Mind Wizards of Callisto

Mind Wizards of Callisto is a science fantasy novel by American writer Lin Carter, the fifth in his Callisto series. It was first published in paperback by Dell Books in March 1975.[1] It includes a map by the author.

Mind Wizards of Callisto
First edition of Mind Wizards of Callisto
AuthorLin Carter
Cover artistVincent Di Fate
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesCallisto series
GenreScience fantasy
PublisherDell Books
Publication date
1975
Media typePrint (Paperback)
Pages189 pp
ISBN0-440-05600-4
Preceded byMad Empress of Callisto 
Followed byLankar of Callisto 

Plot summary

A force of four airships bearing Jonathan Dark (Jandar) and his allies explores the unknown far side of the Jovian moon of Callisto (or Thanator), to seek and destroy Kuur, the secret stronghold of the evil Mind Wizards. The fleet is attacked by a flock of flying creatures called Zarkoons, and Jandar and the cabin boy Tomar are captured. Flown to the Zarkoons' lair, they meet another captive, the jungle girl Ylana, with whom they manage to escape. A flier piloted by Jandar's allies Lukor and Koja spots and retrieves them, but damaged by the pursuing Zarkoons it subsequently crash lands. The five find themselves in the Cor Az, forest home of the Cave People, Ylana's tribe, where all but Ylana are again imprisoned, the Cave People being under the thumb of the enemy. With Ylana's assistance they escape once more, only to be retaken and held for the Mind Wizards. Their ultimate fate is a mystery. An airship from the fleet later finds the memoir Jandar composed in captivity and returns with it to the civilized hemisphere of Thanator, whence it is afterwards teleported to Earth to become the basis of the present volume. The other three ships continue the quest for Kuur, but nothing has been heard from them as of the time of the last notation on the manuscript. With this cliffhanger the novel ends.

Reception

Den Valdron, assessing the series in ERBzine, calls the book "one of the best, or better of the Callisto books, with enough novelty and action, and genuine sexiness to keep things fresh all the way," though noting "for the record, not a single damned Mind Wizard actually shows up anywhere in this book." He pairs it with its predecessor, Mad Empress of Callisto as a high point in the series, a "rousing, fast paced adventure . . . filled with genuine tension and strangeness, and the cliff hanger ending as Jon Dark conceals his notes even as his pursuers close in on him is genuinely gripping."[2]

Notes
  1. Lankar of Callisto title listing at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
  2. Valdron, Den. "Lin Carter's Callisto Series (Part 1 of a series of 12)" in ERBzine 1731.
gollark: Just pretend to be 12 and really smart and also larger than usual 12 year olds.
gollark: It's like a B level, except it actually exists, which B levels don't because I made them up.
gollark: I'm doing a computer science A level.
gollark: I can sort of do Ancient Greek and Latin, having studied them for threeish years at school for !!USEFUL!! reasons.
gollark: Very italian.
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