"Sometime in the last centuary, on the lush Caribbean island of Martinique, two young men embarked on a fateful journey crossed by zombies, ghosts, and curses...." CLEMENT AND HIPPOLYTEare handsome, sharp-witted, and as close as brothers. When Clement falls in love with the enchanting Pauline, he bids Hippolyte to join his quest to court her, and the two friends set out toward danger and adventure. Pauline is ward of mysterious Monsieur Zabocat-a plantation owner reputed to be a "quimboiseur," a wizard-and, defying his wishes, Pauline joins her new fiance and his friend on their trek home. But the fruited fields and dark forests they traverse hide dark forces plotting to destroy the couple...and one night- "Tam! Tam! Tamtamtam!" -the distant sound of a drum lures Hippolyte into a deadly trap that forces to choose between his friends safety and his own. Robert D. San Souci and Brian Pinkney again combine their talents to bring to life a West Indian folktale that draws upon Africian, European, and South American traditions and imagery. The result is an extraordinary tale of romance, intrigue, and incomparable courage in which the truest of friends remain faithful to the "very" end.