Synopsis
To save the Realm from the Dark One and his hordes, a lonely band of travellers is charged by the High Bishop with the perilous mission of carrying the mightiest weapon ever known to safety in the Holy City
Reviews
With the death of her mentor, A'mond, the young elf Chentelle is the sole enchantress in Lone Valley. So when a message from the High Bishop arrives for A'mond, Chentelle accepts it in his place. Following orders, she sets off for the cave of A'stoc, the apprentice of the great wizard A'pon Boemarre, to escort him and his mighty Thunderstaff to the Holy City of Norivika. Along the way, Chentelle is joined by the exiled warrior Sulmar and the mighty fighter Lord Dacius Gemine, also summoned by the Bishop. Haunted by the memory of his experiences in the long-ago Wizards' War, A'stoc is reluctant to join the expedition, but Chentelle convinces him to come along. At Norivika, they learn that recent stories of a star fallen to earth are true. The disparate party must recover the Sphere of Ohnn from its hiding place on the secret island of Kennaru and then use it and the Thunderstaff to destroy the fallen star before the Dark One and his deformed Ill-creatures can use its power to take over the world. This is a by-the-numbers quest novel?but one that makes all the right moves, with plenty of action, magical pyrotechnics and narrow escapes. Fans of epic fantasy are sure to enjoy this grand, fast-paced adventure from Anthony (the Xanth series) and his coauthors, first novelists both.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Boilerplate fantasy, of which a substantially different version was written originally by Richey, rewritten by Anthony's researcher Riggs, and finally tweaked and buffed by Anthony. Young elf-enchantress Chentelle accidentally intercepts a message from Marcus Alanda, the High Bishop of Norivika, summoning the apprentice of the wizard A'pon Boemarre. Chentelle sets off to deliver the message and, along the way, saves Sulmar, a banished warrior prince (he has an evil black dragon tattoo but is basically a good guy) from an evil-magic Ill-creature; Sulmar naturally becomes her devotee. She delivers the message to the irascible, drunken A'stoc, a survivor of the last battle of the Wizards' War, in which the Dark One was vanquished (but not, of course, killed). A'stoc reluctantly picks up his Thunderwood Staff, the magic of which he can no longer command, and agrees to come. Also receiving a summons is Lord Dacius Gemine of the Legion; despite Dacius's vorpal sword, his ship is attacked by another Ill-creature and he barely survives to reach Norivika. The Bishop, meanwhile, has received from the mysterious disembodied voice that he calls his Protector a knowledge of the evil he must face. All these characters will be involved together in the quest to locate the evil Fallen Star. The Thunderwood Staff, you see, must ignite the Sphere of Ohnn, which alone can destroy the aforementioned Star. Pleasant. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Led by dreams and omens, an elven enchantress leaves her forest home and begins a journey that leads her to a reclusive wizard who holds the power to save the world from the ravages of the Dark One. The authors inject vitality and polish into a standard fantasy plot with a varied cast of engaging characters, including a poised and competent heroine, a compassionate holy man, and a goblin priest. This collaborative effort by veteran sf/fantasy author Anthony, first-time writer James Richey, and coauthor Alan Riggs belongs in most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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