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On three very different worlds, three sets of people will find themselves in a life and death struggle, adventures that intertwine with each other in subtle ways.

The first of our adventurers, and the main hero, is Galen. He lives on a world where the Dragon Kings overthrew the evil human rulers, bringing an age of peace. They are worshipped, and every year there is a festival where part of the festivities includes holding an election. This is not a positive thing, as the electees are proven mad, and are taken away. Galen knows he might be a prime candidate. After all, who else has such vivid dreams as he, of a winged woman from another world? Who else can hold sensible conversations with hand crafted objects? These are both things he hides from the world, including his beloved new wife Berkita and his best friend Cephas. Usually he avoids the festival, but Berkita is hoping to get a blessing that will help her conceive a baby. Despite his best efforts to avoid the election he is caught and thrown into the square. When the high priestess brings out her dragon eye, Galen can't help but scream, proving himself one of the elect. He and several other villagers find themselves on the way to where the dragons live and discover their intentions towards humans might not be as benevolent as they thought.

The second realm is of the Fae. Dwynwyn, the Seeker fairy, has long held to the belief that there is nothing new in the world, just new truths. Her calling is to combine truths into greater truths, a calling that has set her outside of her people. She is confused by her own dreams of a man without wings, and the connection she feels with him. It is not nearly as important as her mission -- to discover a truth that will save her friend and queen from abdicating her throne to Lord Phaeon and giving her daughter to him in marriage. It's either that, or invasion from a blood-thirsty force.

The third and last is Mimic, who lives with his fellow goblins and gremlins on a world filled with machinery built by the Titians. He spends his days as many of them do, trying to get just one machine to work, and trying to impress the woman he loves, the most beautiful goblin he's ever seen. (Which is saying something, I suppose, about beauty being in the eye of the beholder because she sounds like a bit of a fright to this human.) Ironically, they're burning the books they have to keep warm, not knowing that these contain the very information they seek. When he does make a discovery, his boss takes all the credit It'll take a wily stroke of genius for him to win back the credit he deserves and the girl.

Mystic Warrior is fascinating because the three worlds are so different and each comes with its own set of intriguing problems. We do concentrate on Galen, but we still care a great deal for what happens to the others, as well. They work together perfectly. How the worlds connect, rather neatly through the dreams, and how things that happen in the dreams affect the other worlds make for perfect touches that add to the plot and add a cohesiveness to these three realms. The adventures, like following Berkita and the Dwarf Cephas on their journey to rescue Galen (the fact they both immediately go after him doing so much to make me like her. I started out thinking she was sulky, but quickly learned to enjoy being around her.), watching Galen train and learn how to fight, and seeing what goes on in the other worlds are all exciting stories that make you want to keep reading.

For me, one of the other highlights is how things talk to Galen. Sometimes it's scary, sometimes it's comedic, and it's played very well so that it's never childish. There are other cool details throughout, such as nifty footnotes explaining the fairies (who have, literally, no imagination) the fact that Cephas needs to go about blindfolded because, being a dwarf, the light is too much for him, watching Mimic try and work these elaborate puzzles called machines. I enjoyed every minute of it.

Mystic Warrior is a strong, elaborate fantasy.

Cindy Lynn Speer loves books so much that she's designed most of her life around them, both as a librarian and a writer. Her books aren't due out anywhere soon, but she's trying. You can find her site at www.apenandfire.com.