Wolfking

Life in Ireland after nuclear war is hard and colorless, governed by laws designed to curb the excesses that led to the Earth's near destruction. Among the war's legacies are eerily glowing patches of ground that, for unknown reasons, have become taboo. One such patch lies on the farm of Michael O'Connor, whose son Flynn dreams of Ireland's mythical past and yearns for Joanna Grady, who returns his longing. When Joanna is betrothed by her father to a pig farmer, she escapes into the Glowing Lands, followed by Flynn, who knows the truth--that the patches are gateways to the past. The fantasy that unfolds holds few surprises: it soon becomes clear that the two will succeed in returning the medieval Wolfking to his rightful throne. The pace, especially at first, is plodding. When Wolfking's enemies--the hideous Three Sisters of Muileann and the evil Erl-King--make appearances, the action picks up a bit, but some scenes are overly graphic, particularly one involving the cannibalization of live victims. This lengthy first novel finally winds down with a pat ending to a rather lackluster love triangle. (July)