A sequel to Mustapha and his Wise Dog, but not a continuation of Mustapha's story, per se. Rather this is the second book in what was originally projected to be a 12 (?) book set of 4 trilogies (?): the Books of Prophecy, the Books of Initiation, the Books of Inheritance, and the Books of Fulfillment. To date, only four books have appeared. This sets up a new set of characters. In keeping with the trilogy title, several prophecies are revealed about the offspring of one star-crossed couple. Mustapha (and his wise dog) make cameo appearances but this works pretty well as a standalone volume. This is Friesner in high fantasy mode rather than her typical comic fantasy. it's lightweight fun, but a bit heavy on contrivance and abduction. ( )