BLOOD TRILLIUM

Sequel to Black Trillium (authored with Marion Zimmer Bradley and Andre Norton), a fantasy about the efforts of Orogastus, evil sorcerer and heir to the Star Man, to conquer the World of the Three Moons with magic and remnants of ancient technology. In another guise, Orogastus has returned from the seemingly dead to wrest their talismans from the Three Petals of the Living Trillium—the triplets Haramis, Kadiya, and Anigel. Kadiya soon loses her Three-Lobed Burning Eye, which Orogastus bonds to himself; later he forces Anigel to yield her Three-Headed Monster in exchange for the safe return of her husband and children. With Kadiya and Anigel now at odds, their trillium-petal amulets turn from black to red, thus dissolving their magical protection. Archimage Haramis, meanwhile, visits Iriane of the Sea to learn the true powers of her own talisman, the Tree-Winged Circle, and more about the ancient higher powers that have shaped the world. As Orogastus gathers allies and dupes to launch a massive attack, Haramis tries to persuade her sister to set aside their animosities and once more join in the Living Trillium; but she herself remains unable to deny her love for Orogastus, and wonders whether she could bring herself to destroy him. Solid, well balanced, quite agreeable overall, though the mix of fantasy and science fiction will offend the purists. Something for May fans to munch on while awaiting further installments of her Galactic Milieu series.