Gregory Gallowglass and his finance Alouette are meditating in their own private chambers. She sees a thick mist near a river that is the gateway for men and monsters to enter and kill Gramarye’s population. Gregory, a telepath as strong as Alouette, peeks into the mist and comes to the conclusion that she had a foreseeing. They make arrangements to find out what is going on and put a stop to it.

Gregory’s brother Geoffrey and Prince Alain, the heir to the throne, follow them. Behind the latter duo are the fiancees of Geoffrey and Alain, Quicksilver and Cordelia Gallowglass. When Alouette gets separated from the group, she finds and teams up with Quicksilver and Cordelia who are following the men in case they need help. Both groups are beset every step of the way by supernatural creatures who try to harm them or scare them to death. Everyone agrees there are too many monsters in one small concentrated area. They believe somebody is creating them and that someone must be stopped if they can ever find him.

While the quest is a very serious undertaking, the characters other speak in puns, which constantly catches the reader off guard and leaves the audience off balance even when the approach is fully recognized. The tone of HERE BE MONSTER is akin to the Xanth books by Piers Anthony, making it a delightfully amusing fantasy romp.

Harriet Klausner