Cover Text:

"A young woman possessed by a ghost has slain the Fisher King of the West, Scott Crane. Now, temporarily freed from the malevolent spirit, she seeks to restore the King to life and thwart the would-be usurper. She has found an ally in 'Scant' Cochran, whose wife died tragically and strangely a few months ago.
But Crane's body has been taken by his loyal servants to the magically protected home of Pete and Angelica Sullivan, where their adopted son, Koot Hoomie, is bleeding from a wound that will not heal. Kootie is destined to be the next King, but he is only thirteen years old - too young, his mother thinks, to perform the rituals to assume the Kingship. But not too young, perhaps, to assist in reuniting Scott Crane's body and spirit and restoring him to life. And meanwhile, from the north to south in the Kingdom of the West, the land is in upheaval. Earthquakes, fires, floods, and riots plague California. Powerful ghosts wander the cities, too strong for even the cleverest hunters. Only the restoration of the King can restore the balance, and it must be done soon. Old King or new, there must be a King in the West, or the land will fail."

Published by:

Tor Books, New York, 1997
Legend Books/Random House, London, 1997

Opinion:

Even if you've already read Last Call and Expiration Date, take the time to read them again to get yourself reacquainted with the casts of characters, since many of them are back in action in Earthquake Weather.

The Fisher King theme takes center stage again in this book, although the candidates for the role now appear to be Kootie from Expiration Date (too young to be the king) or Scott Crane from Last Call (a fine choice, but unfortunately, dead). The complex plot revolves around getting one of these two issues resolved so that the West will have a King.

You may well enjoy "the further adventures of..." these familiar characters, but I found the best parts of this book to be the newly introduced elements. The new characters include Janis Plumtree, whose schizophrenia is a major element in the convoluted mix, and Sid Cochran, who has an unwitting connection to the wine god Dionysus. I got the impression that the old characters sketchily drifted through the book, existing mainly to provide a background for the new material. However, there is some great writing here, and the ending is especially good.

Bottom line: Not my pick as one of the best, but a fun and exciting adventure nevertheless.

- ccb 4/17/99

Awards

Locus Poll Award (Best Fantasy Novel) 1998
Bram Stoker Award Finalist 1997

Reviews

• Albedo review
• SFSite review
• Review by Dave Langford
• Amazon.com reader reviews