The Riddle and the Rune

An American Library Assn. Notable, ALA editor's choice.

This award-winning book is the second in the nine-volume series depicting its hero's struggles, first to find his wizard mother, then to save his very world from extinction. Beginning his search, Gom is given a riddle. Solve it, and his mother will appear, he's told. He soon finds that this is no ordinary brain-teaser but a life riddle that can be solved only through experience. Meeting friends and fleeing from foes out to take the rune, Gom's quest for the riddle's answer leads him up and down the land of Ulm, to the Far Fiords, to the bustling city of Pen'langoth, and beyond. Readers are treated to a fully realized world, many unforgettable characters, and thrilling scenes of suspense and fantasy as Gom, the clever, lonely mountain boy, comes to more fully understand his destiny and the riddle's last line!