queene is notable for its form: it was the first work written in Spenserian stanza and is one of the longest poems in the English...
in "The Mathematics of Magic," and Ludovico Ariosto
Ludovico Ariosto
Ludovico Ariosto was an Italian poet. He is best known as the author of the romance epic Orlando Furioso . The poem, a continuation of Matteo Maria Boiardo's Orlando Innamorato, describes the adventures of Charlemagne, Orlando, and the Franks as they battle against the Saracens with diversions...
's Orlando Furioso
Orlando Furioso
Orlando Furioso is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form until 1532...
(with a brief stop in Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Samuel Taylor Coleridge was an English poet, Romantic, literary critic and philosopher who, with his friend William Wordsworth, was a founder of the Romantic Movement in England and a member of the Lake Poets. He is probably best known for his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Kubla...
's Kubla Khan
Kubla Khan
Kubla Khan is a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, completed in 1797 and published in Christabel, Kubla Khan, and the Pains of Sleep in 1816...
) in "The Castle of Iron."
Contents
- "The Roaring TrumpetThe Roaring TrumpetThe Roaring Trumpet is a fantasy novella written by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt as the initial story in their Harold Shea series. It was first published in the May 1940 issue of the fantasy pulp magazine Unknown...
" - "The Mathematics of MagicThe Mathematics of MagicThe Mathematics of Magic is a fantasy novella written by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt as the second story in their Harold Shea series. It was first published in the August 1940 issue of the fantasy pulp magazine Unknown...
" - "The Castle of IronThe Castle of IronThe Castle of Iron is the title of a fantasy novella by science fiction and fantasy authors L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt, and to the novel into which it was later expanded by the same authors. It was the third story in their Harold Shea series...
" - "Afterword: Fletcher and I"