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chally 's review for:
Lord Darcy
by Randall Garrett
The Lord Darcy mysteries are comprised of 10 short stories (some longer than others) and one full-length novel. Most of them were written over the 1960s and 1970s. The really interesting part is that these are examples of alternate history; they’re set in the “real” world during those same 60s and 70s, but in this version of reality the Plantegenet dynasty has been ruling wisely and well for eight centuries and England still has a proper monarch even now. Additionally, there’s a form of magic – “forensic sorcery” – that’s regularly employed in criminal investigations.
Lord Darcy is chief investigator to this same king. His particular job is to investigate murders which are either a) insoluble to everyone else, or b) perpetrated against members of the aristocracy. Coming to his regular assistance is Sean O Lochlainn, an Irish master sorcerer with a didactic streak.
Darcy’s only fault is in being faultless; he’s ferociously intelligent, as you’d expect of a great detective; he can speak multiple languages; he’s trained in just about every known weapon; he’s glib, handsome, wealthy, titled and capable of being quite charming (though he frequently isn’t). These days we might expect a few more flaws in our heroes, but in this case, who cares? Darcy is a fabulous character and great fun to read about. Master Sean, meanwhile, is a terrific sidekick. Loyal, funny and very skilled, he makes a good foil to Darcy’s relentless perfection, but without being the sort of irritating, bumbling idiot that’s frequently served up.
The mysteries in each case are extremely clever, grippingly told and pleasantly challenging to follow. My only regret is that there are only eleven of these stories. I read them all through in two days and wanted a lot more. I particularly want more depth; seeing as these are mostly short tales, there isn’t that much room to explore the characters and background in as much detail as I would have liked. It’s sad that there will never be anymore of these. There are, however, some authorised sequels by another author, which I’ll be trying out some day. Here’s hoping they live up to the originals.
Lord Darcy is chief investigator to this same king. His particular job is to investigate murders which are either a) insoluble to everyone else, or b) perpetrated against members of the aristocracy. Coming to his regular assistance is Sean O Lochlainn, an Irish master sorcerer with a didactic streak.
Darcy’s only fault is in being faultless; he’s ferociously intelligent, as you’d expect of a great detective; he can speak multiple languages; he’s trained in just about every known weapon; he’s glib, handsome, wealthy, titled and capable of being quite charming (though he frequently isn’t). These days we might expect a few more flaws in our heroes, but in this case, who cares? Darcy is a fabulous character and great fun to read about. Master Sean, meanwhile, is a terrific sidekick. Loyal, funny and very skilled, he makes a good foil to Darcy’s relentless perfection, but without being the sort of irritating, bumbling idiot that’s frequently served up.
The mysteries in each case are extremely clever, grippingly told and pleasantly challenging to follow. My only regret is that there are only eleven of these stories. I read them all through in two days and wanted a lot more. I particularly want more depth; seeing as these are mostly short tales, there isn’t that much room to explore the characters and background in as much detail as I would have liked. It’s sad that there will never be anymore of these. There are, however, some authorised sequels by another author, which I’ll be trying out some day. Here’s hoping they live up to the originals.