cover image The Eunuch's Heir

The Eunuch's Heir

Elaine Isaak, . . Eos, $14.95 (417pp) ISBN 978-0-06-078255-9

The lusty Prince Wolfram, heir to the late, saintly King Kattanan Rhys, flees the kingdom of Lochalyn following an attempt on his life in Isaak's colorful but overly ornate sequel to her debut, The Singer's Crown (2005). With his safety endangered and true parentage in question, Wolfram leaves behind his mother, Queen Brianna, and her Lord Protector, Fionvar DuNormand, but is accompanied by his foster sister, Princess Melody, to the land of Hemijrai, a Middle Eastern stand-in contraposed with the "western" realm of Lochalyn. He falls in love with Deishima, a virginal acolyte of the priestess Faedra, a zealot who seduces Melody into a Hemijrai Rebirth ritual that could imperil Lochalyn. Isaak's occasionally slow-going sophomore effort may confuse readers unfamiliar with her debut. (Oct.)