So, this is what you get when a perceptive, sensitive, and trans-formative poet tries his hand at wizards and warriors / dungeons and dragons: an imperfect, occasionally buffoonish, and self-doubting wizard, a dragon who is centuries ahead of her human antagonists evolutionarily, and a strategically talented and fierce feminist warrior who nonetheless comes to question her battlefield triumphs. We happily accompany this trio and their faithful followers through victory and defeat, across strange, enchanted landscapes, as they struggle against evil, treacherous foes to make the world better by restoring peace, tranquility, and prosperity. Michael Simms has created an enduring alter-ego, the Green Mage Norbert Oldfoot, who rises from his original status as an itinerant troubadour and nightclub entertainer to become a valued member of Queen Tessia’s court. Time and time again, he risks his domestic happiness and peace of mind to help preserve the kingdom of Dragonja and neighboring regions, deploying judiciously his originally meager but developing magical abilities.—Paul Schwartz, author of The Rosendale Suite and The Night I Shot Peter White

A young man who slipped into petty crime is surrounded by a circle of his neighbors, who subject him to a public treatment that looks eerily like the denunciation sessions practiced in China during the Cultural Revolution. But instead of shaming the fellow, people shower him with praise and love. Features like these are prized in fantasy because they invite us to envision how life could be.—Mike Vargo, author of Ancient Footprints and Bighorns