Wistril Compleat is a collection of three short works about Wistril, a “White Chair” wizard, bound by a strict oath of non-violence. This oath poses some challenges. The stories are examples of how Wistril meets and masters these challenges without breaking his oath.

The first of the three, Wistril Besieged, is the shortest and, for me at least, the weakest of the three. It tells how the wizard, his faithful apprentice Kern, and a house full of gargoyles and other assorted magical beings get rid of a besieging army without resorting to violence. Some of the ploys are pretty funny. The problem is that the commander of the opposition knows that Wistril is forbidden by his oath to use magic against him. The story describes how Wistril, Kern and the rest manage to defeat this foe without breaking any rules.

The second story, Wistril Afloat, has Wistril and Kern trying to protect a family of rare giant water serpents from suspicious hunters who want to get rid of the monsters. AgainWistril and Kern find a clever way to achieve their ends without violating the White Chair principles. Sir Knobby, the lead gargoyle, plays an important part in the story as well. The gargoyles are a hoot - they speak using whistles, which Kern and Wistril translate for us.

My favorite story of the trio is also the longest, Wistril Betrothed. Seems that Oomish marriage customs (Wistril is Oomish) involve, among other things, being betrothed to several people at a very young age, and Wistril was no exception. Now one of these ladies has announced her intention of coming to Castle Kauph to move things beyond the engagement phase. This has confirmed bachelor Wistril upset, but he is even more unhappy when a rival fiancée of Lady Emmerbee Hohnserrat's, Baron Carron, Master of House Carthrop, shows up at his door. Wistril and Kern come up with a clever ploy to get rid of Carthrop and his army, and are quite successful, until the Lady Emmerbee arrives with Carthrop in hot pursuit. Seems this boorish petty noble has been chasing her from place to place, and she's been getting very little help, because Cathrop has a wizard in his entourage who has control of a powerful demon. This time, with the Lady now in his castle, Wistril must be very clever indeed to defeat both the invading army and the demon. This story is charming. It has a blooming romance between Wistril and Emmerbee, a very clever bit of magical trickery, and a sort of wedding. Of course, Oomish weddings, much like Oomish betrothals, are complicated….