A Wizard in Mind
The Chronicles of the Rogue Wizard, Book 1
Christopher Stasheff
Tor
Fiction, Humor/Sci-Fi
Themes: Artificial Intelligence, Mind Powers, Space Stories, Wizards
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Description
In the far future, humanity has spread to the stars... and left many stranded there for generations. Shifts in Terran politics left countless
colonies without resources or even contact with their interplanetary kin. As years and generations passed, the vast majority reverted to
pre-industrial ways of life, losing memories of their offworld heritage in the struggle to survive on alien worlds. Now, various factions from
the still-starfaring branches of humanity seek to bring these "lost" worlds back into the fold, whether they're ready or not.
Magnus D'Armand, an insterstellar meddler, uses his inherited gifts of telepathy and psychokinesis (among other talents) to help out where needed.
He used to be an operative helping to foist democracy onto all worlds, but came to the conclusion that it did not work for everyone. Now, he only
steps in whena truly oppressive government needs to be felled. His travels take him to Petrarch, a planet mired in the Middle Ages, where nobles
seek to squeeze the life from a stronghold of free merchants who may bear the seeds of progress and democracy. Magnus soon discovers that he isn't
the only offworlder involved in the affair, which swiftly escalates toward all-out war.
Review
The cover made this seem much better than it was, not an uncommon occurrence but still annoying. I was promised a "rollicking," "witty" tale. I got a bit of the former and not too much of the latter. The characters seemed dull and predictable, consistent more with the needs of the plot than their own integrity. The plot... well, it did move, I grant it that, but I still found it boring for some reason. Anyway, it was readable, and I did finish it without too much difficulty, but I don't foresee myself seeking out further installments of Magnus D'Armand's adventures.