From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Lustbader offers the second installment in an ambitious fantasy saga both sketchy and overly detailed. Having saved the besieged planet Kundala from destruction in The Ring of Five Dragons (2001), Riane, the magically transformed and gifted child of the Kundalan sorceress Giyan and the assassinated regent of the V'ornn invaders, stands revealed as the Dar Sala-at, the Chosen One of Prophecy. Now Riane searches for the Veil of a Thousand Tears and its power to release Giyan from possession by the archdaemon Horolaggia. En route she acquires information (little of which anyone understands at this stage in the epic) and companions with names like Tezziq, Rekkk and Thigpen. Resistance fighters, nobles and others pursue their own agendas through an impenetrable maze of destiny and double-crossing. While his blend of pseudoscience and fantasy owes a lot to Arthurian legend, Asian fairytales and the work of Frank Herbert, Lustbader creates a unique tale with the compelling style that has distinguished his writing since his renowned Sunset Warrior fantasy cycle in the 1970s. Unfortunately, maps and appendices do little to unravel the elaborate physical and sociopolitical background, swamped by an abundance of names and terms more easily gargled than remembered. Even experienced disbelief-suspenders will have trouble believing in members of a warrior caste who only know one swear word. Lustbader fans will be thrilled, but readers used to more mainstream fantasy may be daunted. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
Fulfilling her role as the Dar Sala-at, the destined liberator of the Kundalan people from their V'ornn conquerors, Riane delivered her world from destruction by finding and using the legendary Ring of Five Dragons. Now, however, the world lies vulnerable to a plague of daemons, suddenly freed from their imprisonment by the cosmic energies of a dangerous spell. The only hope for banishing these creatures rests in the discovery of an ancient artifact known as the Veil of a Thousand Tears. The sequel to The Ring of Five Dragons plunges deeper into the history of the land of Kundala, unlocking new secrets in a fascinating world of forbidden sorceries and alien technomagic. A solid choice for fantasy collections. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
In The Ring of Five Dragons (2001), the soul of Annon Ashera, son of a V'ornn ruler, was united with the body of Riane, a Kundalan woman, in an effort to save both. The ceremony's success fulfilled the prophecy that the Dar Sala-at would be born at both ends of the universe. The sorceress sisters Giyan and Baarta, however, unintentionally breached the Abyss during the ritual. Now, demons and archdemons are loose in Kundala, and all is not well. The archdemon Horolaggia has possessed the body of Giyan, and her dying spirit is imprisoned and at the mercy of Horolaggia's horrific avatar in the Otherworld. As Dar Sala-at, Riane is the only one who can drive the demons back to their own domain, but first she must train in the ancient magics. And to save Giyan, she must also find the fabled Veil of a Thousand Tears. With so much working against Riane, it seems unlikely that Kundala--or Giyan--will survive. Another highly enjoyable, fast-paced, exciting fantasy from Van Lustbader. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
Having staked his claim as a master of epic fantasy with The Ring of Five Dragons, Eric Van Lustbader now returns to his world of Kundala to unearth new riches of wonder and excitement in this second volume of The Pearl Saga.

With the help of her friends, Riane, the prophesied redeemer known as the Dar Sala-at, saved Kundala from annihilation, preserving natives and V'ornn invaders alike. Together, the companions avenged terrible crimes and secured the Ring of Five Dragons, but their struggles have only just begun.

The Ring averted doomsday, yet it did not open the magical Storehouse Door as expected. That sorcerous treasury remains sealed because of the spell cast by Giyan and her sister to migrate Annon Ashera's male V'ornn psyche into Riane's dying Kundalan female body. By combining them into a single being, it saved them both and fulfilled the prophecy that the Dar Sala-at would be "born at both ends of the cosmos." But the spell also breached the Abyss, releasing daemons imprisoned there aeons ago by the Goddess Miina who could wreak havoc on Kundala. Now the fiends must be vanquished, not only so the quest for the Pearl can continue, but to save Giyan, who has been possessed by the archdaemon Horolaggia. Their only hope is the fabled Veil of A Thousand Tears.



About the Author
Eric Van Lustbader is author of many bestselling novels, including The Ninja, White Ninja, and French Kiss. He lives in the Hamptons on Long Island, New York.

FROM THE PUBLISHER