''A Wizard in Rhyme'' is a series of fantasy novels by American writer
Christopher Stasheff. The series follows the character of Matthew Mantrell, an English literature Ph.D. student, who is transported to a magical world where poetry is used to cast spells. There his knowledge of poetry, gained through his literature studies, establishes him as a powerful
wizard and positions him as "lord wizard of the realm". The series consists of eight novels, and is said to have hints of
L. Sprague de Camp and
Fletcher Pratt.
[Steinberg, Sybil S. (1997). "My Son, the Wizard: Book V of A Wizard in Rhyme". '' Publishers Weekly''. 244:46. p60.]
''A Wizard in Rhyme'' takes place in an
alternate history
Alternate history (also alternative history, althist, AH) is a genre of speculative fiction of stories in which one or more historical events occur and are resolved differently than in real life. As conjecture based upon historical fact, altern ...
of
medieval Europe, featuring several geographical differences (most notably a land-bridge connecting Britain to the mainland) and two major supernatural differences: the existence of magic, which can be influenced by the speaking of rhymed verse; and the established and real presence of the Christian
God and
Devil, leading to a prevalence of
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
thought and morality.
Geography
The following are domains of the realms covered in the novel, with the approximate geographical counterparts in the real world.
* Merovence: (
France) When introduced in Book 1, it was ruled by recent usurper Astaulf, who shared power with his sorcerer-henchman Malingo. Merovence was, at the time, the last bastion of morality and Christianity within Europe, as its rightful ruler, the uncrowned Princess Alisande, was still devoted to good. Its patron saint, Saint Moncaire, took action to save it from destruction: he sent a magic spell, encrypted in the language of Merovence, out into the other universes; the first person to interpret it would be drawn into Merovence and help in the crusade against evil. That man was Matthew Mantrell. Its name is probably derived from the
Merovingian line or from
Merovech, and its capital is called Bordestang.
* Ibile: (
Spain/
Portugal) When introduced in Book 2, it was ruled by sorcerer-king Gordogrosso, and then by Prince Rinaldo after The Gross One's defeat. The name ''Ibile'' seems to have been derived from
Iberia, and its capital is called Orlequedrille.
* Allustria: (
Germany/
Austria) When introduced in Book 3, it was ruled by the witch-queen Suettay, and an army of scribes in an extensive bureaucratic network. The name ''Allustria'' is either derived from
Allemagne (French for
Germany) combined with
Austria or
Austrasia
Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the F ...
.
* Latruria: (
Italy) When introduced in Book 4, it was ruled an evil sorcerer-king who was succeeded by his grandson, Boncorro. The name ''Latruria'' seems to have been derived from
Latium combined with
Etruria
Etruria () was a region of Central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what are now most of Tuscany, northern Lazio, and northern and western Umbria.
Etruscan Etruria
The ancient people of Etruria
are identified as Etruscan civiliza ...
. Its capital is Venarra.
* Bretanglia: (
Britain) When introduced in Book 6, it was ruled by an ambitious king who was succeeded by Prince John then King Brion. The name ''Bretanglia'' seems to have been derived from
Britain and
Anglia, the medieval Latin name for England. Its capital is Dunlimon (a near-
anagram
An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...
of
Londinium
Londinium, also known as Roman London, was the capital of Roman Britain during most of the period of Roman rule. It was originally a settlement established on the current site of the City of London around AD 47–50. It sat at a key cross ...
).
* Erin: (
Ireland) also known as the 'Isle of Doctors and Saints' in many of the previous books. Not much is known about Erin, other than
druid
A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...
s live there. The name
Erin is another name for Ireland.
Note: There are some inconsistencies with the actual name of Britain and Ireland in the series. In book 4, Matthew mentions that the countries
England,
Scotland and Ireland are respectfully named Angland, Scotia and Erie, yet in Book 6 Britain is called "Bretanglia," and Ireland, "Erin." However, this may be Stasheff making reference to
England and
Scotland when referring to Angland and Scotia respectively, while Bretanglia refers to
Great Britain as a whole.
Novels
*''Her Majesty's Wizard'' (1986)
*''The Oathbound Wizard ''(1993)
*''The Witch Doctor'' (1994)
*''The Secular Wizard'' (1995)
*''My Son, the Wizard'' (1997)
*''The Haunted Wizard'' (1999)
*''The Crusading Wizard'' (2000)
*''The Feline Wizard'' (2000)
Main characters
* Matthew "Matt" Mantrell: A PhD student who, through reading some odd runes, stumbled into a magical world similar to his original Earth homeland. The geography of the new world is similar to Matt's home world, and even shares some common history. By accident, he discovered he could perform magic in the new world by reciting rhymes. Royal Consort to Alisande and Royal Wizard.
* Alisande: The rightful ruler of Merovence.
* Sir Guy de Toutarien: Alias Sir Guy Losobal. A brave and upright knight and epitome of romantic knight in feudal age. He hides the fact that he is a descendant of Hardishane, a hero in the past who fought evil and established an Empire for goodness and order. Married to the Lady Yverne.
* Stegoman: A fire-breathing dragon, befriended and cured by Matthew.
* Saul Delacroix Bremner: Alias The Witch Doctor. One of Matthew's fellow students. Brought to Matthew's world by the Spider King to aid in the overthrow of Allustria.
* Ramon Mantrell Matthew's father, a shopkeeper and scholar and thus a powerful wizard in his own right, along with his wife.
References
External links
Christopher Stasheff's Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wizard In Rhyme, A
Fantasy novel series