Ten Little Wizards

Garrett's Lord Darcy revisited. The original 3 stories were take-offs of classic Sherlock Holmes stories but set in an England based on Richard the Lion Hearted having retained power and the Plantagenet dynasty having continued for several generations. A system of working magic has evolved to support technology instead of mechanical knowledge. This delightful story is a take-off of the classic Agatha Christie story, 10 Little Indians, and stars an older and mellower Darcy. The dry, factual style of the original Darcy stories is appparent in this book also and, other than the setting, this might be a straight mystery. The magical science is clever and logical although a bit belabored. The original 3 novels were among the first in the field to explore the consepts of magical technology and all the Lord Darcy books kind of point to their magical ideas and say "see how clever". Lord Darcy is an adventure hero, an alternate history James Bond. Thus, while this story is a good mystery in a fantasy setting, it will not apeal to readers looking for in depth characterizations. Readers who enjoyed Patricia Wrede's Merlion the Magicion might like the Lord Darcy stories because the setting is very similar.