CLOUD CASTLES

Rohan's series features a fantasy world comprised of a mundane Core and a highly magical Spiral and Rim crawling with weird and nasty creatures (The Gates of Noon, 1993). Corporate whiz Steve Fisher has developed a company, C-Tran, that uses computers to send freight consignments to their destinations without human intervention. But then he is summoned to the Spiral by an old foe, the sorcerer Le Stryge, who compels him to steal a powerful magic Spear from a huge, mysterious temple. The Spear allows Steve to handle it safely, but it shrivels bad guys at a touch. Helped by opponent-turned-friend Alison Laidlaw, Steve learns that the Spear belongs with the Graal, an ultimate force for good. If Le Stryge and the Brocken, a sort of evil sentient mountain, succeed in destroying the Graal, both Core and Spiral will be locked into a future of oppression, misery, and pain. Steve must reach deep within himself for new talents and to realize his true destiny. Churning, fizzing narrative with plenty of action, but overcomplicated and hard to follow: worth a try for the series' fans.