Into the Labyrinth

Alternating between incoherence and impenetrability, the sixth volume in the Death Gate series takes place in Abarrach, a land filled with magic, necromancers and the walking dead. Xar, the Lord of Abarrach, seeks control of the Seventh Gate, located beyond Death itself, which has the power to sunder the world. But Haplo, an adventurer with some magic of his own, may be a threat to Xar's plans. To eliminate him, the Lord sends an assassin (who quickly defects to the other side) and Haplo's former lover, Marit, who is now bound magically to Xar. Haplo and his companion Alfred must enter the ancient punishment caverns of the Labyrinth to defeat Xar's schemes. Burdened by clumsy expository writing and thin, uninteresting characters, the story is further weighted down by frequent footnotes intended to aid those who are not familiar with the series; instead, they make an already confusing plot more difficult to follow. Even Death Gate fans may find this poorly constructed novel disappointing. (Nov.)