Sir Harold and the Gnome King facts for kids
cover of first paperback edition of Sir Harold and the Gnome King
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| Author | L. Sprague de Camp |
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| Illustrator | Stephen Fabian |
| Cover artist | Stephen Fabian |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Harold Shea |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Wildside Press |
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Publication date
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1991 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 71 |
| Preceded by | Professor Harold and the Trustees |
| Followed by | Sir Harold and the Monkey King |
Sir Harold and the Gnome King is an exciting fantasy story, also called a novella, written by American author L. Sprague de Camp. It's part of the popular Harold Shea series, which de Camp started with Fletcher Pratt and later continued with Christopher Stasheff. This story first appeared in a special book for the 1990 World Fantasy Convention. Later, it was published as a hardcover book in 1991 by Wildside Press, with a paperback version coming out that same year.
The book includes the main story, a note from de Camp, and cool drawings by Stephen Fabian. Stephen Fabian also created the cover art for the paperback edition. The story was later updated a bit and reprinted in another book called The Enchanter Reborn (1992). The original version of Sir Harold and the Gnome King can also be found in a collection called The Mathematics of Magic: The Enchanter Stories of L. Sprague de Camp and Fletcher Pratt (2007).
The Harold Shea stories are about traveling to parallel worlds. These are other universes where magic is real, unlike our own. Harold can reach these worlds, which are often based on myths, legends, or famous fantasy books, by using a special kind of logic. In Sir Harold and the Gnome King, Harold visits two such worlds. He briefly goes to a world created by L. Ron Hubbard for his story The Case of the Friendly Corpse. Then, he travels to the famous L. Frank Baum's land of Oz.
This story was originally a direct follow-up to an earlier Harold Shea adventure called "The Green Magician". It aimed to resolve a problem from that story: Harold's friend Walter Bayard was stuck in a world based on Irish mythology. It also dealt with a situation where L. Ron Hubbard had used Harold Shea in his own story, The Case of the Friendly Corpse (1941), which de Camp and Pratt had not addressed before.
Contents
What the Story is About
Harold Shea's wife, Belphebe of Faerie, suggests he go on a trip to another dimension. Her goal is to bring back his friend and colleague, Walter Bayard. Walter has been gone for a long time, stuck in a world of Irish mythology. If he doesn't return soon, he might lose his job at the Garaden Institute, where both he and Harold work as psychologists. Belphebe also wants Harold out of her way because she is pregnant with their first child, and he is getting on her nerves!
Harold prepares for this journey more carefully than ever before. He doesn't want to risk his life as much now that he has a family. He swaps his usual épée (a light sword) for a stronger cavalry saber. He also wears a mail shirt for better protection. To make sure he finds Walter, Harold decides to aim for the Land of Oz. The rulers of Oz have a special item called the Magic Belt of the Gnome King, which can teleport people. (De Camp uses the common spelling "gnome," not Baum's "nome.")
Unexpected Journeys
As often happens, things don't go as planned right away. Instead of Oz, Harold lands in a much darker place. It's the University of the Unholy Names in Dej, a world that feels like ancient Islamic and Arabic lands. There, he meets a student named Bilsa at-Tâlib. Bilsa excitedly suggests a magic contest between them. He conjures a giant snake that quickly swallows Harold! Luckily, Harold's mail shirt protects him. This gives him just enough time to repeat the spell that transports him between worlds. This time, he really does end up in Oz, thankfully without the snake!
Oz Has Changed
The Oz Harold finds is very different from the one L. Frank Baum wrote about. The magic that kept its people young forever was broken years ago. This happened because a magic user named Dranol Drabbo misused a spell. Now, Dorothy Gale and Princess Ozma are grown up, married, and have children. Harold also finds Ozma's husband, King Evardo of Ev, to be a much smarter and more practical ruler than Ozma was when she was young. The royal couple is willing to help Harold, but they want something in return!
After long talks, Harold agrees to rescue their son, Prince Oznev. The prince is being held captive by Kaliko, who is the current king of the Gnomes.
Into the Gnome Kingdom
To help him get into the Gnome Kingdom, Harold asks for help from the former gnome king, Ruggedo. Ruggedo is an old enemy of Oz, but he agrees to be Harold's guide. They also get tarncaps, which are magical caps that make them invisible. Harold also asks the local blacksmith to make a pair of bolt cutters to free Oznev. Meanwhile, Ozma uses the Magic Belt to bring Walter from Eriu. Walter arrives in bed with his new Irish wife, Boann ni Colum, which makes Ozma a bit embarrassed!
On their way to the underground Gnome Kingdom, Ruggedo thinks about his past failures. He asks Harold for psychological advice. Ruggedo admits he is a dishonest, selfish, greedy, lying, and bad-tempered scoundrel. Harold tells him he won't be popular if he stays that way. To succeed, he must change one of those bad traits.
Afterward, Harold and Ruggedo enter the Gnomish Kingdom and free Oznev. Ruggedo, determined to follow Harold's advice, stays behind to challenge Kaliko for the throne. Meanwhile, Harold and the prince fight and defeat Drabbo, who has become Kaliko's main advisor.
A Happy Return
Harold and the prince return to Oz, where everyone celebrates their success. Harold then gets ready to go home. Walter and Boann plan to follow him after a big feast celebrating Oznev's rescue. As for Ruggedo, the last we hear is that he kicked Kaliko out of the Gnome Kingdom. He then declared that kings were old-fashioned and named himself the "Lifetime President and Founding Father of the Gnomic Republic."
How This Story is Different
In earlier Harold Shea stories, Harold loved exciting adventures. But in this one, he shows his more practical side. This story also changes the types of fantasy worlds de Camp chooses for Harold to visit and how they are shown.
Before, Harold usually went to worlds based on old myths or classic fantasy books. These worlds were shown exactly as they were in the original stories. Much of the adventure involved Harold trying to understand and master the magic systems there. Now, the worlds come from more modern fantasy, and de Camp changes them. He removes parts he thinks are too silly.
So, instead of exploring the original stories deeply, de Camp gives them a new twist. Harold is less interested in how the magic works and more focused on achieving his goals. In this story, Harold doesn't care much about Oz's magic, only how it can help him. The "silly" parts that are removed include the Ozites never aging and Ozma's innocent, strict sense of justice. The aging was caused by Dranol Drabbo's magic misuse. Ozma's youthful innocence is shown as something she grew out of with age and experience.
There's a small difference between this story and earlier ones in the series. The time period seems to have quietly changed from the 1940s (when the original stories were set) to the 1990s (when this story was written). For example, Harold and Belphebe can find out the gender of their unborn child, which wasn't possible with tests in the 1940s. Harold also knows that L. Ron Hubbard died in 1986 and that Hubbard wrote about the world of The Friendly Corpse. This is interesting because Hubbard's story was published in the 1940s and takes place after Harold's visit to that world in this tale!
