ISBN: 0-88677-415-2 Order from: Amazon.com
A tale of a struggle of inexperience against arrogance and power hunger, by turns grim and touching, in a world of unusual races that both enliven and encumber the plot.
Reviewed by David on February 15, 1999
Genre: Fantasy (Evil Sorcerer, Coming of Age)
Synopsis: This novel takes place years after Delan the Mislaid, with the heroes of the earlier novel playing a vital, if supporting role.
On a world populated by multiple sentient and semi-sentient races, the winged hermaphroditic Aeyrie often regard the other races with contempt and suspicion. When Laril, an rebellious Aeyrie adolescent gets exiled for illegal fighting, his travels bring him to a distant valley, ruled by an attractive and powerful Aeyrie mage, himself exiled years ago.
Smitten by the mage Raulyn, it takes Laril a long time to realize that Raulyn's ambitious plans go far beyond the enchanted valley. Laril is forced to grow up and ally himself with Bet, a Walker, to free himself from the tyranny of the seductive mage. But neither freedom nor friendship come cheap when faced with the threat of enraged magic and novel weaponry.
Full Review: Marks continues her thread of the Triad, a fragile community dedicated to the equality and friendship of the species. Laril and Bet experience the pain and despair of their limitations, and the torture of Mage-led conspiracies set on destroying the fragile unity. Despite starting as a juvenile, the book has significant sections of grim and depressing imprisonment, although the more adult sections are not graphic. Nevertheless, hope and joy prevail.
The relationship between Laril and Bet, the two victims of Raulyn, is well-handled and contributes to the pleasure of reading the book. The long period of powerlessness, however, makes the middle of the book more difficult to take.
Marks' invention of the new races (in addition to the almost human Walkers), with their own cultures and methods of reproduction, is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it illustrates the exotic nature of the world, and allows the author to create some unusual but emotionally satisfying attachments. On the other hand, having five (by my count) intelligent species on one planet makes for an overly complicated world, and strains the suspension of disbelief.
Overall: 5.5; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 6; Style: 5; World-building: 5; Originality: 7;
Copyright date 1990, Donald A. Wollheim (DAW), April 1990, Mass-market paperback, 254 pages
ISBN: 0-88677-415-2 Order from: Amazon.com