Shelkgari

Adventurers through the ages embark on a perilous odyssey to the farthest reaches of the earth in search of the Shelkagari, a mythical diamond that according to legend can only be possessed by the third son of the third son of a prince

King (The Hahnemann Sequela tries for a three-ring epic but doesn't quite succeed. His characters' Himalayan adventures are more grueling than thrilling, an "inside" look at international diamond-dealing is superficial and the three-generation family saga doesn't make psychological sense. Russian emigre diamond-cutter Yurev Romanovna helps headstrong Chicago heiress Abby Abbaye find a legendary necklace in India during the 1920s, but their British guide betrays them and leaves them for dead. They survive but are parted, not to meet again for almost 35 years. During a decade in a Chinese prison, their son Miller remains sane by recalling Abby's early adventures, and on his release in 1963, treks after the buried necklace himself. When he finds it, he falls into an autistic state that lasts 20 years. Miller's son Benjamin embarks on a third quest with Yurev's "legitimate" grandson Warren, this time for the parent stone of the necklace: Shelkagari, Mountain of Light, a diamond "the size of a calf's head" that hasn't been seen since 326 B.C. Some quasi-Buddhist mystic mutterings do not add clarity to a heavily contrived plot. When a character says, "I don't understand what's happening," she's not alone.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Reminiscent of the adventures of Indiana Jones, Shelkagari spans three generations who search for a legendary diamond, cursed from the time before Alexander the Great. Yurev Romanova and Abigail Abbaye join forces in a harrowing quest for the stone; its existence gives meaning to life for their son as a Korean prisoner of war; and the grandson fulfills the ancient prophecy, closing the circle of events in a way not totally expected. Subsequent character development and action lack the strength and drama of earlier chapters, and some segments of the conclusion are too neatly coincidental, but the overall effect is entertaining and enjoyable. Judith A. Gifford, Salve Regina Coll. Lib., Newport, R.I.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.