"Epic fantasy"
Biology graduate student Benton Collins plans to leave his
job at the lab and go to his girlfriend's house for
Thanksgiving dinner. Just as he is about to depart, he
sees a rat running loose and chases after it as it is
probably part of a science experiment. He pursues the
rodent into a dark and deserted storage closet but when he
tries to find the missing rat, he becomes disoriented and
wonders around for hours. When he finally manages to leave the room, he finds himself
in another world, more primitive than his own and one that
is seemingly devoid of humans. He finds a rabbit and kills
it for a meal when out of the forest come soldiers who
throw him into a jail cell. The rat tells Benton his real
name is Zylas and he is in the land of Barakhai where all
humans not of royal blood shapeshift into animals for half
the day. Benton is horrified that he actually ate a human
and is terrified when he learns that the punishment for his
crime is death. Zylas, who brought Benton into Barakhai
for reasons of his own helps him escape and then their
adventures really begins. Unlike many books in a series, all the loose ends are tied
up in the BEASTS of BARAKHAI yet this is only the first
novel in what is a new series. It will be interesting to
see what happens in further books and if Benton will be a
part of it. There are no religious overtones in Mickey
Zucker Reichert's latest triumph but fans of the Narnia
tales will love this grand fantasy. Harriet Klausner
Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted July 2, 2001
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