Lord Darcy's Angevin Empire

From 1964 to 1979, Randall Garett published several detective stories set in an alternative history. The time appears to be the 18th or early 19th century and Western Europe is ruled by an Anglo-French monarchy, the Angevin Empire. Germany is still a collection of small, unhappy states and Russia has been pushed to the East by an aggressive Polish Empire. Lord Darcy is Chief Investigator for His Royal Highness Prince Richard of Normandy (brother to the King/Emperor. Master Sorcerer Sean O Lochlainn assists in the various investigations by using magic to reveal clues. Here magic is used in a "scientific" way and science appears to be relatively primitive.

This anthology consists of Murder and Magic, Too Many Magicians, and Lord Darcy Investigates. There are eight longer stories and one novel. Stories contain background information on the society/political situation, the crime, the investigation, and then the criminal unmasked. In most cases, the identity of the criminal is obscure until the very end when Darcy pulls together several seemingly unrelated clues to identify who did it, why, and how.

The stories read easily and the context/environment is well described. The plot is complex enough to keep the pages turning, but so so complex that the reader is confused or loses heart. There is little character development for Darcy and Sean. We don't know much about their past or how they came together as a team. Darcy is very like Sherlock Holmes in the way that he investigates and solves crime. Sean is the good-hearted, patient companion. These are "puzzle" stories. There is little violence, and that mostly in the background. There is no sex. Magic is used in a scientific, technical way. No mad warlocks or demons here. With the exception of the alternative historical setting, this is limited fantasy and will likely appeal to those who prefer historical fiction. I read several of the original stories in Analog in the mid 1960s and enjoyed them. They are not quite so novel today, but remain a pleasant, interesting read for those tired of the usual SF or fantasy.

http://web.utk.edu/~wrobinso/lordarcy.html

Hope there is not a thread already :)
These books have been out of print for a few years (the last edition is 1999, if I a m not wrong), but are a decent example of AH. Quite enjoyable and well written, btw
 
A very good series of novels and stories. The SCIENCE FICTION BOOKCLUB has a special collection that you can buy.

The stories take place in the 20th Century, as a matter of fact, I think the author even says so in one of them.

There were two pastiches that were published in 1980's, and they were written by Micheal J. Kurland. They are TEN LITTLE WIZARDS, and A STUDY IN SORCERY. I don't know about TEN LITTLE WIZARDS, but I have read A STUDY IN SORCERY. A STUDY IN SORCERY has Lord Darcy & Master Sean traveling to New Britian (North America in otl), to the city of Nova Eboracum(New York City otl) to look into the death of an Aztec Prince whose body was found in a temple on what is Liberty Island in our otl. There empire had extended that far, before withdrawing in the wake of their defeat by the Angevin Empire. The story jumps back and forth between Nova Eboracum and a contingent of Angevin soldiers escorting a group of Aztec Priest accross the lands of hostile tribes. The leader of the hostile natives is named He Who Laughs Last.

The level of advancement of the new world is the same as it was in our otl at about the 1830's. Oh, and Darcy was based on Holmes, and he even had a Mycroft, the Marquess de London, Lord Darcy's cousin. He had the same deductive ablities as Lord Darcy. Eventually, Lord Darcy ends up as special investigator for HRM John IV.
 

Thande

Donor
I like the AH scenario, but not the magic. If magic worked, do you think history would look anything even vaguely resembling the way it does? Of course not.
 
why not? until the 19th century, the differences between a world where magic works (a la Lord Darcy, i.e. in a quite scientific way) and a world where science works and no magic would be minimal
 
Thande said:
I like the AH scenario, but not the magic. If magic worked, do you think history would look anything even vaguely resembling the way it does? Of course not.

Why shouldn't the world look almost exactly the same? Alternate History deals with the possible not just the probable so a world where magic exists and that is near identical to our own is equally as likely as a world where magic exists and is totally different.
 

Grey Wolf

Gone Fishin'
Donor
Eek, and I thought my Angevinia idea was unique, oh well...

(its in the Archives of AHF if anyone wonders)

Grey Wolf
 
I must admit that I absolutely love the Darcy-stories. They are a pleasant break form the usual Fantasy-AH-HarryPotter-whatnot. The language, flow and setting is very entertaining and believable, all things considered, I'd say.

Count Deerborn said:
Oh, and Darcy was based on Holmes, and he even had a Mycroft, the Marquess de London, Lord Darcy's cousin. He had the same deductive ablities as Lord Darcy.
Ehm, isn't de London based on Nero Wolf and Bontriomph on Archie Goodwin?!

Best regards!

- B.
 
According to a website based on Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton stories, Nero Wolfe is the child of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, but that is neither here nor there. de London was probably based on Wolfe, but I drew on Doyle's works and how he said that Mycroft was a large man who hardly left his quarters at the Diogenes Club.
 
Incidentally, anybody ever read EXIT SHERLOCK HOLMES (by Robert Hall, IIRC) in which Watson, investigating Holmes's past, discovers that Mycroft doesn't exist, that he was an actor hired by Holmes who's been inventing an interesting family background for himself on the principle that the stranger the better, all to distract attention from the truth, that he and Moriarty are clone brothers from the future?
 
According to a website based on Philip Jose Farmer's Wold Newton stories, Nero Wolfe is the child of Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler, but that is neither here nor there. de London was probably based on Wolfe, but I drew on Doyle's works and how he said that Mycroft was a large man who hardly left his quarters at the Diogenes Club.

Mycroft was tall but I think he was, if anything, even thinner than Sherlock.
 
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