Mind Out of Time is a collection of stories covering a span from 1981 to 2003. They cover a variety of SF and fantasy themes.

"The Warlock's Grandfather" is an odd story of either madness or canniness. After a long life of dedication to the family business, Count Rory begins to live in a dream world of his own making. This humiliates some of his children and their spouses, but elates two of his grandchildren.

"Coronach of the Bell" is a sad tale warning of the dangers of intervention in an ecology with insufficient knowledge. At the same time, it is a tale of forgiveness.

The earliest story, "The Martyrdom of St. Vidicon of Cathode", is a tale of Murphy's Law as manifested in technology. A backstory of the Warlock series, this tale might be seen as a farce to non-technical readers, but it is a tribute to human perseverance to anyone who has had to deal with electronic equipment. It may be contrived, but there is more than a smidgen of truth in it. High tech has its own version of praying in the foxholes.

"Pride and Puppetry" is obviously about prejudice, but also about loyalty and justice. When is it appropriate to allow your liege lord to be humiliated?

"Gordon's Quest" is a story of redemption through martyrdom. Unlike St. Vidicon, Gordon is seeking death to achieve paradise. Sound familiar? Of course, the author doesn't write just a journey toward death, but throws in a few exploitive gods that use Gordon to put down another god who has been coopted by the Taiping revolution.

"Who Ghost There?" is a romantic tale of a little girl, Anthea, with negligent parents who finds parental love from the family ghost. It seems Sir Roderick cannot rest until he recovers his head, so he has been consoling and protecting lonely children for centuries. Just to enlivened the plot, there are two suitors for Anthea's hand, a pair of the last Faerie in England, and a foreign spirit who manifests as a ball of fire.

The latest story, "Mind Out of Time", is also a backstory of the Warlock series. Angus McAran is deformed in body, but brilliant of mind. After graduating with a electrical engineering degree with a minor in physics, he became an inventor for a large corporation for a six figure salary and a well equipped laboratory. The company paid him a good amount for each patent issued, but then retained the royalties. While the money was minor matter, the lack ownership of the patents still irked him. Then, one day he found himself faced with a man -- actually a Neanderthal -- from his future (and other times) who advised him to invent a time machine and free himself from the tyranny of being a salaryman.

These stories display the humor and characterization often found in the author's various series, but also show a greater degree of versatility than found in the series work. While this collection brings all his stories into print, one may hope that the author will produce a few more in the near future.

Recommended for Stasheff fans and anyone who enjoys humor and a bit of wisdom in SF and fantasy settings.

This collection from the author of The Warlock In Spite of Himself and subsequent mythos consists of six sensational short stories and a long terrific time travel tale "MIND OUT OF TIME" that expands the Christopher Stasheff cosmos to the merriment of his followers.

Each of the shorter tales is well written with strong characters while supporting the Stasheff cosmos underlying supposition that misfits struggle to find a group or a loved one to belong to and reciprocally belongs to the antihero too. Mr. Stasheff expands on his theme in a two-page introduction to this anthology that his supporters will want to read. Fans of the Wizard universe will gain much delight with these six entertaining tales starring humanity's outcasts.

However, this book belongs to the title novella, MIND OUT OF TIME. Though born with a deformed body, Angus McArcan is brilliant having secured many patents for the company that employs him. When co-worker Yorick talks about a Neanderthal skull found in Michigan, Angus decides to astral time travel to find out if Neanderthals ever made it to North America. He lands in the body of Alaspar, a Neanderthal living in what will one day be Michigan. Angus learns from Alaspar that he will invent a time machine, be the founder of GRIPE (Guardians of the Rights of Individuals, especially patent holders) and will develop a sense of future. When he returns to the present, he meets Yorick again who is also a time traveler sent to save him from those who don't want GRIPE to succeed. This is a whimsical time travel tale starring an unusual but likable hero.

Harriet Klausner

Stasheff continues to bring life into his characters through Warlock and Son. By giving Magnus a more major rule he adds a new dimension to the series and a nice bridge to his future Rogue Wizard series. Any that have loved Stasheff's warlock series, those looking for a new aspect of the Rouge Wizard series, or even those simply looking to enjoy a good Science Fiction/Fantasy novel this one is for you. From the opening where Magnus decides he needs to see the world and sets off for adventure on his own with his father Rod Gallowglass not far behind Magnus through the exciting conclusion, Stasheff will continue to have you wanting to see what happens next and it will become near impossible to put this book down once you start reading.

I found this book to be most enjoyable. Rod and Fess are hilarious, as usual. Now that Rod had become a very proficient warlock, it is fun to see his frighteningly talented eldest son start off on his own career. Magnus's character can be a little dour and plodding at times, but this also mimics Rod Gallowglass's early career.

"The Warlock Wandering" is highly enjoyable and superb book that follows the journey of Rod Gallowglass, from "Warlock In Spite Of Himself," and his wife, Gwendolyn Gallowglass the most powerful witch in all of Gramarye, along with a friend from past novels. Only this time they are journeying not only far from their own world but far from their own time. It is fascinating to see how masterfully Christopher Stasheff integrates the worlds of science and magic together once again. This fusion of two worlds has existed in the past few novels in this series, but always with the man of science, Rod Gallowglass, learning to live within a world of magic. Now through his masterful story telling, Christopher Stasheff shows us how someone from his magical world Gramarye can or cannot adapt to a world of science, through Gwen. Once again Stasheff lends such life to his characters and the worlds he creates with such prowess that "The Warlock Wandering" is a book not to be missed. I highly recommend this book, even if it is the first in series you are to read. Even if it is your frist journey into the Warlock Series I have little doubt that you will fall in love with both Rod and Gwen desire to read the rest of the series.

Many fantasy writers, even the science fantasy writers, often have difficulty keeping their character's personal histories coherent and consistent. That is absolutely NOT the case with Mr.Stasheff. He has written several books about the mythical and mystical High Warlock of Graymarye and has kept the storylines and the prior event principally intact. Such "historical" coherence is and intrinsic necessity for any type of science fiction writing and is especially needful in the science fantasy genre for the suspension of disbelief needed for enjoyment of a fantasy story. It is especially needful in the "science" fantasy stories because most of the readers presumably have something of a scientific background as a spring-board. His storylines and technical principals have always been very suprisingly delightful in this sense. I first encountered the concept of "molecular circuitry" in his books (years before Westinghouse awarded a student for an achievement that could be the first reality-based step in this direction). The problem with most science fiction nowadays is that it is very difficult to keep the "fictional" stories and devices ahead of the "realities" appearing in the daily newspapers and science journals while keeping the reading understandable and enjoyable. Christopher Stasheff consistently, sucessfully takes us on a journies to the next "frontier" of the Age of Science -- stories about the exciting technology and advancements of the human mind and spirit. His book, "The Warlock Wandering" is a prime example of all these features. Highlighting his command of the "coherence factor", its companion feature "The Warlock is Missing" (which really should be read second), helps to set a standard many other science fantasy writers will be hard pressed to compete with. Thank you for another delightfully enjoyable reading experience, Mr. Stasheff!!

i read this book when i was a teenager. since then my taste has developed into more of the classics, such as moby dick and scarlet letter. yet i still come back and read this book, and remember how great sci-fiction fantasy is.

There is a little something for everyone in this book, but all are centered for dragon lovers. I recommend this book for anyone seeking a new addition to their fantasy library, and not just because of some famous contributors. Historians and artists will appreciate The Art of Revolution, while scientists can't help but smile at Birdie. Computer fans will enjoy The Back Door, and those who study the possible reality of dragons should read Call Him Meier. Personally, my favorite is The Power Within, which is an incredibly poignant tale about lost childhood dreams. These are only a few of the lovely stories provided in this book, and all of them are beautifully written. Each one conveys a powerful message, and all give great insight into the vast influence dragons have had upon our often mundane world. No matter what your interests are, these stories will send shivers of pleasure and understanding coursing through you.

This is a great book that makes you keep reading until you hit the end. The only problem with it is there is to much sex. It just seems to be overdone in the story.

This is a hardcopy Book Club edition of 3 novels in one. This book includes: King Robold Revived (1984), The Warlock Unlocked (1982), and The Warlock Enraged (1985).

This is Christopher Stasheff at his best, and the book is highly recommended for collectors, especially.

Witty as usual, Christopher Stasheff also manages to convey serious truths about the ability of mankind to control himself, as well as insights into the sources and cures of self-esteem issues. Rod Gallowglass must struggle against himself as well as his enemies in order to protect Gramarye and his family. The children are, as usual, captivating. An excellent book!

At last we have a story written from the point of view of FESS Rod Gallowglass's faithful cybernetic companion. As the Gallowglass family travel to their new fiefdom, (see "The Warlock Heretical")Fess continues to school the Gallowglass children. In the process he recounts stories of their father's past, and that of his family. As the Lord WarLock and family travel to their new castle home they run into the usual collection of ghosts, goblins, witches, and witch moss. It is a charming story.

Stasheff sets them up, while Forstchen knock's em down. This book is a one-two punch for any fan of the PC video game, but also simply as a tale of science-fiction. It is broken up into two parts, a short story which acts as a 'prologue' (Milk Run, written by Stasheff) that will just rip your heart out with deep characterization and plot; the title 'novel' portion, written by Forstchen, follows up the result of the short story with continuation of the character Jason 'Bear' Bonderevsky aboard a slapped-together escort carrier _Tarawa_. Where Stasheff rips your heart out, Forstchen stomps on it with character interaction and the tragedy that is war. The last scene in this book always brings me to tears. I highly recommend this novel, and urge you to hit up one of the auctioneers or go to a used book store. This book is sadly out of print!

I have read all the Wing Commander novels even the horrible ones written for the movie, which in and of itself was a horror, and I believe this is the best book of the series. Yet, I wonder of all the books why this won hasn't been reprinted? None of the other books in the series are as complening and captivating as this book.Without giving to much away, the plot seems to be a combination of the World War Two Dolittle Raid, and the Battle of Midway and like the US Naval the Confed fleet is outnumbered, out gunned, and the Kilrathi like the Japanese are winning the war, but out numbered and stretched to the limit the humans in the ConFederation have to take an all or nothing through of the dice on a plan that has almost no chance of success. Read the Book and Find out if the Confederation hits the heart of the Kilrathi, their homeworld, or we lose? Find the book, the answers will surprise you, the cost will be high, and don't stop reading to the end.

I know this probably won't help those who are looking for this book, but all I can say is that it's worth it in the end. It's one of the best Wing Commander novels that I have ever read, and I really hope that you find the book. So don't give up. You'll find it. I did...