TEARS OF WINTER

When a plague begins killing the citizens of a kingdom, the king, queen, and others embark on a quest to find a cure in this fantasy sequel.

Lissandro, prince of the Frozen Mountains, is visiting the kingdom of Trevalden just in time for the winter solstice. It’s a time to celebrate with his friends Louis, the king, and Selen, who’s likely the only male queen in the neighboring countries. But sudden deaths from a mysterious sickness halt the festivities in the kingdom’s capital of Nysa Serin. It’s quickly apparent that further ailing citizens indicate a plague that, based on an autopsy, isn’t one Louis or anyone has seen before. Lissandro suggests traveling to the Ebony Forest, where there’s a magical place that may have answers—and a cure. He and the royal couple join a small group and head north. But their journey proves much longer and more treacherous than they had envisioned. Bodies along the way seem to point to a murderer within the group. This may be the same person who’s possibly feeding information to bandits who have the travelers in their sights. Back in Trevalden, Lords Pembroke and Josselin, both ministers, try to retain order, which is a decidedly arduous task, as someone essentially stages an uprising. Louis hopes that he, Selen, or another can survive with a traitor in the group’s midst. Even if most of them perish, it only takes one individual to return to Trevalden with the cure. Though Carlsson’s (Rising From Dust, 2017) novel has all the ingredients of a fantasy, such as dragons and hints of magic, it’s the interaction between the humans that propels the story. For example, distrust slowly emerges within the traveling group, and there’s a betrayal in Trevalden. It’s an engrossing approach that leads to myriad dynamic characters, all with their own flaws. This includes the royal couple, two men who are unquestionably in love, as evidenced by their few prolonged, occasionally explicit dalliances. But they’re not immune to friction since Selen’s worry about being unable to birth an heir for Louis makes the king believe the queen is unhappy with their relationship. The author’s descriptions are solid but especially vibrant when lingering on the environment: “The melancholic landscape of fields and copses stretched from a vale to the other. Here and there, bound to the sky by their columns of smoke, homesteads curled in the shade of a forest. Brown, hunched figures hustled around like ants on an anthill.” But there’s an unfortunate lack of female characters, with Kilda, part of Louis’ group, the only notable woman. Adding to that is Louis’ insulting the gender by implying Kilda isn’t “respectable” due to her manner of speech and dress and saying her place, as a wife, is at home. Nevertheless, with quite a few deceitful characters in the mix, Carlsson’s tale revolves around ever changing perceptions, and Kilda’s strength is evident before the end.

While mystical elements befit the genre, the relatable human characters make this story indelible.