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Dancing Gods #5
Horrors of the Dancing Gods
In this final volume of the Dancing Gods series, Ruddygore and his heroes must face an ancient evil seeping forth from the Sea of Dreams. **** Long dormant evil is rising to challenge reality as we know it and it will destroy Earth and the magical world of Husaguahr if left to its own devices. **** The Rules require the Great McGuffin to challenge and stop the evil forces, but McGuffini is lost in Hell and Ruddygore must, once again, depend on the skills Marge and Joe (and Joe's estranged son, Irving).
322 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 30, 1995
5 people are currently reading
263 people want to read
About the author
Jack L. Chalker
132 books354 followersBesides being a science fiction author, Jack Laurence Chalker was a Baltimore City Schools history teacher in Maryland for a time, a member of the Washington Science Fiction Association, and was involved in the founding of the Baltimore Science Fiction Society. Some of his books said that he was born in Norfolk, Virginia although he later claimed that was a mistake.
He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004. He published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971 (a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine).
Chalker was married in 1978 and had two sons.
His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.
Chalker's awards included the Daedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. He was posthumously awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.
On September 18, 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, Chalker passed out and was rushed to the hospital with a diagnosis of a heart attack. He was later released, but was severely weakened. On December 6, 2004, he was again rushed to hospital with breathing problems and disorientation, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Chalker was hospitalized in critical condition, then upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deteriorating condition and in a persistent vegetative state, with several transfers to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.
Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1).
He attended all but one of the World Science Fiction Conventions from 1965 until 2004. He published an amateur SF journal, Mirage, from 1960 to 1971 (a Hugo nominee in 1963 for Best Fanzine).
Chalker was married in 1978 and had two sons.
His stated hobbies included esoteric audio, travel, and working on science-fiction convention committees. He had a great interest in ferryboats, and, at his wife's suggestion, their marriage was performed on the Roaring Bull Ferry.
Chalker's awards included the Daedalus Award (1983), The Gold Medal of the West Coast Review of Books (1984), Skylark Award (1985), Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award (1979), as well as others of varying prestige. He was a nominee for the John W. Campbell Award twice and for the Hugo Award twice. He was posthumously awarded the Phoenix Award by the Southern Fandom Confederation on April 9, 2005.
On September 18, 2003, during Hurricane Isabel, Chalker passed out and was rushed to the hospital with a diagnosis of a heart attack. He was later released, but was severely weakened. On December 6, 2004, he was again rushed to hospital with breathing problems and disorientation, and was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and a collapsed lung. Chalker was hospitalized in critical condition, then upgraded to stable on December 9, though he didn't regain consciousness until December 15. After several more weeks in deteriorating condition and in a persistent vegetative state, with several transfers to different hospitals, he died on February 11, 2005 of kidney failure and sepsis in Bon Secours of Baltimore, Maryland.
Chalker is perhaps best known for his Well World series of novels, the first of which is Midnight at the Well of Souls (Well World, #1).
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 21, 2017
This is the first time I have been disappointed by a Jack Chalker novel. It feels very tacked on to the end of the other "Dancing Gods" books, and the characters, both new and old, are just not all that exciting. Factor in some absolutely terrible puns and you've got something of a dud.
We are once again taken to a world which is a bizarre reflection of our own, and from which many of our myths and fantasies are born. Yet this time the landscape doesn't feel as vibrant, nor the story as interesting. Rather than blazing new ground, our characters seem to rehash old territory.
As with the whole series there is a deeply rooted element of satire, and on occasion it is scathing and effective, but for the most part this time out it just seems as corny as the material it lampoons.
We are once again taken to a world which is a bizarre reflection of our own, and from which many of our myths and fantasies are born. Yet this time the landscape doesn't feel as vibrant, nor the story as interesting. Rather than blazing new ground, our characters seem to rehash old territory.
As with the whole series there is a deeply rooted element of satire, and on occasion it is scathing and effective, but for the most part this time out it just seems as corny as the material it lampoons.
August 24, 2010
I was so excited to learn that Chalker wrote a fifth Dancing Gods book, which I somehow missed years ago. Now that I've read it, I'm more sad than excited.
July 28, 2011
massivly changed the rules of the universe almost completely forgot the things frome the first 4 books.
December 29, 2017
I liked the rest of the series. This one read like a bad Pies Anthony knockoff. So many puns, so much darker and more disturbing, and just so much more poorly written.
May 8, 2023
I wish I could say this book was GREAT and better than the first 4 but I can't. Something was just off with this book. Perhaps the author was thinking ahead to another series to write, who knows? All I know is that I wasted money on this book thinking I would be back in Husaquahr again. Up until recently, I didn't even know there was a 5th book so I was glad to see it on Amazon and snapped it up ASAP. In the meantime, I reread the first 4 books in the series which I enjoyed.
But this one? It didn't ring true to the history of the first 4 books. The plot (to me) was thin and the author seemed a bit consumed with killing off characters. What was a book I should have loved, was because it would give closure to the first 4 books, was a chore to make it to the end.. The "battle" was non-inspiring and the ending was ...well, to be honest, it fell very flat.
I should have saved my money. To have to write that line hurts because I really did love the first 4 books though I knew something was missing in the 4th book. Still, I had hopes for the 5th book. Hope that was, unfortunately, dashed or rather flung violently to the ground. What a severe disappointment.
But this one? It didn't ring true to the history of the first 4 books. The plot (to me) was thin and the author seemed a bit consumed with killing off characters. What was a book I should have loved, was because it would give closure to the first 4 books, was a chore to make it to the end.. The "battle" was non-inspiring and the ending was ...well, to be honest, it fell very flat.
I should have saved my money. To have to write that line hurts because I really did love the first 4 books though I knew something was missing in the 4th book. Still, I had hopes for the 5th book. Hope that was, unfortunately, dashed or rather flung violently to the ground. What a severe disappointment.
September 21, 2020
It's a shame really how this book ended. The series started as an interesting take on fantasy with a personal twist on the template but this book ended it, in just plain weird. What happened with one of the central characters of the series was just awful and how the other one ended was in the same nature. The whole concept of the series so far was the confrontation between the forces of evil (supported by hell) against the forces of good (representing heaven) but this book pretty much dismiss heaven influence pitting evil vs. evil with another open ending and a serious lack of presence from heaven forces. As a lone book it is an interesting and entertaining story but as part of the series pretty much attack the rest of it.
April 12, 2021
I forget when I read this exactly, and it wasn’t-as- good as the others in the series- 25 years after publication it’s available in Kindle form but seems like many of his books to be otherwise out of print. I have books 3&4 and have been thinking more and more of rereading this one...
May 25, 2021
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not finish
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews