DAUGHTER OF REGALS

Eight tales, 1978-83, including six reprints—and a reasonably varied if sometimes poorly thought-out bunch. For Thomas Covenant fans, there's an out-take from The Illearth War enlarging on the adventures of Korik of the Bloodguard. Thankfully, however, Donaldson elsewhere abandons the gnarled, pretentious prose of the Covenant sagas for writing that is merely labored and wooden. "Animal Lover" is fairly orthodox sf, in which a vengeful molecular biologist creates an army of genetically enhanced, firearm-wielding animals. There are some middling fantasies: a man in a placid, machine-like future turns into a unicorn; a powerful husband-hunting sorceress sets prospective suitors a series of tough puzzles; an angel without memory, incarnated as a street bum, saves a sculptor's soul from the devil; and a monstrous centipede causes trouble between an already quarreling couple. But elsewhere the plotting is often painfully obvious. In the title piece, a curious fantasy, only "Real" things are sources of magic—and a young heiress comes to realize her dual nature as human and Real dragon. And weakest of all is a tale of witches, nobles, and slaves under a religious dictatorship. Hardworking, mannered, and fairly ordinary overall, but Donaldson fans will pounce—and even non-fans may be mildly, pleasantly surprised.