Great Goddess Miina created the realm of Kundala with the mighty dragons.  However, following Miina’s disappearance, the Kundala have become enslaved by the V’ornns.  Riana is considered to be a savior to the Kundalas.  Known as the esteemed Dar Sala-at, Riana’s quest is to find the pearl and restore it to its rightful place thus leading the Kundalas to freedom.  Riana has her own issues.  Over time, she is becoming inhabited by a male persona, a V’ornn named Annon Ashera.  With the mixture of Kundala strength and V’ornn knowledge, Riana is a formidable heroine.

Also on the quest to find the pearl is Annon’s true love, Eleana.  Eleana realizes that Annon takes up part of Riana’s body, and she cannot help but remain madly in love with even that small part of him.  The two cannot let themselves become distracted.  They learn that the dark league have located eight of the nine banestones.  The ninth must be found or the Sauromicians stand to become the most powerful force alive.

MISTRESS OF THE PEARL is the third book in Eric Van Lustbader’s Pearl Saga.  Before you start, I highly recommend reading the previous two books.  I have to admit that I did not, and I ended up with a notebook in hand to take notes on the wide array of characters.  Without my list of notes, I am afraid I would have remained lost.  Having said this, I later went to Mr. Van Lustbader’s website to discover there is a character list at his site – http://www.ericvanlustbaderbooks.com/series/series.asp

I think the reason I don’t read much fantasy is because the names throw me.  The storyline is fascinating, dialogue is exquisite, often satirical, and everything moves at a swift pace, but the names slowed me down.  I kept debating how each name should truly be pronounced.  I admit, I’m a perfectionist usually, so I know there are readers scoffing at the notion of fussing over name pronunciation.  Again having finished the book, I saw there is also a pronunciation guide at the author’s website.  I suggest printing it out and having it handy while you are reading.

What is important is that Lord Of The Rings trilogy fans will find MISTRESS OF THE PEARL to be equally engrossing.  With the perfect blend of humor, a richly painted setting, unforgettable characters and a shocking twist that sets the stage for book four, Eric Van Lustbader’s epic is sure to please fantasy lovers.