Destruction is in Jame Knorth’s nature. Literally. She is the avatar of a god known as That-Which-Destroys, the god of chaos and ruin. Yet Jame is also a noblewoman within an ancient race, and the designated heir of her twin brother Torisen Knorth, High Lord of the Kencyrath. Jame’s people are fleeing, world by world, from a terrible enemy that has pursued them through a multitude of universes. Its name is Perimal Darkling.
Obeying instructions from her brother, Jame sets out with a force of Southron warriors to reestablish the long-fallen castle keep of Tagmeth. By Jame’s side is Lyra, a devious Kencyrath noble girl who is determined not to be forced into a marriage with a man she despises. Jame’s old friends Mark and Brier Iron-thorn stand with her, as well: Marc, steward and organizer of Jame’s household and Brier, the only captain under her command wholly sworn to support Jame no matter the cost. Jame finds more allies in the forest surrounding the ancient keep where the wild people of the woodlands, the Merikit, hold court. And Jame’s adopted mother, Gran Cyd, matriarch and queen of the Merikit, may once again provide the voice of calm that Jame requires to survive her own tempestuous nature.
Jame sets about establishing Tagmeth as an outpost against the gathering power of Perimal Darkling. But Tagmeth hides a secret, a gateway to a mystery that may save this world from eternal darkness—or plunge it to destruction and ruin all the sooner. It is up to Jame to find her way through Perimal Darkling’s traps, and to come to terms with the god of pandemonium and destruction within her who grows stronger every day. If she succeeds it may be that Perimal Darkling can finally be defeated after eons of fear and flight. And if she fails, yet another world will fall to darkness forever.
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Read the whole series does not disapointI waited till I went thru my second read before this review. I wanted to be fair and not just thrilled I could dive into a new book. Like most good series writers Hodgell has put a spin in my expectations again. She has answered a lot of questions and opened new lines of questions I had not even thought of. Hodgell has developed her characters to reflect reality flaws,extremes reflected so well we forget these traits are part of each of us. Thank you for another great read and looking forward to the next in the series. Love the twists and turns.
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Excellent FantasyOnce again, Pat Hodgell has delivered. For many years I have followed this series and the depth and complexity of the world building only gets better snd rivals the best of the fantasy genre. I would not want to jump in at this point without having started at God Stalk and savored the precursor works to get to this point; but it is a worthwhile journey to any lover of complex and deeply thought out epic fantasy.
Authors like Sagara, Martin, Rothfuss, LeGuin, Cherryh, MacAvoy, Bujold, Modesitt, all excel in worldbuilding constructed on a foundation of skilled, if not occasionally poetic, writing buttressed by an appreciation of the politics, human nature and the interpersonal relationships that make the real and fantasy worlds spin on their axis. Hodgell is right up with the best of them without half of the fame and fortune of those better known authors. If you love epic fantasy and have not met Jame, you are in for a treat.Posted on
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