MAGI'I OF CYADOR
by Jr. Modesitt
Magi’i Of Cyador ($27.95; Apr.; 544 pp.; 0-312-87226-7): Tenth installment of Modesitt's huge Saga of Recluce fantasy (Colors of Chaos, 1999, etc.). Recluce is an admittedly superior potboiler series with an exceptionally well workedout magical backdrop. Its popularity, however (and that of other, similarly endless series), provokes a more general question: do the fans really prefer endless small variations on a single doorstopper theme? Or—since they're easier, cheaper, and more convenient to market than standalone books with new settings and ideas—do publishers encourage authors to write them?