similar novels, Time Swept Lovers(1987) and Time
Kissed Destiny(1987), followed quickly, conforming
closely to the original formula.
Time-Kept Promises(1988) added consider-
ably more depth. This time the time traveling
woman finds herself in the middle of a reasonably
clever murder mystery as well as having to adjust
to a different age. The author considers the rami-
fications of time paradoxes briefly and is clearly
more in control of her writing, using more effi-
ciently constructed plots and more realistic char-
acters. This Time Forever(1990) continued in the
same vein, but for her next novel, she switched to
a supernatural theme. In Once in a Lifetime
(1991) the protagonist is trying to recover from
the effects of a recent divorce when the love of
her youth shows up to comfort her. This poten-
tially happy outcome is tempered by the fact that
he died many years earlier.
A Time for Love(1991) reverted to the time
travel formula, and is not particularly distin-
guished, but The Gift (1994), O’Day-Flannery’s
best novel, also makes use of supernatural ele-
ments, although it is not a horror novel. The pro-
tagonist has conversations with a dead actress
whose image appears on her television screen,
helping her find her way through a romantic tan-
gle. Bewitched(1995) turns the time travel plot
around with often humorous results. A man from
the past finds himself in the contemporary world,
and his entrenched chauvinism causes consider-
able difficulties for the woman who eventually falls
in love with him. Anywhere You Are(1999) treats
the same theme more seriously but less success-
fully, and Time after Time(2001) once more sends
a contemporary woman back to the Civil War to
find love.
Her most recent novel is Shifting Love
(2004), which is another of her better efforts.
This time the love affair is entirely within our
own era between a staid businessman and a
woman who is concealing a small secret—that
she can alter the shape of her body. O’Day-
Flannery is clearly at her best when she avoids
formula stories and engages her imagination. If
she comes to be recognized as a fantasy writer as
well as a romantic novelist, her reputation is
likely to rise dramatically.
Offutt, Andrew J.(1937– )
Andew Offutt began writing in the 1950s, often
under pseudonyms and concentrating mostly on
science fiction, although Jodinareh(1970, written
as John Cleve) is set during the time of Atlantis
and is arguably fantasy. Although some of his plan-
etary romances contain many elements common to
fantasy adventures, he published only occasional
short fantasy stories until 1975, after which most of
his books were sword and sorcery tales often mak-
ing use of characters or situations from the works
of Robert E. HOWARD.
The most popular of these were additions to
the CONANseries. The career of Howard’s most fa-
mous character was being expanded by a variety of
writers, but Offutt was one of the most effective at
recreating the texture and excitement of the origi-
nals. His three titles were Conan and the Sorcerer
(1978), The Sword of Skelos(1979), and Conan the
Mercenary(1980), which make up one connected
story in which Conan’s soul is imprisoned in a
magic jewel and he must accomplish various tasks
to reclaim it. Offutt also wrote three novels using
Howard’s Celtic hero, Cormac Mac Art. A woman
must be restored to her rightful throne in Sword of
the Gael(1975), an evil sorcerer must be overcome
in The Undying Wizard(1976), and another in The
Sign of the Moonbow(1977), the best of the three.
Offutt added two more novels to the series in col-
laboration with Keith Taylor, but When Death Birds
Fly(1980) and The Tower of Death(1982) are not
as interesting.
Offutt was a regular contributor to the
Thieves’ World shared universe anthology series
and wrote two novels based on his recurring char-
acter, Shadowspawn(1987) and The Shadow of Sor-
cery(1993), both of which are excellent, as is his
War Gods trilogy, consisting of The Ironlords
(1979), Shadows out of Hell(1980), and The Lady
of the Snowmist(1983), which makes use of all the
usual trappings—a quest, a magic sword, meddling
gods—to very good advantage. Another trilogy,
written with Richard K. Lyon, includes Demon in
the Mirror(1978), The Eyes of Sarsis(1980), and
Web of the Spider(1981) but is less consistently
entertaining.
Offutt’s two best fantasy novels are not part of
a series. The Chieftain of Andor(1976, also pub-262 Offutt, Andrew J.