The Dragonstone

Like his previous 11 fantasy novels (Caverns of Socrates, etc.), McKiernan's 12th takes readers to the world of Mithgar with a tale of a grand quest. A vision of bloody world war forces the novel's heroines, Arin, an elf of the mysterious deep woods of Dylvana, and Aiko, a female warrior, to take up an arduous mission to find the missing Dragonstone, a magical gem of immense power, before it can fall into evil hands. Their first stop is a disreputable tavern, where they seek a one-eyed man to fulfill the requirements of a riddle given to Arin in a vision. Since they find two one-eyed candidates, the local drunk and a recently wounded warrior, Arin and Aiko take both along on a roundabout journey full of danger, dragons and other morsels from the standard fantasy menu. Although there is enough detail here to satisfy readers who revel in baroquely textured fantasy worlds, McKiernan seems more interested in pairing off his characters romantically than in the quest itself. This tale of early Mithgar does not stand up to the author's other popular books, but it will keep most hardcore fans of large-scale fantasy entertained nonetheless. (Nov.)