Fantasy/SF Book Reviews
Page Two of FourLord of the Fire Lands by Dave Duncan
Eos, Oct., 1999.Hardcover, 352 pages .
ISBN: 0380974614.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
When you see Dave Duncan's name on a book,
you think of excitement, swashbuckling adventure and
a rollicking good time. His second entry tale in
the world of The King's Blades is all of those things,
and more. The King's Blades are master
swordsmen trained at the legendary school
called Ironhall. When chosen by the King, each
Blade undergoes a mysterious ritual in which he
is bound until death to protect the person to whom
he has been assigned. No one has ever refused to
be bound when the King asked -- until now. Raider
refuses King Ambrose himself because of a
prior claim on his loyalties. At first sympathetic,
King Ambrose binds young blade Wasp to Raider
to assist him in a quest he must undertake. But
things go awry, and soon Raider and Wasp are
branded traitors and are on the run from the rest
of the Blades. To find his heritage, Raider must
journey to the Fire Lands with the loyal Wasp by
his side. In the land of the Baels, they are ensconced in
a totally different culture. The red-haired people have built
an entire society on piracy. Raider and Wasp are soon
up to their swords in royal intrigue, piracy and dark magic.
Their experiences will change both their lives,
and the fate of two countries.
The Lord of the Fire Lands is not a sequel to The Gilded Chain, the first book set in this fantasy world. Rather, it is a companion piece which throws a very different light on some of the characters and events in the first book. Duncan skillfully expands the fantasy world he has built. The Baels are a tempestuous and entertaining lot, and their addition adds much to the well-crafted fantasy world. But great swordfights and interesting background aren't all that you get. The story is also peopled with fascinating and complex characters who will hold your interest throughout this compelling tale. Don't miss it.
--Claire E. White
Memoranda by Jeffrey Ford
Eos, Oct., 1999.Trade paperback, 230 pages.
ISBN: 0380802627.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.
Author Jeffrey Ford burst on the fantasy scene with his
World Fantasy Award-winning New York Times
Notable Book, The Physiognomy. Memoranda is a
sequel to The Physiognomy, the second book
in a proposed trilogy. The Physiognomy introduced
the evil genius Drachton Below, who created a marvelous
place called the Well-Built City. Cley was a respected
physiognomist, a practitioner of
a wacky pseudo-science which judged people's fates
by the shape of their faces and heads. Cley eventually
helped lead a revolution against Drachton Below, and then
went to live the simple life of a midwife and herbalist
in a small town. But Drachton is far from dead, and
is up to his old tricks again. When a deadly plague
sent by Drachton visits Cley's community, Cley must go
on a quest to find Drachton to save the town. When he
arrives at the ruins of the Well-Built City, he discovers
that Drachton himself has been accidentally felled by the
sleeping plague. Helped
by Below's demon adopted son, Misrix, Cley must
travel into the Memory Palace in Drachton's own mind
to find the cure for the deadly sleeping plague.
Jeffrey Ford continues the saga of physiognomist Cley in this endlessly fascinating, sometimes surreal story. The Memory Palace is an island floating above a sea of deadly mercury, in which the dreams of the sleeping Drachton are reflected. Cley meets desire, addiction, loneliness and near madness in his search. Ford is an inventive and talented writer, and he makes the sometimes vacillating and indecisive Cley seem more appealing than he perhaps should be. The Memory Palace is well-imagined, but it's Misrix the Demon who wants to be human that steals the show in this outing.
--Claire E. White
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