SCROLL OF LUCIFER [Mass Market Paperback]

(This book is a sequel to The Sorceress of Scath, and the final book in the quadrilogy.) Alan MacDougall enters Lucifer's world through the fourth and final gate, and discovers a whole new island. Avilion is a land where six cultures (Celtic, Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, and African) are allowed to grow in isolation. And, it turns out that this is for one reason: the training of Alan MacDougall. Lucifer has plans to make MacDougall an all-powerful world conqueror back on Earth. With such forces bent on making him into something new, can Alan MacDougall hope to win?

This book is a wonderful finale to the Alan MacDougall series! The book is somewhat different than the first three, with MacDougall's plight bringing some real suspense to the story. It rolls on, gathering speed, until the surprising conclusion. I enjoyed this book very much, and recommend it to everyone.

Alan MacDougall, the ill-fated traveler through mysterious worlds, knows that if he leaves the broch, the ancient Scottish tower, that he will soon be hunted down by dark powers and forced to pass through the fourth gate. After a few brief words to Elspeth Cameron, the love of his life, he immediately steps through the fourth gate into the land known as Avilion. There he meets his friend, the Bard Taliesin, who has gone through the gate before him. Taliesin and Alan discover another amazingly beautiful world but are soon reminded of the great cruelty and deep evil that exists in the four lands beyond the gates. Foremost in Alan's mind is the thought that he must somehow break free of Ahriman, lieutenant to Lucifer, and indeed of all the dark powers that seems to be increasingly controlling his life. But how can Alan do this? Indeed can he even hope to defeat the Powers of Evil?

This is the fourth book in the THE GATES OF LUCIFER: Book (1) One: The Land Beyond the Gate; Book (2) Two: The series. It is a complete adventure but builds on the plot and themes of the preceding novels, so I suggest you read them first in the correct order. They are: (1) The Land Beyond the Gate, (2)The Armlet of the Gods and (3)The Sorceress of Scath.

In the first half of the novel we once again we find MacDougall traveling from fantastic city to fantastic city, each one populated by a different race of people, all of whom died fourteen centuries ago. Alan once again learns more magic to help him out of difficulties. Also, once more, there is a battle between various forces within the four islands. If you liked the earlier novels you will probably like this book, but I must admit I found this rehashing of plot devices a little unimaginative and therefore less interesting.

The second half of the book is taken up with Alan's struggles to somehow trick or defeat Ahriman. Interestingly the 'prophesies' about Alan, contained in the scroll, seem to get more complex and more enmeshing, rather than being solved well from the hero's perspective. This second half of the book, however, is not the spectacular climax I had hoped for. Eshbach doesn't seem to have the writing skills to end this saga with a bang.

Do not get me wrong. The novel is not boring. It is quite competently written and I had no problem turning the pages to the end. I am simply saying this book is only worth four stars, not five.

This book's title refers to Lucifer and it is only natural that Christian themes are developed in it. <The Bible> is quoted four or five times and the issue of the Power (God) verses the Lord of Light (Lucifer) is finally highlighted in some detail. This is not an overly preachy book though and I am sure most atheists will be able to enjoy it if they take the whole thing with a pinch of salt. These are after all fantasy books requiring the suspension of disbelief.

› Go to Amazon U.S. to see both reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars