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"complex fantasy"

Riane as the prophesied redeemer Dar Sala-at saved Kundala from extinction by obtaining the RING OF FIVE DRAGONS. Riane thought her quest would end with the ring. Though she and her friends have temporarily saved their world, their adventures have only started because the ring failed to unseal the spell of sisters Giyan and Bartta that closed the magical Storehouse Door allegedly containing the secrets of the Goddess Minna.

The spell merged Annon Ashera's male V'ornn essence into Riane's dying female body saving two lives, but at the cost of providing an exit from the Abyss for deadly daemons. Trapped daemons flee the Abyss committing atrocities in Kundala. The only chance to stop the daemons resides with the VEIL OF A THOUSAND TEARS. Thus Riane and associates must complete an intermediate sidebar quest before they can continue their efforts to open the magical Storehouse Door.

Part Two of the Pearl Saga, VEIL OF A THOUSAND TEARS, is a complex fantasy tale that showcases Eric van Lustbader's ability to make magical alien realms seem real. The key cast members appear as genuine individuals through the depth provided by the author, enabling the audience to comprehend their beliefs, philosophies and religions that motivate each one's actions. The story line is action packed, well written, and can stand alone, but easier to follow if the reader recently read the RING OF FIVE DRAGONS, as much of the first tale's activities impact the second saga.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by PNR Group Member
Posted June 23, 2002

Having staked his claim as a master of epic fantasy with The Ring of Five Dragons, Eric Van Lustbader now returns to his world of Kundala to unearth new riches of wonder and excitement in this second volume of The Pearl saga.

With the help of her friends, Riane, the prophesied redeemer known as the Dar Sala-at, saved Kundala from annihilation, preserving natives and V'ornn invaders alike. Together, the companions avenged terrible crimes and secured the Ring of Five Dragons, but their struggles have only just begun.

The Ring averted doomsday, yet it did not open the magical Storehouse Door as expected. That sorcerous treasury remains sealed because of the spell cast by Giyan and her sister. A spell to migrate Annon Ashera's male V'ornn psyche into Riane's dying Kundalan female body. By combining them into a single being, it saved them both and fulfilled the prophecy that the Dar Sala-at would be "born at both ends of the cosmos." But the spell also breached the Abyss, releasing daemons who could wreak havoc on Kundala. The daemons were imprisoned there aeons ago by the Goddess Miina. Now the fiends must be vanquished, not only so the quest for the Pearl can continue, but to save Giyan, who has been possessed by the archdaemon Horolaggia. Their only hope is the fabled Veil of A Thousand Tears.