This is a classic fantasy novel that I first read in high school. The main character is a contemporary novelist who has been diagnosed with leprosy and is treated as an outcast from his small New England town. The events of the novel comprise his adventures in a fantasy world, where he is forced to choose between the physical and mental vigilance he has been taught as a leprosy survival skill and the necessary action to aid in saving the fantasy world from the evil that confronts it. Throughout, a big part of the theme is deciding what's real and what's not real. It's a good read, although Donaldson has a vast vocabulary that often exceeds the grasp of most readers and there are a few parts where the action feels quite slow. Still, a decent read for fantasy fans.