Reviews

The fourth and final volume in Duncan's fantastical Handful of Men trilogy takes plodding steps, as any event of importance from previous volumes ( The Stricken Field et al.) is tediously recapitulated at great length here. Prolixity also leads to confusion as the reader almost immediately encounters characters--a woman and a boy--who believe, erroneously, that those nearest to them are dead. Matters get more complicated, if no more interesting, from there. Fans who have followed the convoluted exploits of King Rap of Krasnegar, the curious Emperor Shandie, the delightful Eshiala, the vulnerable Princess Kadolan and the other Forces for Good through earlier volumes may enjoy their continuing antics, though here they are delineated in prose that makes even the most pyrotechnic of them seem dull. (Apr.)