Mageborn Traitor(1997), in which war threatens to
erupt again along the lines of two very different
schools of magic. The third title in the series, The
Captal’s Tower,has been promised on and off ever
since and is now scheduled to appear in 2005.
Rawn’s remaining novel, The Golden Key(1997),
written in collaboration with Jennifer ROBERSON
and Kate ELLIOTT, is the story of a family of magic
practitioners whose tranquility is disturbed by a
love affair. Rawn remains a potentially significant
figure in the fantasy genre despite her inactivity
and may regain her former prominence if her re-
ported intention to return to fantasy is fulfilled.
Reichert, Mickey Zucker(1962– )
Mickey Zucker Reichert made her debut with God-
slayer(1987), the first in the Bifrost Guardians se-
ries, a Norse-derived fantasy that proved to be
typical of much of her subsequent work. A Viet-
nam era soldier is snatched into a world where the
Viking gods rule, placed into the body of an elf,
and charged with defeating Loki and his allies,
which task he eventually accomplishes, at least in
part. The focus turns to a professional thief in
Shadow Climber(1988), and he and his companion
defeat and kill Loki, which forces them to seek
magical assistance to protect them from the power
of Hel, a goddess, in Dragonrank Master(1989).
The satisfyingly climactic battle comes in Shadows
Realm(1990), and the hero is returned to his origi-
nal world in By Chaos Cursed(1991), only to dis-
cover that he no longer feels at home in a universe
without magic.
The Last of the Renshai(1992) started a new
series, set in a magical realm on the brink of a war
so devastating that the gods themselves may not
survive it. The Renshai are a famous warrior race,
virtually extinct, and the protagonist is the out-
sider, a single Renshai whose existence could have
enormous implications. Four powerful wizards at-
tempt to maintain order, but one of them dies in
The Western Wizard (1992), further destabilizing
the situation. His replacement tries to restore the
balance in Child of Thunder(1993), but Ragnarok,
the ultimate battle, takes place anyway. Fortu-
nately, the world survives, as we discover in Beyond
Ragnarok(1995), but fresh troubles ensue includ-
ing universal sterility in the final volumes Prince of
Demons(1996) and Children of Wrath(1998).
Reichert had also written the apparent stand-
alone novel The Legend of Nightfall,in 1993, the
considerably less panoramic story of a likeable thief
engaged in a dangerous quest. She revived the
character for a sequel, The Return of Nightfall
(2004), in which his new role as adviser to the king
takes on a greater significance when the king van-
ishes. The Flightless Falcon(2000) is a less interest-
ing blend of detective story and quest. The
Barakhai duo, set in a world where animals speak
and a despotic ruler represses them as well as hu-
mans, consists of The Beasts of Barakhai(2001) and
The Lost Dragons of Barakhai(2002). She has also
written occasional short stories, but none of partic-
ular merit. “Nightfall’s Promise” (2002) is linked to
the Nightfall novels. Reichert has proved to be a
reliable source of convincing fantastic adventures
who seems most at ease with protagonists who are
not part of the establishment, allowing the author
to adopt the viewpoint of the outsider in order to
examine her various created worlds.“Rendezvous in Averoigne”Clark Ashton
Smith(1931)
The troubadour Gerard de l’Automne, who wan-
ders Europe making music for a living and appar-
ently deflowering local maidens as his avocation, is
a guest of a small noble in the region of Averoigne,
Smith’s mythical European country, when he meets
and becomes enamored of Fleurette, a young, viva-
cious girl who professes to share his attraction.
Since her father would certainly not approve, the
two lovers decide to meet beyond his view in a
wooded area where they can be alone with their
love. Unfortunately, they choose a region reputed
to be under some mild form of curse because of the
proximity of the tomb of one or more practitioners
of dark sorcery.
As Gerard approaches the rendezvous, he
hears a woman scream and, to his credit he draws
his weapon and continues forward. He finds a
woman struggling with three bestial men, but
when he attempts to intercede they all vanish like
phantoms, leaving him in a wooded area that no
longer appears familiar. A mysterious and daunting“Rendezvous in Averoigne” 287