In the era of The Hundred Kingdoms, a time of war and unrest, a legendary friendship is forged between king and keeper which will lead to a new destiny for Darkover.
From Publishers Weekly
In the second Clingfire book (after 2001's well-received The Fall of Neskaya), Ross does justice to her late coauthor's vision even if the plot is weaker than most in the Darkover saga. At the end of the age of the Hundred Kingdoms, "laran" (psi power) can be used to make terrible weapons that can kill thousands from a long distance. Carolin Hastur, heir to the Hastur throne, and Varzil Ridenow, a noble child with extraordinary laran, resolve to eliminate the threat posed by these weapons. What the pair devise will forever change the face of their world. These two characters, however, are less interesting than Carolin's friend Eduin MacEarn, who finds himself in a Hamlet-like struggle after vowing to take vengeance against the Hasturs who defeated his father. Unfortunately, a deus ex machina to dispense with Eduin's uncertainty arrives about halfway into the story, after which little conflict or suspense remains. Darkover fans who wondered how Varzil's Compact of Honor came about will welcome this entry, but it's unlikely to win the series new readers. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Deborah J. Ross is the author of the acclaimed Darkover novels collaborating and following in the footsteps of bestselling writer Marion Zimmer Bradley. Ross became friends with Bradley when she sold a short story for the first Sword and Sorceress anthology. Bradley continued to encourage her over the next two decades, through births, deaths, divorces, a sojourn in France, her literary apprenticeship, four dozen more short stories, two novels, and finally her work with Darkover. Ross is also the author of The Seven-Petaled Shield series. Ross now lives in California with her husband, writer Dave Trowbridge. She can be found online at deborahjross.blogspot.com.
Description:
In the era of The Hundred Kingdoms, a time of war and unrest, a legendary friendship is forged between king and keeper which will lead to a new destiny for Darkover.
From Publishers Weekly
In the second Clingfire book (after 2001's well-received The Fall of Neskaya), Ross does justice to her late coauthor's vision even if the plot is weaker than most in the Darkover saga. At the end of the age of the Hundred Kingdoms, "laran" (psi power) can be used to make terrible weapons that can kill thousands from a long distance. Carolin Hastur, heir to the Hastur throne, and Varzil Ridenow, a noble child with extraordinary laran, resolve to eliminate the threat posed by these weapons. What the pair devise will forever change the face of their world. These two characters, however, are less interesting than Carolin's friend Eduin MacEarn, who finds himself in a Hamlet-like struggle after vowing to take vengeance against the Hasturs who defeated his father. Unfortunately, a deus ex machina to dispense with Eduin's uncertainty arrives about halfway into the story, after which little conflict or suspense remains. Darkover fans who wondered how Varzil's Compact of Honor came about will welcome this entry, but it's unlikely to win the series new readers.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Deborah J. Ross is the author of the acclaimed Darkover novels collaborating and following in the footsteps of bestselling writer Marion Zimmer Bradley. Ross became friends with Bradley when she sold a short story for the first Sword and Sorceress anthology. Bradley continued to encourage her over the next two decades, through births, deaths, divorces, a sojourn in France, her literary apprenticeship, four dozen more short stories, two novels, and finally her work with Darkover. Ross is also the author of The Seven-Petaled Shield series. Ross now lives in California with her husband, writer Dave Trowbridge. She can be found online at deborahjross.blogspot.com.