Demons of the Dancing Gods (Dancing Gods, #2) by Jack L. Chalker

Demons of the Dancing Gods (Dancing Gods, #2) Reviews

• 
  Phil

  The rules state that every epic fantasy must be a trilogy and that the heroes and heroines must complete three adventures and hence VOTDG should be the third and last installment. In the last adventure, the Dark Baron was defeated once again and this time banished to Earth prime (e.g., our world). Several years have passed and now a new threat emerges, but this time from our world. The Baron was down, but evidently not out and, in league with another ostracized wizard and another demon from Hell are stirring up trouble once again!
  
  In Chalker's timeline of history for this series, Heaven and Hell reached a sort of compromise about 2000 years ago, each side recognizing that if the war continued it would bring about the final Armageddon. This does not prevent some lessor demons from intrigue, however, and we have seen once such demon make a pact with the Baron. Now, another demon has a deal with the Baron, and if our world falls, so will Husaquahr, the land of the Fairies and Ruddygore. Since Ruddygore is prevented from going to Earth prime, Joe and Marge, along with some others, must made the journey and stop the Baron once again!
  
  This was a fun installment with the majority of the adventures taking place in our world for a change, and Chalker brings his humor once again. Of course we have many body changes and so forth, and this needs some editing and polish, but a fitting end to the series (until Chalker returned to it five years later). 3.5 stars.
  
• 
  Phil

  The second installment of the series picks up pretty soon after the first; the battle with the Dark Barron has been won, but the war is far from over. While the identity of the Dark Barron is still unknown, Ruddygore is sure it is one of the 13 council members-- the 13 most powerful sorcerers of the land, indeed, the world. Ruddymore hopes that at the annual conference of wizards, witches, and so forth he will be able to deduce who it is and take action...
  
  The conference is a hoot; I think Chalker modeled it after something like a comicon. After Marge completes her transition to fairy (and oh, what a type of fairy!), her and Joe head to the conference, of course with some trials and tribulations along the way. At the conference, Joe meets Tiana- a friend of Ruddymore and part of his retinue, and she is something else: a beautiful barbarian woman about as big and shapely as Joe is manly...
  
  I will stop with the plot, for with Chalker, getting there is half the fun. Lots of unexpected twists and turns of course, and also assorted mind transfers as one might expect from Chalker. While not a farce exactly, this series really flirts with it. Also, as usual with Chalker, it could use a little polish, but still a fun read. 3.5 stars rounding up.
• 
  Jesse

  Second in a series of fantasy novels that gently parody fantasy tropes. Fun, but familiarity has begun to sink in, and a lot of the events just aren't quite as novel or entertaining as the first. Chalker relies a lot on info dumps and exposition, too. But it was a quick, comforting fantasy read.
• 
  Paps

  An amazing fantasy novel, a complete improvement from book one. The adventures of the gang continue, but this time they are more adapted to the challanges ahead and as such they have a better handle of what must be faced. The best on this novel for me is that we got a better development of some characters, we truly understand in this novel the inmense level of power that a true Sorcerer or Master of the art carries, we get to know who the villain is and his true motives, as state in book one even though he is doing evil he is doing it for the rigth reasons. A wonderfull read, and I can see it will be a magnificent series.
• 
  Bill Meehan

  Keep your head on a swivel, body changes come and go rather quickly, but it's a Chalker book, so nothing less should be expected.
  In this book, the final battle takes place on earth, Joe, Marge, Tiana, Poquah, Macore, and Ruddygore along with the help of a pixie, mermaid, a drunken exorcist, and a Hawaiian hippie, take on the Dark Barron once again.
  if you've read the first 2 in the series, you won't want to miss this adventure. It's in the rules after all.
• 
  Roxanne

  Rearead in July 2012: This was a fun reread but not that great a book: a lot of preaching and not Chalker's best in my opinion. Dropping my rating to only two stars. I'll probably try the third book again too at some point and see how it holds up.
• 
  Bryan457

  A little harder to read than the 1st 2 books. There is less humor, and a more serious plotline. I love the character changes, and there were more than ever in this book. If you can't stand the thought of a heroic barbarian naming his magic sword Irving, you should probably read something else.
• 
  Bryan457

  A great series. It is humorous while still having a great plotline. I like the characters. I like character development, and boy did I get it throughout this whole series.
• 
  Gustavo

  While not as good as the first one, it manages to make some interesting twists in the story to make it reach a crescendo and then an unexpected ending.
• 
  James Frame

  Loved the simplicity of this series
• 
  Helen Robare

  Soon after reading the first book in the series, my order for the 2nd book in the series arrived. I believe it is as good as the first one and a bit more fleshed out as we get to know other inhabitants and places in the world of Husaquahr. While Marge and Joe have won the battle they still have a war to fight. The dark Baron and his demon prince are determined to take Throckmorton P. Ruddygore out of the picture! Consequently, Joe and Marge have to into battle again and this time the life of their friend is in grave danger!
  
  Joe is now a super barbarian with a magic sword called Irving after his son on death and Marge has been changed into a flying fairy woman. Now mind you, Joe has been bitten by a weredog and Marge has developed some strange night routines so both of them have some changes to adjust to.
  
  I agree with others that the plot was a bit thin but that did not take away from my enjoyment of the book and/or series.
• 
  Sean Collins

  The BEST comical Fantasy series... Part 2
  
  The Adventures of Joe and Marge continue in Husaquahr. The Dark Baron is revealed and defeated, but is it for good? Read, and find out more!
• 
  Matthew Reads Junk

  Chalker definately has some sort of body swapping or trans fetish. And these characters are so dull, just going along with whatever happens. Very little internal monologue of any depth. Simple plot. The whole thing is an interesting idea just not told in an interesting way.
• 
  Bill Meehan

  Chalker had quite the imagination, looking forward to starting book 3.
• 
  Kevin Adamson

  A cute fantasy
  
  This was an easy read, with an ok plot. A good series to read on a rainy weekend, when all you want to do is relax.
• 
  Aileen

  Enjoyed it. Especially after finishing the first novel and wanting more Joe and Marge adventures.
• 
  Helen Robare

  Well, here I am back again and reviewing the 3rd book in the River of the Dancing Gods series. ;)
  
  At this time in the series, Marge and Joe, have "defeated" the dark baron. Ok, they managed to get the Dark Baron exiled to Earth and unable to perform any magic. IE: he was stripped of his magical powers. Unfortunately, Earth has computers and the Dark Baron is learning to use them to make powerful spells.
  
  So, Throckmorton P. Ruddygore has to set things right. While he's pretty sure that TDB cannot use any spells he makes from a computer, Runnygore didn't count on the forces of hell helping TDB. To make matters worse, Ruddigore can't travel to Earth so he sends Marge and Joe to go deal with TDB and the forces of hell.
  
  I found this book to be just as well-written as the first two in the series. The plot was great. The characters are well-written. What I like best is that the characters are defined and interesting. In fact, I like the characters better than the plot!
• 
  Shaw Sande

  This was actually one of my first books that I can remember, and it really got me into the genre. The whole series has a bit of comedy mixed in with the fantasy. It does have one plot mistake, which I didn't realize until I had read the first in the series, but otherwise it is one of my favorite books. Currently rereading it along with the series; honestly not sure how many times I have read them but it has been several times.
• 
  Paps

  As the other books of the series this is still a wonderful entertaining read. All characters served a function and delivered. Another thing to congratulate is that although it is a fantasy book, it doesn’t shy away from dealing with adult’s situation, so even if a young audience can read and enjoy it, there is a lot for them to learn about adulthood and decisions. The ending was just beautiful, this book shows a great writing.
• 
  Kevin Driskill

  This is the first series by Chalker that I read on the recommendation of my brother. It was a fan immediately. I like the concept of this work in that real people enter a fantasy world that is mysteriously connected to the one we live in. This makes it easier to imagine that it is plausible and also allows you to explore the new world along with the characters.
• 
  Jonathan

  Throckmorton P Ruddygore is a mighty name
• 
  Jonathan

  Don't name your magic sword after your son with a silly name
• 
  Jeffrey

  I just think that Chalker went one too many times to the well for this story. Stick with the first or even the second volume of this series.
• 
  Aaron Anderson

  See "River of the Dancing Gods".
• 
  Aaron Anderson

  See "River of the Dancing Gods".
• 
  SciFiOne

  Grade B+. Book Dg2.