cover image Robot Adept

Robot Adept

Piers Anthony. Putnam Publishing Group, $16.95 (286pp) ISBN 978-0-399-13359-6

Anthony's Apprentice Adept series takes place on a world inhabited simultaneously by two separate spheres of being: the science fictional Proton's technological Earth colonists and the fantasy Phaze's magical natives including dragons, demons and goblins. An imbalance that has developed between the aspects now threatens both and wreaks particular havoc with the lives of robotic Mach of Proton and human Bane of Phaze, who are the only contact between realms. For that reason, the zealous Adverse Adepts seek to control the pair by kidnapping their lovers, the alien Agape and the unicorn Fleta. This tepid reworking of A Midsummer Night's Dream from the usually boisterous Anthony becomes a series of contests, from a lovers' bakeoffcomplete with brownie recipeto an Olympics whose events include storytelling and word games. (April)