Doctor Orient’s decision not to use his psychic
abilities for material gain is put to the test. Nonoc-
cult powers are after him this time, coveting the
potential wealth that magic might generate. They
distract Orient just as he is about to confront a
group of fanatics who have mastered a dangerous
occult force. The most recent in the series is Blue
Limbo(1991), which unfortunately is mostly a re-
statement of plot devices and situations from the
earlier books.
Lauria has written very little outside this se-
ries. The Foundling (1984) is a variation of the
demon child story featuring a young girl with vari-
ous psychic powers. End of Days(1999) is the nov-
elization of a mediocre horror film. Several of
Lauria’s novels are quite well written, but he seems
to be writing for an audience other than those in-
terested in mainstream horror fiction. After the
first flurry of Doctor Orient novels, they have ap-
peared very infrequently, preventing him from es-
tablishing himself as a reliable writer.
Lawhead, Stephen (1950– )
Stephen Lawhead began writing science fiction
and fantasy novels with strong Christian symbol-
ism and content during the middle of the 1980s
and switched exclusively to fantasy by the end of
the decade. His first series of fantasies consists of
In the Hall of the Dragon King(1982), The Warlords
of Nin (1983), and The Sword and the Flame
(1984). An evil sorcerer tricks the local king and
imprisons him, after which a young man emerges
as a reluctant hero. Using a magic sword, he res-
cues the mortally wounded monarch, then defends
his people against an army of barbarians who are
aided by evil sorcery, and eventually assumes the
throne himself, although he is immediately forced
on the defensive once again. The clear delineation
between good and evil makes for straightforward
plotting, but the dialogue and characterization are
often awkward in his early efforts.
Lawhead was much more effective with the
Pendragon series, a revisionist view of the life of
King Arthur and Camelot, although some of the
same minor flaws of oversimplification found in the
early books recur here as well. Arthur and Merlin
are Christian, of course, and their enemies are
clearly motivated by evil. The series includes Ta l -
iesin(1987), Merlin(1888), Arthur(1989), Pe n -
dragon(1994), and Grail(1997). Lawhead is one of
several writers, such as Marion Zimmer BRADLEY,
who suggest a connection between Camelot and
Atlantis. In his case, Merlin’s mother was a sur-
vivor of that lost land. Using the powers and
knowledge he inherited from her, he helps Arthur
rise to power, establish his rule, and then goes off
on a mystical journey of his own. While he is gone
a mysterious woman steals the Holy Grail and kid-
naps Guinevere, both of which must be rescued.
Arthur returns in Avalon (1999), reborn in the
21st century to assume the throne and troubled by
the same forces of evil that he fought previously in
the distant past.
Lawhead has written two other trilogies. The
Song of Albion includes The Paradise War(1991),
The Silver Hand(1992), and The Endless Knot
(1993). In this series the borderland between our
world and a reality where mythic creatures survive
is sundered. Drawing heavily on Celtic legends, the
three novels tell of the eventual migration of a
human scholar to the land of Prydain, where he as-
sumes the throne after defeating the forces of evil.
The Celtic Crusades trilogy includes The Iron
Lance(1998), The Black Rood (2000), and The
Mystic Rose (2001) and is Lawhead’s most sus-
tained and interesting work. A man from our time
has visions of the past in which he sees his ances-
tors, who are involved in a number of adventures
including the search for fragments of the true cross
and the Holy Grail. The Christian symbolism is
still central to the story but is better integrated
into the plot and less intrusive. Lawhead’s reinter-
pretations of the story of Arthur and other ele-
ments of that legend are unconventional and
sometimes jarring but provide a different perspec-
tive. This prevents them from becoming just an-
other retelling of an overly familiar story.Laws, Stephen(1952– )
The first novel by British writer Stephen Laws be-
came a subject of controversy, although not be-
cause of its content. Ghosttrain (1985) is a
particularly effective and sometimes gruesome first
novel about a supernatural entity that haunts theLaws, Stephen 205