Seventh Decimate

August 21, 2017
Donaldson (the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series) opens his unremarkable epic fantasy novel, first of a trilogy, with a never-ending war. The countries of Belleger and Amika have fought so long that everyone has forgotten the cause of their enmity. Both sides have sorcerers who cause massive carnage on the battlefield with one of the six rather clichéd powers called Decimates, but Belleger may have eked out an advantage with the advent of the also-rather-clichéd new technology of rifles—until suddenly, sorcery no longer works in Belleger. Certain that Amika is responsible, Prince Bifalt of Belleger goes on a quest to find the rumored seventh Decimate in order to destroy Amika entirely, but the world he ventures into is, of course, larger than he knows or can understand. Donaldson’s plot elements and characters are familiar, but his handling of them is stark, stripped almost down to allegory, which brings a little novelty into the otherwise overused scenes but also leads to flat characters and repetitive moments of moral reflection. Agent: Howard Morhaim, Howard Morhaim Literary.

November 15, 2017
Are you ready? asks the voice of a young warrior as he is destroyed by magical lightning. Mystifyingly, Prince Bifalt, eldest son and heir to the throne of Belleger, is returned to life! He vehemently believes the ability for a select few to destroy from a distance is dishonorable. Belleger has been at war with neighboring Amika for centuries, over exactly what no one living knows. They only know battle comes when both sides have enough strength in soldiers and Magisters. The sorcerers wield powers of fire, plague, wind, drought, lightning, and earthquake to devastating effect, decimating the enemy's soldiers. Shortly after his restoration, Bifalt is sent on a desperate quest to find the seventh decimate, a spell that removes magic. Fearing he has somehow been chosen for a purpose detrimental to Belleger, the prince is nevertheless determined to do whatever he must to save his father, his kingdom, and his people. Donaldson follows his acclaimed Chronicles of Thomas Covenant series with the first volume in the fantastic new Great God's War trilogy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)