Fantasy/SF Book Reviews
Page One of ThreeAncients of Days by Paul J. McAuley
Eos, July, 1999.Hardcover, 386 pages.
ISBN: 0380975165.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
In the world of Confluence, 10,000 different
races of animal-like humanoids live together
surrounded by the machines which run the world
and keep order. In this world is a young man,
Yama, whose bloodline is that of the Builders, the first
bloodline created by the human Preservers,
the creators of this beautiful and unique world.
Yama is on a quest to find the truth about his purpose and
his origins. He finds an aspect (a downloaded personality)
left behind of Angel, one of the
Ancients of Days, humans who came to Confluence
after the Preservers had left, who tried to start a
revolution against the old ways of doing things.
Angel tells Yama about her history, and tries to
influence Yama to lead the revolution by the Heretics
who follow the Ancients of Days. But Yama resists
both Angel, and the evil Prefect Corin's calls to fight a war,
and instead travels up the Great River on his quest to find out
his origins and his purpose: is he really the Messiah of this
world, or something very different?
This is the second book in the Confluence trilogy. In the first book, we met Yama and his world. This second book continues Yama's search and reveals much more about the fascinating artificial world of Confluence. Paul J. McAuley has an extraordinary imagination, and his fantasy world is complex and compelling. The common fantasy theme of the orphaned hero going on a search for his family is made fresh and interesting by the talented McAuley, and the action never lets up. A truly insightful and thought-provoking fantasy work.
Aramaya by Jane Routley
Eos, June, 1999.Trade paperback, 278 pages.
ISBN: 0380794284.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Dion Holyhands the Dragonslayer is a beautiful
and powerful Mage who is determined
to travel to the capitol city of Akieva, located in the
wealthy country of Aramaya, to find her missing
niece Dally. While at the opulent and decadent court
of the emperor, Dion sees Dally -- but she seems to
be in a strange trance of some kind and
is never seen without her guardians. Meanwhile, some
very strange occurrences lead Dion to believe that her
old enemy, the Demon Bedazzer, is in Akieva and
is plotting something horrible. With the help of her
colorful theater friends and her new love, Prince
Nikoli, Dion will face her most powerful challenge
to date: to save her niece from a horrible cartel of
necromancers and to defeat the Demon that is
determined to possess her soul.
This is the third book which chronicles the adventures of Dion Holyhands. Aramaya is remarkably similar to Czarist Russia, with cold weather, an opulent and somewhat decadent society, and a strict observation of the different social classes. In this adventure, in addition to fighting the dark forces of magic, Dion becomes estranged from her husband and wrestles with her longing to have a child. For romantic fantasy fans, it doesn't get much better than this.
Fantasy/SF Reviews
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Return to the October 1999 issue of The IWJ.
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