Prophecy: Child of Earth
Tor, August, 2001.
Paperback, 800 pages.
ISBN: 0812570820
Prophecy is the second book in the high fantasy
trilogy which began with Rhapsody: Child of Blood.
Prophecy continues the story of the three
companions: Rhapsody, the Namer, who has
great powers of music, herb-lore and fire;
Achmed the Snake, the deadly assassin who is now the
king of the mountain-dwelling Firbolg and
Grunthor, the gargantuan warrior who fights at their
side and who has a soft spot for Rhapsody. With Achmed
ensconced as king, Rhapsody leaves on a journey to return
an artifact to a powerful dragon. Her companion is Ashe,
who never shows his face and hides in a cloak which seems to
be composed of water and mist. After visiting the dragon, Rhapsody
trains with a great swordmistress to learn to wield Daystar
Clarion, the
sword of fire that she must use to defeat the demon F'dor
whose goal is the destruction of the world. With the help of
Achmed, Grunthor and the mysterious Ashe, Rhapsody
begins the search for the F'dor -- a quest which will
test Rhapsody and her friends to their very limits, and
cause them to suffer great loss in pursuit of their goal to
save their world from destruction.
The Rhapsody trilogy is a powerful and moving fantasy story which has music woven throughout the story. In this universe, music can be magic, as can the ability to name things by their true names. The three companions are an unlikely combination, and the interaction between the always rude Achmed, the eternally optimistic Rhapsody, and the gruff Grunthor is always entertaining. Haydon skillfully takes the reader from the heights of joy to the thrills of adventure as the story plays out. This is a lengthy tale (eight hundred pages) and it's worth every minute you'll spend reading it. Part fantasy, part mythology and part romance, this series crosses genres effortlessly; readers will be happy to fall under the spell of Elizabeth Haydon. Highly recommended.
Prophecy: Child of Earth is available for purchase on Amazon.com
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This review was published in the September, 2001 of The Internet Writing Journal.
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