Zandru's Forge (The Clingfire Trilogy Series, #2) FROM THE PUBLISHER
In the era of The Hundred Kingdoms, a time of war and unrest, a legendary friendship is forged between king and keeper which will lead to a new destiny for Darkover.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In the second Clingfire book (after 2001's well-received The Fall of Neskaya), Ross does justice to her late coauthor's vision even if the plot is weaker than most in the Darkover saga. At the end of the age of the Hundred Kingdoms, "laran" (psi power) can be used to make terrible weapons that can kill thousands from a long distance. Carolin Hastur, heir to the Hastur throne, and Varzil Ridenow, a noble child with extraordinary laran, resolve to eliminate the threat posed by these weapons. What the pair devise will forever change the face of their world. These two characters, however, are less interesting than Carolin's friend Eduin MacEarn, who finds himself in a Hamlet-like struggle after vowing to take vengeance against the Hasturs who defeated his father. Unfortunately, a deus ex machina to dispense with Eduin's uncertainty arrives about halfway into the story, after which little conflict or suspense remains. Darkover fans who wondered how Varzil's Compact of Honor came about will welcome this entry, but it's unlikely to win the series new readers. (June 3) Forecast: In contrast to book one, this volume is essentially the work of Ross alone. The Bradley franchise may be ready for retirement if too many fans feel this one and, especially, volume three aren't up to snuff. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
VOYA - Bonnie Kunzel
As her health declined, Bradley invited coauthor Ross to join her, not in a continuation of her "modern" Darkover novels, but in a return to the Ages of Chaos in The Clingfire Trilogy. The Hastur Rebellion and the fall of Neskaya was the subject of the first book, The Fall of Neskaya (DAW, 2001/VOYA April 2002). This second installment covers the friendship between young Varzil Ridenow and Prince Carolin Hastur, who both dream of a Pact that would make using laran-created weapons such as clingfire illegal in the political arena. Because Varzil intercedes to keep the laran, or powerful mental abilities, of those in the Towers out of the battle for the throne, the legend of Varzil the Good is born. Unfortunately, Eduin Deslucido, the Tower-trained would-be assassin, evades capture to fight again. He is a weapon, carefully crafted by a father obsessed with destroying the royal line of the Hasturs. And he has the Deslucido Gift, enabling him to tell lies under truthspell. This riveting page-turner, full of action and suspense, fleshes out the characters introduced in previous books. Bradley, who died in 1999, could not have left her Darkover creation in better hands. Fans will be pleased, and those new to the world of Darkover have a treat in store for them. Although the second in a trilogy, the novel provides enough background so that the story stands alone. Watch for the third book in the trilogy, A Flame in Hali. VOYA CODES: 4Q 3P J S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Will appeal with pushing; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommended for Young Adults). 2003, DAW, 462p., Ages 12 to Adult.
Home
