Fantasy/SF Book Reviews
Ancestors of Avalon by Diana L. Paxon
Viking, June, 2004Hardcover, 363 pages
ISBN: 0670033146
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Fans of Marion Zimmer Bradley are in for an incredible
treat with Diana Paxon's new novel, Ancestors of Avalon.
Before there was Avalon in the British Isles, there
was Atlantis, where the Guardians of Light kept their people safe.
Tiriki, a Guardian of Light, and her husband Prince Micail
realize that their beloved Atlantis is going to be destroyed in a
cataclysm. The Guardians arrange for the population to be evacuated
by ship, but Tiriki and Micail are separated during the confusion of
the sinking of the island. They both land in pre-Christian Britain,
unaware that the other lives. The Atlanteans struggle mightily to
adjust to their new, strange home and to keep their
spirituality and faith alive. The men, under the direction of Micail,
focus on an aggressive taming of their land, while Tiriki and her
people focus on a more harmonious blending with their environment.
Without Tiriki's calm to balance him, Micail begins work on
a project that could have devastating results for the Atlanteans and
their new home.
Diana L. Paxson helped her sister-in-law and longtime friend Marion Zimmer Bradley finish her last book before her death, The Mists of Avalon. She knows the territory, and her writing blends perfectly into the mythos that Ms. Bradley created. Ms. Paxson combines mysticism, goddess worship, Atlantean magic, the history of the British Isles and a love story to create a compelling story of which Ms. Bradley herself would have approved.
Counterfeit Kings by Adam Connell
Phobos, May, 2004Trade paperback, 382 pages
ISBN: 0972002642
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Life is not easy for Horrocks and his pregnant wife.
Once an elite bodyguard for the Io colony's leader, John Kingston, aka
the "King", he now works in a processing station that harvests power from the moon's
volcanic eruptions using a secret process known only to the King. Now the
king is missing after a failed assassination attempt. If he's not found quickly,
a succession war will be set off which could destroy the colony. The Queen asks
Horrocks to find and rescue the King, and Horrocks reluctantly agrees. Now he must
contend with the Ringers (bodyguards who have been surgically altered
to look exactly like the King), the King's fractious heirs, and a vengeful
enemy of Horrocks who is looking to settle an old score.
Adam Connell creates a realistic future in this darkly humorous and gritty novel. This is not space opera, nor is it sanitized, germ-free SF, with pristine glass edifices, state of the art technology and abundant clean food. This future is more like the urban mean streets: the characters are all damaged in some way and their environment is precarious. The technology is mostly held together with spit and bailing wire, and the hygiene on the spaceships leaves quite a bit to be desired. Against this backdrop, Mr. Connell delivers us a group of multi-layered and vivid characters, but no real heroes or villains. Horrocks struggles to do the right thing and protect his family, but he begins to question the nature of the government of the colony and the system under which he lives. The science is well integrated into the plot and Connell excels at writing both action scenes and the more intimate scenes between the characters. Despite the book's cover -- which seems to indicate that a horror novel lurks inside -- Counterfeit Kings will appeal to both SF fans and to those who enjoy a gritty detective novel. Adam Connell is clearly an author to watch.
--Claire E. White
The Mistress of the Pearl by Eric Van Lustbader
Tor, March, 2004Hardcover, 588 pages
ISBN: 0312872372
Ordering information:
Amazon.com
Eric Van Lustbader returns to the world of Kundala in this third
book in the series which began with The Ring of Five
Dragons and The Veil of a Thousand Tears. Although the
alien V'ornn conquered the planet over one hundred years ago,
the local population has never given up hope that the
Dar Sala-at or Messiah will save them from the occupation. Riane,
the Dar Sala-at, is actually a joining of the souls of a female
Kundalan and a male V'ornn, Annon, which makes relationships tricky,
to say the least. As the resistance grows and Riane follows her
destiny, the technomages have their own problems -- an alien
race is determined to wipe out the V'ornn. So they embark on
some horrific experiments in order to save their race.
The saga of Kundala heads in a new, exciting direction with The Mistress of the Pearl. The suspense builds as the complex storyline evolves. Mr. Van Lustbader even adds a welcome touch of slapstick to ease some of the tension. But it is the journey of Riane and her interactions with the other characters that is absolutely riveting. Kurgan, the V'ornn, is deliciously despicable; he manages to steal every scene he's in. The overarching theme of the series so far is the conflict between technology and spirituality, but the sub-theme seems to be the crucial importance of bridging the gap between peoples of differing religions, races and cultures in order to make a society work. Top notch storytelling, multi-layered characters and fascinating cultures make for compelling reading in this series which effortlessly combines both SF and fantasy elements.
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