A WIZARD IN PEACE

Fourth in a series (A Wizard in Mind, 1995, etc.) about the ``wizard''—actually esp-powered—Magnus d'Armand, who now calls himself Gar Pike. Gar's companion is Dirk Dulaine, a former serf freed by Gar during a previous adventure; together they roam the galaxy in their intelligent spaceship, Herkimer, seeking repressive and dictatorial planets requiring their wacky, irreverent brand of liberation. This time, they happen upon a planet ruled by a Protector so brutally ill-liberal that the citizens can't travel, marry, or even think for themselves, on pain of ghastly torture. Gar and Dirk, then, need some locals to front the revolution: Who better than the star-crossed lovers Miles and Ciletha? Light and reasonably entertaining, with lots of cliff-hangers and jolly chortling. Stasheff more and more resembles Piers Anthony, both in style and prolificness.