THE WANDERING FIRE

Book Two of the trilogy begun with The Summer Tree (1984); alas, like its predecessor, hard-working but overwrought, overcomplicated, and dourly unengaging. Once again the five young people from Toronto—muscular Dave, soulful Kevin, hero Paul, seer Kim, and sweet Jennifer—return to Fionavar to battle the evil minions of Rakoth Maugrim. This time they bring along some high-powered help: King Arthur and (also from British legend) the occupants of the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. Fionavar, you see, is being threatened by a bitter, unceasing winter sent by the renegade mage Metran, who, allying himself with the supreme evil, has occupied death's Spiral Castle; here, Metran is using the magical Cauldron of Khath Meigol (via some bloodcurdling rites) as his power source. The plotting is furiously complicated but not too convincing. Various good gods lend a helping hand even though it's against the rules. Arthur isn't given anything much to do. Jennifer turns out to be Guinevere. Lancelot makes a belated appearance. Like Paul in volume I, Kevin dies heroically (and, doubtless, equally impermanently). And Rakoth Maugrim's son by Jennifer—will he choose to be good or evil?—lurks in the background ready for volume III. Gnarled prose, heavy-handed proceedings, lots of mythological borrowings and not too much originality: the recipe as before, in short, and thus only for enthusiasts.