Beneath the Vaulted Hills (Moontide Magic Rise) - Hardcover

Russell, Sean

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0886777453 ISBN 13: 9780886777456

Publisher: DAW Hardcover, 1997

Synopsis

An aging, legendary sorcerer is determined to take the secret of immortality with him to the grave

About this title

Review:

Sean Russell writes for people who prefer books to movies. No snappy dialogue or nonstop action sequences, just a mesmerizing tale, multifaceted characters, and lyrical descriptive prose. Beneath the Vaulted Hills is the first part of Russel's River Into Darkness series, which is itself a two-part prequel to Russell's Moontide and Magic Rise series. Each series stands alone, despite some characters in common.

Both series are set in the first half of an alternative 19th century. In Beneath the Vaulted Hills, Lord Eldrich, the last Mage, seeks to suppress all knowledge of magical powers. Two young men, Hayes and Kehler, and the beautiful Countess of Chilton have discovered clues to a possible trove of magical lore. It's concealed in a labyrinthine cave system behind a mysterious "crypt" linked to Teller, a renegade mage apprentice who founded a society to preserve magic. Erasmus Flattery, once a student in Eldrich's household, knows how dangerous the Mage can be, but finds himself joining the investigation. Both the Tellerites and Lord Eldrich follow, determined to control their discoveries.

Russell has the rare ability to immerse his readers so completely in his tale that reaching the end feels like waking from a particularly vivid dream. Fortunately the second volume of the series, The Compass of the Soul, continues it. --Nona Vero

About the Author:

Sean Russell was born in Toronto, Ontario in 1952, and had his first fantasy novel, the Asian influenced The Initiate Brother in 1991. His influence in the fantasy world comes from J. R. R. Tolkien, and knew he wanted to be a writer since the age of ten.

About this edition

• Publisher: DAW Hardcover
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0886777453
• ISBN 13: 9780886777456
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 576