To Niles, the stuff of fantasy isn't “something readers can believe in” but “anything the author can dream up.” Result:...
First of a new fantasy trilogy from the author of the Watershed trilogy (War of Three Waters, 1997, etc.). Elves and druids—the latter magicians from Earth—live in the immortal realm at Circle at Center, but their idyll comes under threat from two sources. Sir Christopher, a Crusader from Earth, has obtained the powerful Stone of Summoning, killing its guardian; because of the stone's distinctive red cross, Sir Christopher's convinced that God wants him to exterminate the witches and unbelievers of the higher realm—and the stone compels loyalty in those whom it influences. In the lower realms, meanwhile, evil blind dwarves called Delvers invade the caverns of their cousins, the good Seer dwarves. Led by Zystyl and his metal teeth (think Jaws), the Delvers swarm upwards, where they encounter Sir Christopher’s crusaders and form an alliance. Belynda, an elf Sage-ambassador once raped by Sir Christopher, urges the lackadaisical elves to action, while the druid Miradel summons Aztec warrior Natac from Earth, at great personal cost, to train and lead the defense. After 25 years of war, Belynda and company figure out that to defeat Sir Christopher they must take away his Stone of Summoning. Well, duh.
To Niles, the stuff of fantasy isn't “something readers can believe in” but “anything the author can dream up.” Result: storytelling beats logic to a pulp.Pub Date: June 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-441-00728-7
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ace/Berkley
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2000
Gold ingots, a corpulent white sow, polyandry, incest, miscegenation, a new time-portal and much backstory augment this...
Time-travelers revolutionize colonial America with anachronisms and cliffhangers galore, in Gabaldon’s sixth Outlander epic.
It’s 1773, and we rejoin Jamie Fraser, an exiled Scots laird, and his 20th-century physician wife Claire in the North Carolina colony where they had emigrated in Drums of Autumn (1997). Their mountain compound, Fraser’s Ridge, is shared by daughter Brianna, her husband Roger and, intermittently, by Ian, Jamie’s semi-feral nephew, a former adopted Mohawk. Brianna and Roger, also moderns, had slipped through a time portal in the Highlands. Jamie and Claire, now middle-aged, still have plenty of swash in their buckle. Roger doubts son Jem’s paternity since Brianna was raped by pirate Stephen Bonnet in a previous installment. Jamie, forced to swear fealty to the Crown, inwardly espouses the rebel cause, and not just because his relatives know who wins. Abductions and daring rescues abound. Claire is kidnapped by a band of marauding arsonists. On her return, hot flashes and non-stop medical emergencies demand her attention. Homemade penicillin, quinine and ether help her cure appendicitis, malaria and syphilis. Brianna invents matches, makes paper and almost brings hot running water to the Ridge. When Claire falls ill amid a dysentery epidemic, no one suspects her assistant Malva, abused daughter (actually niece) of Jamie’s comrade Tom Christie. Later, Malva, six months pregnant, implicates Jamie. Claire finds Malva dead, her throat slit, and attempts an emergency Caesarian. Taken prisoner, Claire becomes the colonial governor’s unpaid scribe. While Roger, called to the ministry, is away seeking ordination, Brianna is snatched by one of Jamie’s enemies, and ends up the captive, once more, of the unsinkable Bonnet.
Gold ingots, a corpulent white sow, polyandry, incest, miscegenation, a new time-portal and much backstory augment this installment’s edematous bloat.Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2005
ISBN: 0-385-32416-2
Page Count: 992
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2005
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Fans of A Darker Shade of Magic will love its sequel, and fantasy fans who haven’t yet read the first book in this series...
An absorbing fantasy adventure set in a world where magic can be a gift—or a weapon.
It’s been four months since Lila Bard, thief from another world, talked her way onto a ship called the Night Spire and sailed away from Red London with an enigmatic captain named Alucard Emery, in search of adventure. She’s been absorbed in learning as much as she can about the magic that’s everywhere in this new world. Meanwhile, Kell is struggling to deal with the aftermath of the battle in which he and Lila saved the world, in particular, the magical bargain he made to save his adoptive brother Rhy’s life, the bargain that links their lives and means they share each other’s pain—literally. Along with the rest of Red London, Rhy and Kell are getting ready for the upcoming magical tournament called the Essen Tasch. But there are deceptions lurking beneath the glittering surface of this festive event, and there are old enemies waiting for their chance to strike. This sequel to Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic (2015) expands the world beyond Red London and deepens the appealingly unconventional people that populate it. These rich, lifelike characters draw the reader in and make this well-realized fantasy impossible to put down.
Fans of A Darker Shade of Magic will love its sequel, and fantasy fans who haven’t yet read the first book in this series should hurry to catch up.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7653-7647-3
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
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