She also wrote several novels on her own, including
the unlikely but amusing adventure Minerva Wakes
(1994), which sprawls across a number of realities,
and Sympathy for the Devil(1996), a very funny
novel in which a woman’s prayer for the redemp-
tion of the inhabitants of hell is partially granted,
resulting in an active campaign to capture her soul.
The best of the collaborations are Glenraven(1996)
with Bradley, pitting its heroine against a demon
who dominates a small community, and The Devil
and Dan Cooley (1996) with Walter Spence, in
which the devil consults a radio talk show host in
an effort to find a way to improve his image and
better advertise his offerings.
The Secret Texts trilogy followed, starting
with Diplomacy of Wolves(1998). Two clans ap-
pear to be on the verge of ending generations of
conflict by means of a marriage uniting them, but
dissidents on one side use treachery to strike at
their old enemies. The survivors seek a magical
device that might restore the dead to life in
Vengeance of Dragons(1999), and the conflict be-
comes more general in the conclusion, Courage of
Falcons(2000). Vincalis the Agitator(2002) is a
prequel to the trilogy. Her most recent work in-
cludes another trilogy, the World Gates, consist-
ing of Memory of Fire (2002), The Wreck of
Heaven(2003), and Gods Old and Dark(2004), a
panoramic adventure involving multiple realities.
Although Lisle is a better-than-average writer of
adventure tales, she is at her best when she can
use her inventive sense of humor. Unfortunately,
the fantasy market does not at presently favor hu-
morous fantasy unless it is written by Terry
PRATCHETTor Piers ANTHONY.
The List of 7 Mark Frost(1993)
Mark Frost had already enjoyed considerable suc-
cess as a screenwriter before turning to book-
length prose. With David Lynch he created the
very offbeat Twin Peakstelevision series, which im-
mediately drew a loyal following and which has
since attained cult status. That series started fairly
conventionally and became increasingly fantastic
as it progressed, so it is not surprising that Frost’s
first novel would be squarely in the realm of fan-
tasy and horror.
The List of 7is narrated by a young Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle, an inexperienced young man who
finds himself thrown into the company of Jack
Sparks, a dynamic, chameleonlike character who
can change his appearance and personality almost
at will. Sparks is engaged in an investigation of a
secret society that is clandestinely planning to rule
the world. Doyle has submitted a novel to a pub-
lisher that has strong similarities to that group,
which makes him a target for their killers, human
and supernatural. He and Sparks have a series of
wild adventures including a chase through the
British Museum by animated mummies, an en-
counter with a zombie, and their eventual discov-
ery of a plot even more serious than they had
anticipated. Sparks, as the reader will recognize
early on, is the prototype for Sherlock Holmes, dis-
playing many of the same traits. The chief villain,
Sparks’s brother, becomes the template for Mori-
arty, and Doyle himself serves as Doctor Watson.
Bram STOKER, Jack the Ripper, and other historical
characters make cameo appearances in this good-
humored but very suspenseful and fast-paced oc-
cult adventure.
Frost brought Sparks and Doyle together in a
sequel, The Six Messiahs (1995), set years later
after Doyle has tired of writing Sherlock Holmes
stories and is visiting the United States. Although
the author brings both characters to life again,
Sparks is in decline and Doyle has grown stodgy.
The story involves the summoning of six people to
a remote location where their union will unlock an
evil supernatural force. Although a film version of
the first novel was announced, it was never pro-
duced, and Frost has apparently abandoned this
side of his writing career. He left behind one en-
during classic and a second entertaining sequel.Little, Bentley(1960– )
Bentley Little began writing short stories in the
1980s, mostly for the small press, of which “The
Pounding Room” (1990) showed the most promise.
Although he has continued to write short fiction
fairly regularly since, including some very good
ones such as “From the Mouths of Babes” (1994)
and “The Theater” (1999), his greatest strength
clearly lies in his novels. The Revelation(1990) won216 The List of 7