Avon, 1996, $5.99, ISBN 0-380-78203-0, 247 pgs.

Move over Harry Potter, it's, er, ah, um, well, the main character doesn't have a name. In any case, whatshizname has a wand and is ready to unlock the secret of the translucent Sandscriti.

Evidently, the world economy went to hell in a handbasket and dragged 90% of the US population with it. Tired of living in a cardboard box, he first joins a cult called the Saltspeakers, and then leaves to learn wand speaking with the Sandscriti cult.

Watkins weaves an interesting tale of explanation of an alien race. The characters make you concerned, the world is consistent, and the outcome believable. The prose moves the plot along, and except for the unnamed narrator/protagonist of the book, everyone else is named. Part of the passion that goes into the book comes from the loss of the author's son at 30 years old to meningitis.

All in all, and it seems a first work, Watkins tells an enchanting tale.

This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com