Eyes of Silver | |||||
Michael A. Stackpole | |||||
Bantam Books, 447 pages | |||||
A review by S. Kay Elmore
Eyes of Silver is set on an alternate earth. It's a place
where magick is commonplace, ships navigate the air, and politics
get very, very nasty. Once, a mystical warrior, Keerana Dost, held a vast
empire and commanded the largest fighting force ever known. Now, eight
centuries later, his descendants squabble over the remnants of the empire,
sustained by the rumours that the Dost will be reborn to rule again. A
vicious triangle of enemies and allies vie for power, each determined to further their own goals.
Deep in the high desert of Helansajar, Rafiq Khast leads his clan of
nomads against Shukri Awan, a brutal warlord who deposed Rafiq's family
from their rule of the city of Helor. Prophesy tells that the Dost can
only be reborn in Helor, and that the city was entrusted to the Khast
clan by Keerana Dost himself. Prophesy also tells that Awan will be the
father of the Dost reborn, but his betrayal marks him for Khast vengeance.
In Ilbeoria, the warrior-priests of Saint Martin protect and serve,
charged by God and their patron Saint Martin to be protectors of the
innocent. Their powerful battle magicks have saved Ilbeoria from
invasion, and their airships rule the skies. At Sandwicke, the
Martinist training school, Uriah Smith and Robert Drury incite
the wrath of their instructors with a hypothetical battle plan
for the city of Helor. They staunchly defend their unpopular
strategy and find themselves under the scrutiny of Malachy Kidd, the
blinded warrior-priest whose silver eyes seem to see far more than they should.
From the shadows of her father's throne, Princess Natalya Ohanscai has
learned the shrewd art of high court politics. She doesn't entirely trust
the men who are about her father's business, and with his blessing,
travels to a far-flung outpost to learn who is scheming against him. The
journey is sweetened by the presence of her beloved, Grigory Khrolic, an
officer of the famed Bear Hussars fighting force. His command of a massive
Vandari Ram (a battle armour that becomes one with the wearer) ensures both
her personal safety and the defense of her father's Kingdom, Strana.
All three nations are drawn together by the appearance of a mysterious
man who may or may not be the Dost reborn. If true, the consequences
of his rebirth could shatter the tenuous hold on throne and country,
and crush every notion of religious faith that both bind and divide the three nations.
Eyes of Silver is full of military strategy, complicated
politics, and steeped in deep religious philosophy that has many obvious
parallels to our own world. The prevailing cultures are heavily based on
England, Russia, and the Middle East -- but don't let the similarities fool
you. These nations are nothing like their Earthly counterparts. It's
hard to take sides in this novel because Stackpole gives us a warts-and-all
view of each side of the conflict. As it is with any nation, you have
to take the good with the bad because there is no fairy-tale Kingdom in the real world.
Stackpole is very adept at military SF, and although a few of the
characters are stereotypical, they carry the story well. With a
novel so heavily influenced by armies, strategy and politics, it's not
surprising that the story's tone is more macho than romantic, despite
the buxom princess on the cover. Another notable mention is that the
novel seems to be just that: A novel. It's not advertised as the first
episode of an epic, which in itself is refreshing. It's been a long time
since I've read a fantasy novel that had a satisfying ending when I closed the cover.
S. Kay Elmore is a graphic artist, writer and corporate wage slave. She edits The Orphic Chronicle, an online magazine, and tries to make ends meet by writing and developing corporate newsletters and web sites. |
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