The Printer's Devil

by Chico Kidd

Book Overview

Alan Bellman falls prey to a trap laid in the 17th century by wizard Roger Southwell. Though her husband becomes a helpless spirit-captive, the dead warlock's long-laid plans are thrown into confusion by Alan's wife, the other half of this 20th-century couple, who finds allies in unexpected places--Fabian and Katherine Stedman, two of the wizard's 17th-century contemporaries.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671876686
• ISBN13: 9780671876685
• Release Date: May 1995
• Publisher: Baen Books
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

Dorothy Sayers meets Peter Beagle in this exquisite fantasy

I asked for this book for my birthday because it looked interesting and I loved "The Nine Taylors" by Dorothy L. Sayers. I had no idea. This is a masterful tale which combines the third-person viewpoints of two modern people with the journal entries of Francis Steadman, a real person from 17th century England whose name is famous among change-ringers everywhere. The story combines mystery, history and magic in a way that is reminiscent of both Sayers and Peter S. Beagle. It is not only a brilliant fantasy which draws the two times together in a complex and riveting plot; the author's grasp of 17th century linguistic vagaries gives Steadman's journal entries a sense of realism which could not be better achieved. I highly recommend "The Printer's Devil" for anyone whose interests include fantasy, change-ringing, and/or 17th century England.