Packed with dryly accurate historical detail and peopled with stock characters, the episodic, overextended narrative trudges...
First in a new alternate-history series from the author of Coalescent (2003).
In 4 b.c., a woman struggling to give birth in ancient Britain begins babbling in Latin, a language of which she has no knowledge. Written down by a relative, her words prophesy the coming of three Roman emperors to the island. Nectovelin, the baby born that day, jealously guards the prophecy as an adult, although he can’t read a word of it, while family members scheme to peek at the document and take advantage of its predictions. Sure enough, in the year 43, General Vespasian invades Britain with armies and elephants. Nectovelin fails to assassinate the Emperor Claudius, but his niece Agrippina takes advantage of Claudius’s patronage to found a dynasty in Rome. In 122, quarryman Brigonius schemes with Agrippina’s granddaughter to make money supplying the Roman army with stone to build Hadrian’s Wall—but only if, as the prophecy states, the emperor decides upon a wall of stone rather than turf. In 314, Constantine the Great visits Britain, where another of Agrippina’s descendants, Thalius, hopes to persuade the emperor to return to a pure, early form of Christianity. Eventually, in 418, with the Roman armies gone and the empire itself tottering, British warlords strive to impose law and order while keeping Saxon invaders at bay.
Packed with dryly accurate historical detail and peopled with stock characters, the episodic, overextended narrative trudges along without any heartfelt social or political dimension.Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2007
ISBN: 0-441-01466-6
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Ace/Berkley
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2006
Independent sequel to The Elvenbane (1991). After the rebellion of Shana, the Elvenbane, and her half-blood and dragon allies against the cruel and oppressive Elvenlords, nothing much has changed except that the half-bloods are left more or less alone. But now Lord Tylar has decided to marry his daughter, Rena, advantageously off to an aristocratic dolt; meanwhile, Tylar's son, Lorryn—not really his son, but a human-elven half-blood—is threatened with exposure. Assisted by Myre, a dragon disguised as a human slave, Rena and Lorryn plan to escape. Myre, however, hopes to use the pair to track down and destroy Shana's half-bloods and their dragon allies. Shana, meantime, is captured by nomadic Iron People—their iron jewelry and mental shields protect them against magic—and learns that Jamal, their War Chief, intends to pillage the half-blood settlements, while their Iron Priest, Diric, desires only cooperation and trade. Eventually, Rena and Lorryn arrive among the Iron People to help Shana and Diric overthrow Jamal, while Myre is defeated by her brother, Keman. Finally, they all arrange to break the power of the Elvenlords by providing their slaves and downtrodden relatives with magic-proof iron jewelry. A dreadfully slow start—the first 100-plus pages could have been collapsed into a few paragraphs—but thereafter modestly appealing and involving, if lacking real bite.
Pub Date: June 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-312-85548-6
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1995
First of a trilogymeaning the initial, unresolved, third of a sprawling fantasy debut. At Castle Harvell, two powers vie for control of the ailing King Lesketh and his kingdom. The Chancellor, Baralis, is deep into the black arts. He drugs the queen, then rapes her, so the resulting Prince Kylock is actually his son. He then attempts to poison his rival, the powerful Lord Maybor. And, to further his own ambitions, he stirs up an unnecessary war with the neighboring Halcus. As years pass in the blink of a paragraph, Maybor tries to marry off his beautiful daughter, Melliandra, to the cruel, arrogant Kylock, but Melli prefers instead to flee into the forest. Meanwhile, apprentice baker Jack, an abused orphan whom Baralis has used to copy manuscripts, finds himself with a sudden and terrifying ability to work magic. So Jack is also forced to flee the castle, with Baralis in hot pursuit. And Tawl, a young knight of Valdis, sent to assist wise old Bevlin, is given the task of investigating the workings of a riddling prophecy. Verbose and dismayingly eager to embrace all the standard fantasy conventions. A so-so debut for those with a preference for large doses of hardworking, orthodox fantasy.
Pub Date: June 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-446-67097-9
Page Count: 528
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1995
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