This is the second book in the Orokon series so brilliantly begun with The Harlequin's Dance. The once crippled boy known as Jemany Vexing has left Irion to pursue his quest for the crystals of The Orokon. The book is populated with a host of unforgettable characters who are constantly evolving; the scheming, grotesque Aunt Umbecca not least among them. Tom Arden has a refreshingly unique style which by turns amuses and intrigues. ( )