By the Sword: Magic of the Plains

This lively and irreverent fantasy by the designer of the popular MadMaze computer adventure game originally appeared in 1991 as a series on the Prodigy computer network. Setting some of the traditional sword-and-sorcery conventions on ear, Costikyan ( Another Day, Another Dragon ) offers a pleasant diversion for readers with a sense of humor about the genre. Long ago, in a world divided between barbarian tribesmen and more sophisticated city dwellers, Nijon, a young Vai barbarian allegedly fathered by the god Mongoose the Trickster, is cast out of his tribe after being accused of murdering the chief. He and his half-brother, a mongoose, end up in civilized Purasham where Nijon is dragooned into the king's forces. The abduction of the Princess Nlavi by a dragon gives Nijon an opportunity to make his fortune with the unwilling aid of the trickster merchant Mika Nashram, who in turn hopes to introduce capitalism into the dragon community's barter economy, which trades in beautiful young maidens and treasure. (June)