KINGDOMS OF LIGHT

New fantasy from the author of the Journeys of the Catechist trilogy (A Triumph of Souls, 2000, etc.). The civilized Gowdlands, invaded by the horrid Torumakk Horde and its fiendish head honcho, Khaxan Mundurucu, faces defeat until the arrival of the great wizard, Susnam Evyndd. Unaware of the true nature of Khaxan Mundurucu—actually a united clan of 22 two horrid goblins—Susnam Evyndd dies in the sorcerous battle that follows. Whereupon the Khaxan Mundurucu subject the Gowdlands to a spell that drains the color from reality, leaving everything a depressing gray. But then Susnam Evyndd's animals, still living in his house, gain human form: Oskar the dog; the cats Mamakitty, Cocoa, and Cezer; canary Taj, and Samm the snake. Their task, according to a message left by Susnam Evyndd, is to find pure white light, convey it back to the Gowdlands, and defeat the Khaxan Mundurucu's evil enchantment. Pursued by similarly transformed agents of the Khaxan Mundurucu, the companions fall through a waterfall's rainbow into the Kingdoms of Color. The Kingdom of Red is a place where you express camaraderie by hitting someone. In Orange, mirth is unrestricted and compulsory; in Yellow, your own shadow comes to life and tries to throttle you; the plants of Green are incessantly hostile; and so forth. Even if they find white light, how will they convey it home or use it to defeat the Khaxan Mundurucu?

A pleasant, undemanding potboiler that should amuse Foster's fans.