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	El-An-Ra: The Healing of Orion by Solara A wild and often hilarious love story between a fallen angel and a star commander which takes place during the devastating Intergalactic Wars in Orion and beyond. An unforgettable cast of characters leads you through some amazing adventures as the secret key that holds this dimensional universe into the template of duality is revealed and transformed!
	A.D. 999 by Jadrien Bell Weaving a plot using Bible prophecy and Nordic sagas, the author has created a novel with an intricate plot which is well crafted and entertaining. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story takes place at the turn of the first millennium. Many of us faced fears at the turn or our millennium but immagine Alwyn a monk and Kennag a pagan woman as they join forces against Satan in the guise of Angelo. Using Britian's ruler and the trickster Nordic god Loki, Angelo plans to usher in the Apocalypse and rule the earth. I thought the novel was unique and imaginative, and I hope to see another Jadrien Bell historical fantasy available in the near future.
	The Sacred Pool by L. Warren Douglas Near the end of the first millennium, Pierrette, the younger daughter of an olive grower in southern France, sees her mother slain as a witch. She then disguises herself as a boy, her father's apparent heir, and learns, from Christians, pagans, and Muslims and from the living and the dead, the ways of magic common to three religions. This proves fortunate when her sister, Marie, is possessed by a demon after suffering the jus primae noctis at the hands of the local lord. Still, gathering the power to restore Marie is a long, involved, and extremely demanding process, which Douglas enlightens with dazzling displays of historical, theological, and folkloric scholarship and of world building. His narrative technique is less impressive, clogged by the large number of characters whose origins only a folklorist would recognize.
	Lenegrin by Jonathan D. Scott For the time being, Ashar is safe in the hidden home of the Kehl, a legendary people who harbor a ten-thousand-year-old secret. It’s a Kehl maiden, Lianna, who translates the arcane book that was given to him by a dying stranger. As the book reveals its secrets, Ashar and Lianna find themselves drawing closer together into a relationship with a destiny neither of them can predict. In Ashar’s possession is a mysterious seven-sided jewel that is reputed to give its owner unimaginable power, but by the time he can discover its true purpose, it will already be in the hands of his barbaric enemies. The chaos of his new life and his agonizing loneliness will someday come into meaningful focus for Ashar. The picture that will emerge will be compelling and empowering. But the man without a past will be forced to wonder if he has found himself in time.
	Dream of Fire by Nicholas C. Prata Good and evil collide head on in Nick Prata's apocalyptic plunge into the world of Pangaea. Kerebos Ikar, the murderous commander of the ruthless Black Legion, threatens pillage and extermination to any who dare oppose him. But from the holy city of Kwan Aharon rides a lone priest from the Order of the White Flame, armed only with an ancient prophecy about a soldier of hell who becomes an instrument of salvation. Vivid and philosophical, Dream of Fire combines the intensity of a modern fantasy battle narrative with the intellect of classical allegory.
	Hit or Myth by Robert Asprin Hit or Myth is a turn from the norm when it comes to sword and sorcery. The tales hinge on a young lad, a magician's apprentice, who is suddenly on his own when his master disappears while calling up a demon. Humor and satire are the norm in the series. The demon turns out to be a magician in his own dimentional world from which he was summoned but now can't get back to. He takes a grudging liking to the lad and assists him as the boy continues to try to learn/develop his skill in the magic arts. The most facinating area of the fantasy world is the dimentional bazaar -- where literally anything and everything is for sale. Our heroes get into one scrape after another, always coming out ahead by a narrow margin. If you only like 'serious' fantasy, this is not a book for you. However, if you enjoy puns, satire and humor with a fantasy/magic setting, you'll treasure this book as long as you live -- no mythtake about it.
	Oaken Rings by Ronald Fox have to say the beginning moved a bit slow for me, but suddenly it picked up pace at breakneck speed. I found myself reading it in small increments. I do that when I am reading a good book and I don't want it to end too soon. The story just got better and better as the book went on. I am not a big fan of Romance but Mr. Fox wove a romantic tale through a tapestry of history. This book contains all the elements of an excellent, compelling story: history, adventure, excitement, intrigue, and very multi-dimensional. It is very well-written, and well - researched. I found myself very moved by the tale, and excited to get his next book. Mr. Fox - Hurry up with your next book!
	Regina's Song by David Eddings and Leigh Eddings Regina and Renata are truly identical twins. They are so strikingly alike, even their mother can't tell them apart. Since their DNA is identical and their infant footprint records were lost by the hospital, no one can be sure which is which. This doesn't bother the twins. In fact, they're inseparable--until one of the young women is murdered. The other has no memory of the event, no idea who she is. In her near-total amnesia, she can remember only family friend Mark, who has always been a surrogate big brother to the twins. And Mark finds himself fearing that the effects of the trauma don't end with amnesia, for now a series of vicious murders terrorizes Seattle, accompanied by the howl of wolves....
	Stardust by Neil Gaiman Stardust is an utterly charming fairy tale in the tradition of The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story. Neil Gaiman, creator of the darkly elegant Sandman comics and author of The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish, tells the story of young Tristran Thorn and his adventures in the land of Faerie. One fateful night, Tristran promises his beloved that he will retrieve a fallen star for her from beyond the Wall that stands between their rural English town (called, appropriately, Wall) and the Faerie realm. No one ever ventures beyond the Wall except to attend an enchanted flea market that is held every nine years (and during which, unbeknownst to him, Tristran was conceived). But Tristran bravely sets out to fetch the fallen star and thus win the hand of his love. His adventures in the magical land will keep you turning pages as fast as you can--he and the star escape evil old witches, deadly clutching trees, goblin press-gangs, and the scheming sons of the dead Lord of Stormhold. The story is by turns thrillingly scary and very funny. You'll love goofy, earnest Tristran and the talking animals, gnomes, magic trees, and other irresistible denizens of Faerie that he encounters in his travels. Stardust is a perfect read-aloud book, a brand-new fairy tale you'll want to share with a kid, or maybe hoard for yourself.
	Watership Down by Neil Gaiman One of the most beloved novels of our time, Richard Adams's Watership Down takes us to a world we have never truly seen: to the remarkable life that teems in the fields, forests and riverbanks far beyon our cities and towns. It is a powerful saga of courage, leadership and survival; an epic tale of a hardy band of adventurers forced to flee the destruction of their fragile community...and their trials and triumphs in the face of extraordinary adversity as they pursue a glorious dream called "home." Welcome to the warren.WATERSHIP DOWN is a remarkable tale of exile and survival, of heroism and leadership...the epic novel of a group of adventurers who desert their doomed city, and venture forth against all odds on a quest for a new home and a sturdier future.
	The Great Book of Amber: The Complete Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny Roger Zelazny's books have three things in common: a flawed hero who sometimes fails, endlessly surprising plot twists, and a blend of lyricism, literary allusions, and sly puns that makes the pages fly. The Great Book of Amber, collecting all 10 Amber novels, is vintage Zelazny. Despite some irritating typographical errors, it's invaluable for anyone who wants to read or reread the tales of Corwin and his son, Merlin. Corwin is a prince of Amber, the "immortal city from which every other city has taken its shape." All other worlds, including Earth, are shadows of that reality. Corwin has spent centuries on Earth as an amnesiac. But when someone in the family tries to kill him there, Corwin begins a search for his past. He quickly learns that his family has some very unusual powers. They can travel between Amber, its shadows, and Chaos by manipulating reality; use magical playing cards to communicate and travel instantaneously; and are able to walk the Pattern that created Amber. Corwin regains his memory, solves the mystery of his father Oberon's disappearance, and fulfills his destiny--only to disappear into Chaos. Merlin searches for Corwin and his destiny as a son of both Amber and the Courts of Chaos. His story parallels Corwin's, answering many questions about Amber, Chaos, and the next generation in the family. Many readers have complained that the series goes on too long and the ending is disappointing. None, however, would deny that it's filled with fascinating ideas, complex characters, and action-adventure. Don't miss a chance to make up your own mind.
	Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett Pratchett (of Discworld fame) and Gaiman (of Sandman fame) may seem an unlikely combination, but the topic (Armageddon) of this fast-paced novel is old hat to both. Pratchett's wackiness collaborates with Gaiman's morbid humor; the result is a humanist delight to be savored and reread again and again. You see, there was a bit of a mixup when the Antichrist was born, due in part to the machinations of Crowley, who did not so much fall as saunter downwards, and in part to the mysterious ways as manifested in the form of a part-time rare book dealer, an angel named Aziraphale. Like top agents everywhere, they've long had more in common with each other than the sides they represent, or the conflict they are nominally engaged in. The only person who knows how it will all end is Agnes Nutter, a witch whose prophecies all come true, if one can only manage to decipher them. The minor characters along the way (Famine makes an appearance as diet crazes, no-calorie food and anorexia epidemics) are as much fun as the story as a whole, which adds up to one of those rare books which is enormous fun to read the first time, and the second time, and the third time...
	Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny In the 1960s, Roger Zelazny dazzled the world with what seemed to be inexhaustible talent and inventiveness. Lord of Light, his third novel, is his finest book: a science fantasy in which the intricate, colorful mechanisms of Hindu religion, capricious gods, and repeated reincarnations are wittily underpinned by technology. "For six days he had offered many kilowatts of prayer, but the static kept him from being heard On High." The gods are a starship crew who subdued a colony world; developed godlike--though often machine-enhanced--powers during successive lifetimes of mind transfer to new, cloned bodies; and now lord it over descendants of the ship's mere passengers. Their tyranny is opposed by retired god Sam, who mocks the Celestial City, introduces Buddhism to subvert Hindu dogma, allies himself with the planet's native "demons" against Heaven, fights pyrotechnic battles with bizarre troops and weapons, plays dirty with politics and poison, and dies horribly but won't stay dead. It's a huge, lumbering, magical story, told largely in flashback, full of wonderfully ornate language (and one unforgivable pun) that builds up the luminous myth of trickster Sam, Lord of Light. Essential reading.
	Dulcinea by Shalanna Collins "Dulcinea" is the tale of a young girl named Dulcinea Brown, who at the age of sixteen is coming into her magical power. Her dad, an apothecary, has just taken on a new apprentice, Raz Songsterson. Raz is clearly keeping something hidden away. And, like in many fantasies, the world is in danger. Dulcinea must use flute magic (better description in the book) to rescue peole from a dragon, who was conjured by the evil Society of Mages. When Dulcinea's father realizes that Raz is a talented, skilled mage, he acidently involves himself and his daughter in a power battle that risks the entire world. All standing between them and possible chaos is three magicians, including heroine Dulcinea... I'll admit it. I'm a sucker for stories about magicians and people discovering new powers, such books as Diana Wynne Jones, TA Barron, and Jane Yolen's "Wizard Hall." I was not disappointed by "Dulcinea," and I doubt other wizard-fans will as well. Dulcinea is a very cool heroine in a genre where too often the heroines are Buffy-types or weenies. She manages to be precisely what is expected in this situation -- a teenage girl who ends up in a power struggle with the Society, and who grows in personality throughout the book. Her changing relationships with her father and Raz were genuinely intriguing. This is not a dumbed-down book in style (one paragraph contains "apex" and "inanimate"). It's very descriptive and the author does not skimp on complexity or unique ideas. Such creatures as dragons and wizards are given new spins in this book. Definitely a five-star book. Fans of Harry Potter or Diana Wynne Jones would love this magical tale.
	Lord Valentine's Castle by Robert Silverberg Treachery and wizardry run rampant under the reign of the mighty Pontifex, as both the rightful and the unworthy heirs to the throne anxiously await his demise. Korsibar, son of the current Coronal, plots with his twin sister and ambitious companions to seize the power of the Coronal when his father ascends to the throne of the Pontifex. But the burdens of the crown and scepter exact a higher price than Korsibar is prepared to pay. His rival fights to take his appointed place as keeper of his beloved Majipoor... and to restore order to the utter chaos that has befallen their world.
	Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay Drawing on the most powerful mythic archetypes, this master epic of magic, politics, war--and the power of love and hate--is a rich, beautifully written, multidimensional work. The few surviving inhabitants of the destroyed land of Tigana bond together in a secret battle to release their homeland's curse and gain their freedom.
	Transformation by Carol Berg "Transformation" is a one-of-a-kind fantasy that is so believable, it almost falls into the category of historical fiction. The only book I can compare it to is Mary Renault's classic, "The Persian Boy" which is the story of Alexander the Great as narrated by his slave, Bagoas. Now, imagine Bagoas as transformed into the slave, Seyonne who was once a mighty wizard and Warden against demonkind. The 'Alexander the Great' character is Prince Aleksander who is heir-apparent to an Empire that could have been founded by Harun al-Rashid, and Berg's mixture of 'Arabian Nights', demons, and wizardry is darn-near perfect. "Transformation" develops logically from the growth and interaction of its two main characters, Aleksander and Seyonne, but I wasn't noticing reviewerly items like 'character development' while I was reading it. Berg has crafted such an interesting world that I was reading purely to see what happened next. Magic flowed believably from character, which is the hallmark of a really good fantasy, and "Transformation" is one of the best I've read in a long time. A wonderful, wizardly love story is revealed as an integral part of plot, as the reader gradually learns more about the Wardens and their struggle to protect humanity from demonkind. "Transformation" was published in August, 2000 and I can only hope that the author is hard at work on another, equally engrossing fantasy.

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