loose, good-humored trilogy consisting of Not Ex-
actly the Three Musketeers (1999), Not Quite
Scaramouche(2001), and Not Really the Prisoner of
Zenda(2003), which are easily Rosenberg’s most re-
warding work.
Not all of his fantasy has fallen into this series.
D’Shai(1991) describes the efforts of an acrobat to
clear his name, as a consequence of which he be-
comes a sort of magical private detective. He re-
turns in Hour of the Octopus(1994), an even better
sequel, to solve another murder. The Fire Duke
(1995) introduces the Keeper of the Hidden Ways,
which starts in our world but moves quickly to one
with Norse overtones, werewolves, and other mag-
ical creatures. The protagonist proves to be a cata-
lyst for change in a battle that involves
shape-changers, gods, and monsters in two sequels,
The Silver Stone (1996) and The Crimson Sky
(1998).
Rosenberg’s most recent fantasy novel is Pa l -
adins(2004), in which a band of knights battles
evil. He rarely writes short fiction and has yet to
produce anything memorable at that length. His
work tends to be most effective when there is a
strong element of humor and the tone is light, but
he is invariably a convincing storyteller with a pro-
ductive imagination.
Rowley, Christopher (1948– )
Christopher Rowley began writing science fiction
in 1983, producing several space operas mixed
with military settings and plots. He switched to
fantasy in 1992, and almost all of his fiction since
then falls into his two extended series. The first
and most popular of these is the Bazil Broketail se-
quence, which might be described as military fan-
tasy. The title character from the opening novel,
Bazil Broketail(1992), is an intelligent dragon who,
along with his human companion, sets out on a
quest to rescue a princess. In the sequel, A Sword
for a Dragon(1993), Bazil receives a magic sword
with which to battle his enemies, of which there
are many.
Evil wizards want to supplant the good
witches who rule the land in Dragons of War
(1994), and Bazil’s efforts to stop them are ham-
pered by a subplot in which his human friend is
framed for murder. Battledragon(1995) involves
more warfare and the effort to defeat the nastiest
of the evil wizards. Rowley changed the scene for
the next in the series, A Dragon at World’s End
(1997), stranding Bazil in a distant land where he
comes to the aid of the local people, who are beset
by slavers. A fresh war breaks out in Dragons of
Argonath(1998), and the forces of evil are routed
at last in Dragon Ultimate(1999), which brought
the series to a close. The Wizard and the Floating
City(1996) is set in the same universe but is a rou-
tine quest story that does not involve the recurring
characters.
Rowley’s second series is less well known but
considerably more interesting. In The Ancient
Enemy(2000) we are introduced to a magical fu-
ture world where apes have evolved into intelli-
gent beings and where humanity has disappeared,
apparently extinct. Trouble arises when rumors of
the return of humanity begin to filter through the
world. War between the two races breaks out in
The Shasht War (2001) and spreads rapidly in
Doom’s Break(2002). The magical elements are
partially rationalized, and the series could almost
be read as science fiction rather than fantasy, simi-
lar to the Aldair series by Neal Barrett, Jr. Rowley
has the rare ability to make his unusual protago-
nists—dragons and apes—seem like real and inter-
esting people. Unfortunately, he has a tendency to
reuse overly familiar plots and has yet to prove that
he can distinguish himself from his peers, although
he certainly seems to have the prerequisite writing
skills.Rowling, J. K.(1965– )
Joanne Kathleen Rowling took the publishing
world by surprise with the appearance of the first
of her Harry Potter series, HARRY POTTER AND THE
SORCERER’S STONE(1997, also published as Harry
Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone). Her series of
seven projected novels about a young wizard in
training and his effort to survive adolescence along
with the attacks of an evil magician named Volde-
mort and his allies has attracted an amazingly large
and diverse reading audience, and each new vol-
ume has been greeted by long lines at bookstores
on their first day of sales.296 Rowley, Christopher