ISBN: 0-88677-357-1 Order from: Amazon.com
A full-bore plot of this fantasy adventure is relieved by competent situational humor and a surprisingly systematic foundation of magic.
Reviewed by David on September 20, 1999
Genre: Fantasy (High Fantasy, Weird Science)
Synopsis: Max the Vaguely Disreputable is a skilled fighter and magician. When a powerful spell entraps one of his colleagues, Max gets involved in trying to neutralize the enchantment. Unfortunately, it seems the gods are involved, and, almost inevitably, Max and his fiends, as well as most mortals around are bound to suffer when these types of intrigues are played out between the divine adversaries.
Full Review: Adding to the somewhat confusing nature of the plot is the overarching struggle, mostly led by Max, to understand the gods' power and to free the mortals from the tyranny of the jealous, frequently dangerous, and enormously powerful divine entities.
Laced with a great deal of humor, the plot moves as much in spite of the implausibly competent characters as because of them. The struggle escalates to a level of a natural catastrophe, with a refreshingly consistent and almost scientific basis of magic.
An entertaining if not wildly engaging novel, this book is a pleasant fantasy which would probably gain from being read in sequence of other "The Dance of Gods" novels.
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6;
Copyright date 1989, Donald A. Wollheim (DAW), July 1989, Mass market paperback, 320 pages
ISBN: 0-88677-357-1 Order from: Amazon.com