The War Within

February 15, 2019
Donaldson returns to the epic fantasy world he began in Seventh Decimate (2018) and to a king and queen who married to bring peace between their realms...but who find the reality difficult.The story so far: Two decades ago, then-Prince Bifalt of Belleger shocked everyone by proposing peace to Belleger's ancient enemy, Amika. The Magisters--keepers of magical knowledge--had foreseen a threat so dire that only by standing together might either country survive. Amika's king agreed under duress and gave his daughter, Estie, to Bifalt in marriage. Since then, an uneasy peace has existed between Belleger and Amika--and between Bifalt, now king, and Queen Estie. Their joint rule has seen a slow return of prosperity to both kingdoms, yet the rulers struggle to push their nations toward cooperation and preparation for the foretold enemy. After 19 years, the fragile state of peace is threatened by many factors: raiders attacking Bellegerin farms, a missing friend, treachery, and the rise of a mysterious sect proclaiming that only faith in a "god"--whatever that is--can bring true peace. But the greatest rift may be between the king and queen themselves: Their marriage has never been consummated, and Bifalt's relentless and self-martyring dedication to his duty has erected a wall between him and Estie. As Estie contends with assassination attempts and world-changing revelations about her own family and history, she also struggles to break through Bifalt's isolation. But despite having nearly 600 pages to work it out, the two may be out of time: The enemy, and the war, is finally here.Readers patient enough to slog through the slowly developing plot will find well-portrayed characters and rich worldbuilding, though our hero's bitterness and self-imposed misery begin to wear not even halfway through the tome.

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June 3, 2019
This momentous second installment of Donaldson’s Great Gods War epic fantasy series (which is nearly three times the size of 2017’s Seventh Decimate) picks up 20 years after two kingdoms were forcibly allied through a royal wedding. Bifalt of Belleger and Estie of Amika have married and ascended to their thrones, but old prejudices still simmer. Estie, who loves her husband and grieves that he doesn’t love her back, focuses on ruling Amika in a kinder way than her father did and building a road to the Last Repository, where the peace was brokered; she finds out almost too late how much opposition she still has from a surprising source. Many in Belleger are skeptical of Bifalt’s declaration that a fearsome enemy threatens, but they continue to build defenses while closely watching the rise of a strange new church in a land that’s never heard of gods or faith. Magic, subterfuge, and deeper personal stories give this installment real depth and breadth, developing the world as well as the characters. Readers who felt the first book fell short of Donaldson’s past work will be happy to find this a return to form. Agent: Howard Morhaim, Morhaim Literary.

April 1, 2019

In 2017, the blockbuster author of "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant" launched a new epic fantasy trilogy. "The Great God's War," featuring a prince who discovered the Last Repository, which contained all the world's knowledge of sorcery. That discovery brought peace between his realm, Belleger, and the realm Amika (and the marriage of the prince, named Bifalt, to Estie, Amika's crown princess). But now, in this second volume, dark and rimy forces have discovered the repository's location and are ready to claim it violently.

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