Dragon's Winter | ||||||||
Elizabeth A. Lynn | ||||||||
Ace Books, 341 pages | ||||||||
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A review by Charlene Brusso
Tenjiro hides his bitterness and bides his time. After
disappearing from Court for a year to study sorcery in secret, he
returns, only to betray Karadur by stealing away the two things
he holds most dear: first is the talisman the Dragon needs to
take on his changeling form, and second is Karadur's lover and
best friend Azil. Cloaked by magic, Tenjiro disappears into the
icy mountains to the north. While Karadur struggles to hide his
loss and carry on as Lord of the land, his own fear grows. He
knows Tenjiro isn't finished yet, and the sudden reappearance
over a year later of Azil, sorely injured and near broken in mind
as well as spirit, heralds the beginning of Tenjiro's
blackhearted war. Even as Karadur prepares for battle, still
unable to shape-change, he must worry whether Azil's apparent
escape from Tenjiro's clutches isn't also part of his brother's
sorcerous trickery. For the friend who betrayed him once before
could easily do so again -- might even do so against his will,
bespelled and lost to Tenjiro's dire magics.
Matters worsen as Tenjiro uses his magic to summon up demon
warriors for a war which may well destroy the land and leave
nothing for any of Kojiro's sons to rule. If stubborn Karadur
wants to win, he'll need to accept the aid of other
shapeshifters, trusting them to keep secret his own inability to
transform.
Lynn's story encompasses a broad cast of marvellous
characters, from the fated lordly brothers to the various
denizens of Karadur's castle, the cousin changelings Wolf, Hawk,
and Bear, who fight for him, and the half-mad sorceress Senmet
who may know the secret of Tenjiro's power. Throughout the
story, Lynn keeps the tension high with the sure knowledge that
no one and nothing is safe while Tenjiro still wields power.
Though this novel easily stands on its own, publisher Ace reports
there's a sequel in the works. You can bet I'm looking forward
to it.
Charlene's sixth grade teacher told her she would burn her eyes out before she was 30 if she kept reading and writing so much. Fortunately he was wrong. Her work has also appeared in Aboriginal SF, Amazing Stories, Dark Regions, MZB's Fantasy Magazine, and other genre magazines. |
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