Ghost of the Well of Souls

Along with the Sea is Full of Stars, I found these two books the best of all the books. Perhaps it was because there was no Nathan Brazil or Mavra Chang who can not lose due to the Well World itself aiding them. Having Kincaid as a "bogey-man" in the background actually fit his personality and characterization. Each major character had their purpose and part and if one looks at the theme of these books with some detachment from the earlier books, the story is actually very different.

I have followed and reread all of the Well's 10 books several times. I find this series as well as the Flux and Diamond series to be the best works of scifi written since Asimov. Some readers have written their displeasure due to the limited use of the most interesting character; however, even in the original Well series, Nathan (God) only dominated a portion of the series (including the book with his name on the cover). Sometimes, less is more. The ending of this book leaves a huge door open to sequals and a new possible mixture of the foundling empires of the "real" galaxy with a mixture of the Well and it's inhabitants. I guess the other readers just miss Obie (or were overly hot for Mavra).

I have to disagree with the other reviews here, I believe Ghosts to be an equal to the first book. Chalker has made possibly his most accessable book for a decade. The race aginst time to defeat an unstopable foe really sets the sequels pace. I thought it was great that Chalker finally explored the water races in greater depths(No pun intended). Whilst the story may lack the epic feel of the last Well World sagas it makes up for it with fantastic storytelling and some of Chalker's best character work ever. A must for fans and non-fans alike.