Christopher Stasheff Books In Order

Publication Order of Warlock of Gramarye Books

Publication Order of Rogue Wizard Books

Publication Order of Wizard in Rhyme Books

Publication Order of Starship Troupers Books

Publication Order of Harold Shea Books

Publication Order of War and Honor Books

Publication Order of Warlock's Heirs Books

Publication Order of The Star Stone Books

Publication Order of The Crafters Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Wing Commander Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Christopher Stasheff is an American author that has been compared to the likes of J.R.R. Tolkien with regards to the impact he has had on the science fiction and fantasy genres.

+Biography

Christopher Stasheff was born in 1944. The youngest of four children, the author spent his childhood in Mount Vernon, New York, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. Christopher knew he had a knack for storytelling even as a child.

By the time he was eight, the author was already creating imaginative characters and tales. With an actor for a father, Christopher’s thirst for the stage was also sparked at a very young age.

It helped that he had three siblings because he was always working hard to upstage them, a mentality that drove his eventual success. The author initially had his eyes set on pursuing puppetry. The scarcity of success stories in that field did little to dissuade him from this path, though his passion here never went anywhere.

Luckily for Christopher, he loved television as much as the stage and, during his time at the University of Michigan in 1961, there were actual opportunities for him to pursue Television and Radio.

Michigan’s Radio and TV program was pretty lucrative for Christopher who rapidly shot up the ladder, jumping from a production assistant to a script supervisor. The author eventually went on to manage the student programs broadcast at the University of Michigan.

But he wasn’t satisfied, eventually moving on to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln where he worked in the Instructional TV in-school program broadcast. With his M.A. diploma in hand and the prospects beginning to manifest before him, one would have expected Christopher to disappear into Television for the rest of his life.

But the decision to go to the University of Nebraska only positioned him to reignite his love for the stage. It began with one or two random and rather minor roles that he accepted from the Nebraska Theater department.

Those minor roles kept growing and tempting Christopher Stasheff until he finally cast his broadcasting opportunities aside and decided to pursue a doctorate in theater. During his studies, Christopher saw an opportunity to experiment with publishing.

Upon hearing of a writing competition for unpublished fantasy and science fiction authors, Christopher Stasheff entered with the intention of winning. However, Christopher was unable to finish his manuscript in time.

Luckily for his fans, Christopher did not give up, finishing ‘The Warlock in Spite of Himself’ even though the deadline had already passed. He was brave enough to submit the manuscript to Ace Publishers even without an agent, and that set him on the path to becoming a renowned science fiction legend.

Christopher met his wife sometime later. Mary Miller was a theatrical consumer. The two married and raised four children, not to mention various cats. It is worth noting that the success of his first manuscript did not dissuade Christopher Stasheff from his studies.

Not only did he acquire his Ph.D. in theater but he went on to utilize it, becoming a professor at Montclair State College, New Jersey. Interestingly enough, Christopher’s teaching roles often found him imparting knowledge about radio and television broadcasting to young minds, this despite having seemingly given up on it in favor of theater.

Christopher Stasheff doesn’t do much teaching anymore, and writing has become a challenge. The author was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. But he has endeavored to maintain his writing craft.

And when the ability temporarily escapes him, he is happy to attend conventions, speak on panels and interact with other fans of science fiction, radio and television broadcasting, theater and publishing.

Christopher has written novels and short stories, not to mention contributing to anthologies and directing plays.

Christopher’s biggest strength has always been his ability to organically blend science fiction and fantasy.

+Her Majesty’s Wizard

Matt Mantrell was minding his own business as he translated runes on a scrap of parchment. Then he found himself in a strange world, one where magic could be worked by reciting verses.

And if that isn’t enough, Matt is soon summoning dragons and fighting to save princesses.

This is one of Christopher Stasheff’s earliest works. The book takes place in a world where poetry can be used to manipulate magic. Matt was just an ordinary graduate student at an American university. Then he decided to forget his research in favor of deciphering a fragment of parchment and was magically transported to a different world.

The book definitely appeals more to children than adults.

Not only is it a short and easy read but there is a ton of action. The hero is easy enough to love, competent in the use of his new found magic yet quite honest and humble. The weakest aspect of the book is its lack of ambiguity.

Christopher creates a world that hinges on absolutes. There is only good and evil, and the characters in Christopher’s book must choose either one of these ideals; there is nothing in between, no moral grey.

But that is only a weakness for readers that are unused to light fantasy of this sort.

+The Warlock in Spite of Himself

Gramarye is a world walking a path to destruction. Gramarye might mirror Earth’s Middle Ages, but it is a far different world, one with witches, warlocks and magic. Of course, that shouldn’t matter to Rod Gallowglass because he is a man of science that does not give much credence to magic.

If both Rod and Gramarye are to survive, Rod must put his biases aside and become a warlock. That is the only way he will keep Gramarye safe from an external threat.

The first book in the Warlock series is very aptly named in that it chronicles the journey of a man of science that must go against everything he understands and believes in order to become a Warlock.

The book moves at a rapid pace and endeavors to entertain more than anything else. A Blend of science fiction and magic, the novel is definitely a product of its time and works with a number of concepts that some might consider dated.

The Christopher Stasheff tale centers on Rod Gallowglass, a scientist that discovers a race of magical creatures. His use of technology soon elicits him the title of warlock as he undertakes an adventure the likes of which he could never have dreamed.