THE RING AND THE FIRE: Stories from Wagner's Nibelung Operas

Without the benefit of libretto, the opera buff will be able to enjoy Wagnerian drama if he takes the time to decipher the complicated plot machinations which are here set down in story if not musical form. Barring the intrinsic obstacles (difficult names, side plots and counter plots) wrought by Herr Wagner himself, Clyde Robert Bulla has done an excellent job in recounting the fates of all the characters who appear in the Nibelung operas -- from Alberich to Siegfried, from Fasolt to Brunnehilde, as the precious all powerful Rhinegold wields its effect. Aside from the book's value as an aid to the enjoyment of opera, it is challenging reading matter for all those who have carried their interest in legends and fairy tales from childhood into adolescence.