Soleri

February 6, 2017
The political is personal in this elaborate opening segment of a high fantasy series that entwines family quarrels with imperial ambitions. An enormous empire controls its subject kingdoms through the ancient practice of hostage taking. King Arko Hark-Wadi, spared being a hostage in his youth, is given back his son but must surrender himself to the imperial court, a virtual death sentence. His daughters quarrel over a hastily arranged marriage to a usurper, uniting their subject kingdoms but splitting their romantic hopes. Their mother, now the chief priestess of the imperial sun god, schemes to become first minister for the unseen emperor and must play off the ambitious top general against her estranged husband, all while trying to discover why the sacred grain crop is failing. Johnston (Golden) relies on history and myth (a god named Mithra-Sol, an emperor named Tolemy, five sacred days at the end of the year) to ground his work, but the uneasy mix of ancient practices of marriage and modern sensibilities toward love muddy the characters’ motivations and make reader loyalties uncertain. Agent: Richard Abate, 3 Arts Entertainment.

May 15, 2017
First installment of a fantasy series featuring a power struggle over the remains of an ancient empire, from the co-author (with wife Melissa de la Cruz) of the Heart of Dread trilogy (Golden, 2016, etc.).The vast Soleri empire controls its four subject kingdoms by holding the kings' heirs hostage. Since the godlike Soleri rulers never appear in public--it's death to look upon their faces--a human First Ray serves as intermediary between them and the people. King Arko Hark-Wadi of Harkana never became a hostage (his father fought a war to prevent it), but Arko's son, Ren, isn't so fortunate. While Ren's older sisters, Merit and Kepi, quarrel over marriage to a neighboring king, Arko receives a summons to attend the emperor (a virtual death sentence), thus triggering Ren's release. Meanwhile, Sarra Amunet, Mother Priestess of the imperial sun god cult and also Arko's estranged wife, schemes against a powerful rival to become the next First Ray. Her main duty is to preside over the annual eclipse ceremony, or Devouring, but, ominously, the eclipse fails to occur for the first time since the empire's founding. These developing plotlines gradually expose the empire's rotten heart, with gods nobody believes in, imperial weakness concealed by a ruthlessly bureaucratic cruelty, and impending mass starvation. The hardworking backdrop borrows heavily from ancient Egypt and similar sources, but the sensibilities displayed are entirely modern. In broad outline all these portentous events sound quite feasible and intriguing, but the details quickly blur and dissolve in the light of the characters' persistent blundering and lack of forethought. And of real originality there is little evidence. A pedestrian opening volume.

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May 15, 2017
Johnston's latest fantasy saga follows several members of the Hark-Wadi family, rulers of the Harkana kingdom. The story begins by introducing the reader to Ren Hark-Wadi, son and heir of Arko Hark-Wadi, king of Harkana. Ren, as called for by tradition, was ransomed to the Priory as a toddler. This ransom causes his father to feel extreme guilt, as Ren's grandfather was killed fighting to keep Arko out of the Priory. Readers also meets Ren's father, Arko, his sisters Merit and Kepi and their significant others, Sarra Amunet, Mother Priestess of the Desouk, and Amen Saad, Sword of Mithra and Father Protector. Soleri is a twisting tale of ambition and betrayal. Every time a question is answered, more are raised. Relationships are not always what they seem to be; people are not always who they seem to be. The story is like a snake, twisting and turning on itself. Readers will be looking for the next book in the series, as there are questions to be answered, relationships to be explored, and quite possibly a war or two to be fought.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)