"The Star Magicians" is a 1966 science-fiction/fantasy novel, written by Lin Carter, a prolific author of both fantasy and non-fiction about fantasy. It was published as one half of an Ace Double, with the other side being The Off-Worlders, by John Baxter. Many of Lin Carter's stories were part of shared universes or series, but this one seems to be a standalone story.
The galactic empire has fallen, and space barbarians from the rim worlds are on the rampage. The book opens with the space barbarians celebrating sacking another planet, forcing captured men to fight in the arena and ravaging the space princesses. One of their captives, the jester Perion however, seems to be too clever to be killed by the beasts of the arena. And one of their captives, the dancing girl Lurn, fights back. What will happen to Perion and Lura, in the clutches of the evil warlord Drask? And what relation to Perion and Lura have to the powerful white wizard and green goddess?
As can be common in Ace Doubles, this book is a Sword and Sorcery fantasy...with spaceships. laser cannons fire against space dragons. Magic spells are explained in terms of electromagnetic radiation. Gods and goddesses are extradimensional entities. None of it makes much sense, but it is all explained in a clear way that is great fun. The fantasy setting also means the book is settled more like a fable than a conventional science-fiction story, with the ending being a deus ex machina that solves the book's plot neatly, with the evildoers punished and the galaxy safe once again. It was simple, but a fun read, and I finished it in less than a day.
One thing I have had to rethink is one of the stock scenes of the Sword and Sorcery genre, such as the one that begins this story, where barbarians "ravage" the serving girls of the palace. And while it can be described in opulent terms, it still is shorthand for a terrible thing--- sexual assault of prisoners of war. While there are certain allowances I can make for the stylization of warfare in the sword and sorcery genre, recent events made these scenes uncomfortable for me.