Something like a fantasy whodunit—agreeably knotty and misleading, though not the best of this reliable series.
Fifth in the series of fantasy yarns about the King’s Blades, those bodyguards magically bound to defend their ward to the death (Paragon Lost, 2002, etc.).
Grand Duke Rubin, of distant, land-locked, Austria-like Krupina, arrives in Chivial seeking the help of King Athelgar. Driven from power by his warrior-cousin, Lord Volpe, and harassed across Eurania by evil magic, Rubin has urgent need of Blades to defend his person and help him recover his throne. Even in Chivial’s Nocare Palace, magically animated corpses attack him. But just now Ironhall is all but devoid of suitable candidates. Ranter is uncouth and inexperienced, Ringwood a half-trained youth, and Bellman, his vision damaged in an accident, cannot become a Blade. Nevertheless, Sir Ranter and Sir Ringwood must serve the Grand Duke, with Bellman as an advisor. Also joining the party will be Trudy, formerly of the Sisterhood, with her unerring ability to sniff out and diagnose magic. She immediately notices that Rubin wears a magical device to alter his appearance: indeed, the Grand Duke turns out to be the Grand Duchess! Johanna has no idea whether her philandering husband is still alive, or where his son and heir, Frederik, might be. Also counted among her enemies must be Karl, Volpe’s lecherous son, and the Vamky Brotherhood, warrior-knights skilled in magic. Johanna must lead her raggle-taggle band to Krupina, knowing she can trust nobody—or the faces they wear.
Something like a fantasy whodunit—agreeably knotty and misleading, though not the best of this reliable series.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2003
ISBN: 0-380-81834-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Eos/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2003
This new collection of science fiction from Le Guin (Searoad, 1991, etc.) is comprised of eight tales, written between 1983 and 1994, drawn from various magazines and anthologies. "Newton's Sleep," one of the five shorter pieces, suggests that, even in an isolated, aseptic space habitat, there will be no escaping the visible and tangible evidence of our Earthly heritage. "The Kerastion" is a musical instrument that cannot be heard. Two other tales provide gently satirical amusement (alien visitors, climbers' journals), and the last story is a controlled yet angry feminist parable. Elsewhere, the three longest, most substantial entries are interlinked metafictions — stories about story, in effect — probing the effects of "churten" technology, which enables people to move from one place to another instantaneously — though not without mishap. In "The Shobies' Story," a close-knit group of various human types pass through a churten transference; then, when they are unable to find a mutually agreeable definition of reality, their narratives become mere noise. The protagonist of "Dancing to Ganam," a veteran of space flight and alien contact, was once regarded as a god but, after a churten journey to a rediscovered planet, he allows his own preconceptions to overtake all other versions of reality. And in the title piece, a researcher in churten theory finds himself flung backward in time, where he can choose to reinvent churten theory singlehandedly or to return home to find the love and companionship that he once rejected — indeed, both stories are simultaneously true. Limpid, affecting, inimitable, brilliant.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0-06-105200-0
Page Count: 208
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1994
The sequel to To Save the Sun (1992) shares the previous book's large-canvas premise as the Empire of the Hundred Worlds pursues a generation-spanning project to save Earth's dying sun. Despite the hard-science backdrop, much of the plot concerns Lord Jephthah, a mysterious demagogue who preaches hatred of the alien Sarpan. Now the discovery of still another new race on a distant planet sends the finest minds of the Empire to study it — as does Jephthah, who seeks new evidence to discredit the Emperor, followed by Imperial agents hoping to catch Jephthah. Many of the central characters from the previous volume — long-lived through life-extension technology or cryogenic sleep — make return appearances. In an interesting, but insufficiently developed subplot, an Australian aborigine leader named Billy Woorunmarra attempts to reconnect his far-flung people with their traditions. Well-paced, if sometimes melodramatic; overall an improvement over its predecessor.
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1994
ISBN: 0812523822
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1994
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