THE PIXILATED PEERESS

The de Camps' latest lightweight sword-and-sorcery adventure is set in the same world as their last (The Incorporated Knight, 1987—not reviewed), but this one focuses on entirely different characters. Thorolf, a well-meaning Rhaetian soldier, does his best to assist the beautiful, haughty countess Yvette, whose lands have been occupied by her would-be suitor, the Duke of Landai. Thorolf brings her to the wizard Bardi, who can temporarily disguise the lady's features, but Bardi's spell miscarries drastically: Yvette is turned into an octopus. Another wizard, the leader of a sinister sect, offers to change her back, but in the process he turns Yvette into one of his possessed minions. The persevering Thorolf, pursued by the Duke of Landai's henchmen and suspected of murder and treason in Rhaetia, flees to the company of the hill-dwelling trolls, keeping one eye always on rescuing Yvette while he battles dragons, sorcerers, and the fickle attentions of the trolls. There are no pretensions here: the de Camps deliver what they promise and no more—a lighthearted adventure laced with some outright comedy and a dash of bawdiness. Though the tale often follows the track of the clichÇ, the unassuming style and verve of the telling carry it through; and the authors veer from the expected course often enough to keep the pages turning. Pure prose junk-food, but a pleasant romp.