The Dream Gatherer

With this pleasing collection, Britain (Firebrand) celebrates the 20th anniversary of the publication of Green Rider, her first novel, which opened her ongoing epic fantasy series featuring royal messenger Karigan G’ladheon. Britain begins by telling “The Story Behind the Story,” describing the creative road of that original work. Each of the two stories and one novella in this collection are written in the voice of Estral, Golden Guardian of Selium and friend of Karigan. “Wishwind” tells an ancient tale of the goddesslike figure of Marin the Gardener; the others tie in to the current story line of the series. “Linked, on the Lake of Souls” is a humorous tale told by Estral to Karigan while both are held captive. “The Dream Gatherer” sees Estral arrive at Seven Chimneys, the magical home of the Berry sisters, first introduced in Green Rider. An additional measure of whimsy is added by Britain’s own “amateur” illustrations. This is a must for fans of the series. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary. (Nov.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review misstated the number of stories included in this collection and the role of one of the characters.