UPLAND OUTLAWS

Second installment (after the admirable The Cutting Edge) of Duncan's projected four-book fantasy. The setting is Pandemia, land of sorcerers, gods, and several human varieties, now ruled by the mad dwarf-sorcerer Zinixo and his Covin of enslaved sorcerers. The Impire's rightful Imperor, Shandie, is a fugitive with only a handful of loyal companions, among them Raspnex the dwarf-sorcerer, King Rap of Krasnegar, and Ylo, who hopes to seduce Shandie's desirable wife. Now that the Protocol—an agreement by which the actions of the great and powerful were restrained—has been overthrown, a new and better compact uniting the few remaining free sorcerers must be prepared, its provisions to include the outlawing of slave-sorcery and the promotion of good magic over evil. So the various good guys are allotted places to go, people to see, and jobs to do—all while evading the clutches of the Covin. Meanwhile, the mysterious, magical pixies, hitherto aloof, are preparing to intervene; and Rap's wife, son, and daughter have been captured by rapist-torturer goblins. A mediocre continuation, free of major flaws but oxidized and discouragingly slapdash.