Thursday, December 31, 2020

Demons of the Dancing Gods

 

By Jack L. Chalker


Book Two of the Dancing Gods series finds the Dark Baron routed in his battle with Ruddygore. The Dark Baron's true identity is still unknown. 

The sorcerer's council is having a big meeting and all the council members will be there, including the Dark Baron. Ruddygore wants Joe and Marge to be there as he tries to figure out which member of the council is the Dark Baron.

Joe and Marge have gone through some changes since the first novel. Joe has been bitten by a were and now changes into whatever creature is nearest during the full moon. Marge has totally changed into some kind of fairy creature, lost about six inches in height, grown some wings, turned into a Playboy caricature of woman and goes around totally nude except for a bit of jewelry and is no longer celibate. 

Ruddygore wants them to infiltrate a powerful witch's castle and get him access to the castle. Ruddygore believes the witch is one of the Dark Baron's allies. They do manage to get inside but soon run afoul of the witch who locks them up. Macore, the thief from the first novel who is now working for Ruddygore, manages to get them free, along with another prisoner, Boquillas, a council member who has been missing for several months. 

Oh, and Joe has a love interest, Tiana, a barbarian warrior princess. Tiana was on the run from the man who killed her father and she spent most of her childhood hiding on Earth. But now she is back and looking to take her father's kingdom away from the powerful sorcerer who killed him. 


This was an okay read, although a bit boring at the beginning. But once Joe and Marge leave the sorcerers' convention, it becomes a lot more interesting, with a shocking and touching final battle between Ruddygore and the Dark Baron. 


No comments: