Bailey, Robin Wayne(1952– )
Robin Wayne Bailey made his debut with Frost
(1983), the story of a woman in a typical fantasy
world who combines the talents of warrior and sor-
ceress, although early on she suffers a temporary
loss of the latter power. An angelic figure gives her
an artifact with which she will be able to summon a
defense against evil forces, and fairly typical conflict
follows. Frost is, however, a surprisingly complex
character subject to considerable psychological
stress. She is responsible for her father’s death
and is unable to relate well to her son. Bailey
chronicled two subsequent adventures using the
same protagonist. In Skull Gate(1985), with the
army of demons weakened but still advancing,
Frost undertakes a journey to hell itself, where
she rescues a kidnapped princess and eventually
defeats the major evil. She returned for a third
adventure, Bloodsongs(1986), coming out of re-
tirement with her magical powers renewed for
one more battle. The Frost trilogy’s quiet but de-
tectible feminist theme probably contributed to
its popularity.
Other than a few competent but not out-
standing short stories, Bailey produced mostly
derivative work for the next several years, tie-ins
to computer games and an entry in the prepack-
aged shared universe series. The best of these was
Nightwatch(1990), set in the Greyhawk game sys-
tem universe. A mysterious force wipes out all of
the magicians who would normally protect an iso-
lated city, after which monstrous events begin to
take place. An unmagical but determined member
of the Night Watch, the local equivalent of a po-
lice force, steps in to save the day.
Bailey returned to original work with the
Dragon trilogy, consisting of Brothers of the Dragon
(1992), Flames of the Dragon(1994), and Triumph
of the Dragon(1995). Two brothers are magically
transported into what at first appears to be a stan-
dard fantasy world but that contains some interest-
ing twists. Dragons and unicorns are associated
with opposing forces in what is essentially a battle
between good and evil, but for a change it is the
dragons who are on the side of good and the uni-
corns who are the grotesquely evil creatures. Al-
though they are reluctant to get involved in a
conflict they do not understand, the interlopers are
forced by circumstances to kill one of the unicorns
shortly after arriving, which elevates them to in-
voluntary hero status. Their subsequent adven-
tures include a brief return to our reality and
considerable temptation in the form of a beautiful
enchantress who wants to divide their loyalties.
The Dragonkin trilogy—Wyvernwood(2004), Talis-
man (2004), and Undersky(2005)—is a less im-
pressive quest story set against the backdrop of a
magical war.
Shadowdance (1996) is Bailey’s single best
work. A paralyzed man is given the magical ability
to walk again but only if he dances every night. His
dancing magically causes those around him to act
out their fantasies in real life, some of which are vi-
olent, and ultimately he is forced to measure his
own well-being against the harm he is doing to
others. Shadowdanceis a pleasantly intelligent andB
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