Crown of Vengeance

December 1, 2012
Lackey and Mallory (The Phoenix Transformed, 2009, etc.) begin another speculative allegorical series with the chronicle of Elven Queen Vieliessar of Farcarinon. Royal Lady Nataranweiya, pregnant and pursued, seeks safety within the Sanctuary of the Star. There, she's greeted by Astromancers, Lightborns and Mages. At the Sanctuary, Nataranweiya dies birthing Vieliessar, a babe who must fight for her royal birthright. She is renamed Varuthir. Oblivious to her heritage, she grows up as the ward of her family's mortal enemies. Ambitious to become a knight, Varuthir instead is informed of her regal heritage and exiled into servitude. Speculative adventures forever pit good against evil, creation against destruction, and within this narrative, it's the forces of Light against the Endarkened. The plot is universal: a quest. Here, however, it is laced with the magick power of Healing. This power Vieliessar/Varuthir discovers within herself while exiled back at the Sanctuary. There she meets another postulant, Thurion, less-than-royal born, soon to be transformed into a warrior. Varuthir morphs into Vieliessar, warrior queen, one whose saga is sure to appeal to speculative fans who treasure long, complex, gore-filled plots. Amid Sturm und Drang, Vieliessar becomes a conquering lord avenging the House of Farcarnion against the Caerthalien. There are spells and incantations, lackeys and varlets, revenge and remorse. The book is ripe with mythical beasts, complex nomenclature and overwrought descriptive phrasing--"I shall see you drown in your own blood!"--all laced into a narrative motif fit for a Technicolor swashbuckler. With Lightbrothers and Lightsisters, Farmfolk and Landbond, komen and komentai'a, the authors could have made the task easier for readers by adding a history synopsis and a glossary. A fantasy fanatic's feast.

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December 1, 2012

The orphaned elven child Varuthir is sent to live as a servant at the Sanctuary of the Star, where those who are magically gifted--the Lightborn--learn to use their magic. There she discovers that she is both the last survivor of House Farcarinon and the Child of the Prophecy, destined to destroy the hundred Kingdoms. When the Light first awakens in her, Varuthir receives her training in secret, but then decides that the time has come to reclaim her heritage and seek out the prophecy's true meaning. The latest collaboration by fantasy authors Lackey ("Valdemar" series) and Mallory ("Merlin" series) launches a new trilogy set in the world of their "The Enduring Flame" and "Obsidian" trilogies in which dueling elven houses are caught up in a war between Light and Darkness. VERDICT The authors demonstrate once again their talents for storytelling on a grand scale. Strong characters and a compelling plot make this a sure selection for fans. [Previewed in Kristi Chadwick's Genre Spotlight feature, "Hungry for SF," LJ 8/15/12; ow.ly/f8b1t--Ed.]

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.