A novelette of 14,000 words - Sequel to Hambly's Windrose novels. An inter-dimensional transport corporation has run a trans-dimensional corridor through Los Angeles, and is powering it by draining the psychic energy of the population in its path, driving large numbers of people temporarily insane. Exiled wizard Antryg Windrose and his partner, computer programmer Joanna Sheraton, attempt to put a stop to this.
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts." -Barbara Hambly
This was a lot of fun, as Joanna and Antryg are forced to intervene when beings from another universe are using the Void as a trafficking route. It was great to see Magister Magus again, even if he didn’t do much.
This story felt shorter than Firemaggot, although Amazon tells me that it's 14,000 words as opposed to Firemaggot's 15,000. But anyway: these seem to be following the pattern of being stand-alone mysteries, in which Antryg and Joanna investigate weird situations where *something* has come through the Void to our world (and I think it's great that Hambly is sticking with her original setting of 1980's L.A.). And this one had Magister Magus!
This is an excellent short story. I love the way Barbara Hambly makes here characters seem so alive and entertaining. It's part of a series that I've recently discovered, and I had to look for all of the books, plus the stories she has on her website. The characters struggle against the evils and problems within their own lives. They suffer losses, but managed to prevail in the end.