First of a new series from Saberhagen—your choice whether you call it fantasy or far-future science fiction—an offshoot of, or prequel to, his Lost Swords yarns (The Last Book of Swords, 1994, etc.). In a terrible battle inside Mount Olympus, Hades the god of the underworld kills Apollo the god of light. Some days later, a severely wounded young woman, Sal, begs help from 15-year-old field-worker Jeremy Redthorn. Soon, soldiers seeking Sal—and the mysterious object of power she carries- -attack and destroy Jeremy's village. Jeremy, though, manages to escape after recovering the object and promising Sal he'll take it to either Professor Alexander or Margaret Chalandon of the Academy at distant Pangur Ban. Jeremy later examines the object: a strange, translucent fragment of a modeled mask. He puts it on, and it sinks into his head! Moreover, the mask, or Face, contains the memories, personality, and powers of the god Apollo. Slowly, as Jeremy becomes accustomed to this Intruder, he realizes that his—Apollo's—battle with Hades is far from over. With new friends Carlotta and Arnobius, Jeremy reaches the Academy, but Alexander is murdered by an avatar of Thanatos, god of death, and Margaret Chalandon has gone missing on an expedition to Mount Olympus. Hoping to capture the oracle of the gods, Pangur Ban's Lord Victor sends a force to Olympus, which Jeremy joins (nobody yet suspects he's also Apollo). Testing his powers, he acquires allies: Carlotta relinquishes her Face of Loki the Trickster to Jeremy's beloved, Katy, and his soldier friend Andy Ferrante becomes the god Vulcan. Matters build toward the inevitable confrontation with Hades and his minions. Another winner for Saberhagen—like his Swords, the possibilities and permutations seem endless—but riddled with minor inconsistencies and irritatingly slapdash for all that.
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-312-86623-2
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
A breezy and fun contemporary fantasy.
A tightly wound caseworker is pushed out of his comfort zone when he’s sent to observe a remote orphanage for magical children.
Linus Baker loves rules, which makes him perfectly suited for his job as a midlevel bureaucrat working for the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, where he investigates orphanages for children who can do things like make objects float, who have tails or feathers, and even those who are young witches. Linus clings to the notion that his job is about saving children from cruel or dangerous homes, but really he’s a cog in a government machine that treats magical children as second-class citizens. When Extremely Upper Management sends for Linus, he learns that his next assignment is a mission to an island orphanage for especially dangerous kids. He is to stay on the island for a month and write reports for Extremely Upper Management, which warns him to be especially meticulous in his observations. When he reaches the island, he meets extraordinary kids like Talia the gnome, Theodore the wyvern, and Chauncey, an amorphous blob whose parentage is unknown. The proprietor of the orphanage is a strange but charming man named Arthur, who makes it clear to Linus that he will do anything in his power to give his charges a loving home on the island. As Linus spends more time with Arthur and the kids, he starts to question a world that would shun them for being different, and he even develops romantic feelings for Arthur. Lambda Literary Award–winning author Klune (The Art of Breathing, 2019, etc.) has a knack for creating endearing characters, and readers will grow to love Arthur and the orphans alongside Linus. Linus himself is a lovable protagonist despite his prickliness, and Klune aptly handles his evolving feelings and morals. The prose is a touch wooden in places, but fans of quirky fantasy will eat it up.
A breezy and fun contemporary fantasy.Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-21728-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Tor
Review Posted Online: Nov. 10, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2019
PERSPECTIVES
A charming and persuasive entry that will leave readers impatiently awaiting the concluding volume.
Book 2 of Hearne's latest fantasy trilogy, The Seven Kennings (A Plague of Giants, 2017), set in a multiracial world thrust into turmoil by an invasion of peculiar giants.
In this world, most races have their own particular magical endowment, or “kenning,” though there are downsides to trying to gain the magic (an excellent chance of being killed instead) and using it (rapid aging and death). Most recently discovered is the sixth kenning, whose beneficiaries can talk to and command animals. The story canters along, although with multiple first-person narrators, it's confusing at times. Some characters are familiar, others are new, most of them with their own problems to solve, all somehow caught up in the grand design. To escape her overbearing father and the unreasoning violence his kind represents, fire-giant Olet Kanek leads her followers into the far north, hoping to found a new city where the races and kennings can peacefully coexist. Joining Olet are young Abhinava Khose, discoverer of the sixth kenning, and, later, Koesha Gansu (kenning: air), captain of an all-female crew shipwrecked by deep-sea monsters. Elsewhere, Hanima, who commands hive insects, struggles to free her city from the iron grip of wealthy, callous merchant monarchists. Other threads focus on the Bone Giants, relentless invaders seeking the still-unknown seventh kenning, whose confidence that this can defeat the other six is deeply disturbing. Under Hearne's light touch, these elements mesh perfectly, presenting an inventive, eye-filling panorama; satisfying (and, where appropriate, well-resolved) plotlines; and tensions between the races and their kennings to supply much of the drama.
A charming and persuasive entry that will leave readers impatiently awaiting the concluding volume.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-345-54857-3
Page Count: 592
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Nov. 24, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
