Okay, so my second great Maldene novel is out so you’re gonna want to know what’s new in this one.  Besides the fact that it’s all in one single self-contained book this time (no more dividing it into 2 volumes).  Returning characters, plot hints, and so on.  Well, that’s what this article is all about so hold on and keep on reading.

First the characters, starting with the current ones.  All the major ones return, and some of those that you thought were merely secondary or tertiary characters?  Well, guess what?  They’re not.  Po-Adar only appeared for part of a chapter and may have looked like a random encounter, but old Po starts coming into his own here and proved himself a pretty significant character.  In fact, he is the monkey wrench  that loves throwing itself just about everywhere.

And then there are the King’s female triplets: Teenya, Tanya, and Tonya.  Side characters?  Mere annoyances for poor Shong?  You don’t know me very well if you think that.  All characters evolve and grow, just like in life, and that includes these three pretty little pests.

Kilgar is a growing boy and has to see the desert again to complete his people’s training, so now’s the time.  We get to see Kilgar, in the desert, growing up towards adulthood (like Is aid, characters grow and change).

A certain blind gold-skinned soothsayer once again makes her mysterious appearances, along with another member of her secretive behind-the-scenes group.

New characters?  Of course.  Every single book has some new characters, but Maldene II has one that may just catch you off guard a little.  Especially her entrance.  No more said, save to say that… you know that little mix of opposing genres I’ve been talking about?

And now what’s new in the story.  Well, I don’t want to give too many things away, so how’s about some quick bits:

• Hevon Gems.  A lot more on those and the trail they lead the characters through.
• War is coming and Miro’s forces are preparing the world over, and so must the King.  it is vital that he discover just what is going on out there.
• BOTH sides are recruiting, but if you think that Miro is going to just come out and say, “Hello, I’m the bad guy now please work for me,” then you haven’t been paying attention.
• Every story needs its hook, its goal; the reason why everything is happening, and in this case the one thing that our favorite bad guy is after.  Is it a ring?  A magic sword?  Some long lost artifact?  Well, no.  In fact, the scale that this is on beats all.  Let’s just say that, “if I dood it, I gets a whipping’… I dood it!”  After all, the ultimate villain needs an appropriate sized goal.  Hint:  Look at the front cover of the book.

Of course, living up to the title the characters find out several mysteries they were unaware of, but let me just sum it up by saying that there is a lot more to the world than ANYONE knew of.  And all because of a little map found back in Thïr Tÿorca.  I guess I can tell you now: that map was the single most important plot point in both volumes of the entire first novel.

“A world beyond time… an adventure beyond imagining.”