THE DEMON SPIRIT

Second part of the trilogy begun with The Demon Awakens (1997). The demon dactyl is dead, but his monstrous armies of goblins, fomorians (giants), and powries (evil dwarves) continue to rampage; even worse, before he was expunged, the demon managed to corrupt Father Abbot Markwart, whose abbey trains postulants in gemstone-magic, and gave him extraordinary powers. Ranger Elbryan (a.k.a. Nightbird, the elf-trained warrior) opposes the armies and the now-evil abbot, along with his wizardly wife Pony and Juraviel, the wise old elf who trained Elbryan; the daring but foolhardy thief Roger Lockless; Bradwarden the Centaur—he didn’t perish in the battle against the dactyl; and a few brave, steadfast monks who reject Markwart’s malevolent ambitions. Unsurprising and undistinguished, evidently the way Salvatore fans like it. (Author tour)