Our last encounter with HH was in Majestrum, which appeared only earlier this year. This new book picks up precisely at the end of that adventure. (In fact, a curious thing about these books, and about the prior short stories concerning Hapthorn, is how they cover merely a few tumultuous weeks in his life. A future advertised volume, Hespira, might very well put a period to this time of changes.)

As before, Hapthorn is troubled by the paradigm shift underway: The universe is trembling on the edge of an age of magic as the power of science wanes. Science-loving Hapthorn and his magic-favoring alter ego Osk Rievor—who has no separate physical existence but resides within Hapthor's brain—battle and bicker over the changes.

But Hapthorn still has to earn a living, and so he undertakes the pursuit of a missing husband, a quest that brings him to a far-off planet where dwells a sentient fungus. With the aid of his invaluable "integrator"—an artificial intelligence who happens to reside now in an animal's body—Hapthorn succeeds in his rescue and returns to civilization.

After this investigation, when Hapthorn cedes temporary control of his body to Osk Rievor, he finds himself drawn forward into the future down the mysterious magical labyrinth of the title. In this era, magic has finally triumphed, and Hapthorn is at a loss for sheer survival. He encounters five magicians who regard him as a prize to be fought over. Luckily, his integrator has within its memory several potent magical spells learned from Osk Rievor.

But what might prove even more powerful are the unheard-of qualities of logic and reason.

A generally pleasing planetary romance

Hughes gets any novice readers swiftly and easily up to speed, but maximum enjoyment of this book will certainly depend on familiarity with Hapthorn's earlier exploits.

That said, there's also a certain sameness of template to all these outings. Hapthorn undertakes a seemingly innocuous and mundane investigation that later dovetails into a supernatural threat of earth-shattering intensity. It's within this template that Hughes provides variety, zest, freshness and surprise.

Hughes' ripe, flexible, rococo prose is as seductively easy on the mind as ever, capable of conveying events vividly and tickling the mental palate. Anyone who enjoys not only Vance's language and humor but also that of S.J. Perelman and P.G. Wodehouse will find Hughes a fit companion. Hapthorn's dire but lighthearted scrapes and dangers go down easy.

But as far as showing us any further niches and riches in Hapthorn's native era, this book comes up short. His transition to his own future brings us to a more primitive venue overly familiar in its sword-and-sorcery lineaments. True, the qualities and natures and schemes of the "Bambles Five," the rival mages, are limned well, and the nature of their ultimate antagonist is fairly surprising and affecting. But because all these folks are removed from Hapthorn's native time and place, they retain an air of potentiality and remoteness only, a side expedition of sorts.

But to give Hughes his due in terms of advancing his whole saga, both the furry integrator and Osk Rievor undergo permanent changes that set up intriguing plot options that entice us into anticipating the rest of Hapthorn's outre biography.