Icefalcon’s Quest
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
A brilliant new fantasy from the author of the bestselling Darwath series, Icefalcon’s Quest is a follow-up to Hambly’s Mother of Winter.
The Icefalcon’s first mistake was to rescue the old man named Linok. His second mistake was to leave Tir, his young charge in the old man’s care…
Linok was not as he seemed, and when he disappeared, snatching Tir away with him, the Icefalcon begins a desparate quest to rescue his charge. But this will be no ordinary struggle, for against the Icefalcon come hellish furies – an army of ghostly soldiers horrifically constructed, demons of the air and magic so dark it terrifies him. There is also Hethya, the young woman who was once in Linok’s care. She claims to be possessed by a spirit who lived in the Time of the Dark and believes it knows the secret in the crypt below the Keep, the target against which all the forces of darkness are gathering…
Reviews
‘Hambly is a shining example of what can be done with the motifs and wonders that endear this genre to those of us who still seek a touch of magic in our reading’
Charles de Lint
‘An enviable and intricate talent’
Janny Wurts
About the author
Barbara Hambly was born in San Diego. Her interest in fantasy began with reading The Wizard of Oz at an early age and has continued ever since. She attended the University of California, Riverside, specializing in medieval history and then spent a year at the University at Bordeaux in southern France as a teaching and research assistant. She now lives in Los Angeles.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As glaciers creep southward, and bandits and sorcerous monstrosities roam the countryside, the Keep of Dare, a massive fortress built millennia ago, is the last defense for the inhabitants of the Vale of Renwath. In this follow-up to Hambly's Mother of Winter, the Dare survivors' last hope is to rediscover 3000-year-old magical technology. The Keep mages believe the key to that technology lies in the inherited memories of young Prince Tir--a belief that creates a dire situation when Tir is kidnapped by the insane Alketch general Vair na-Chandros and the Keep is besieged by the Alketch army. The task of rescuing Tir falls to the Icefalcon, Renwath guardsman and former "barbarian" White Raider. With the help of Cold Death, his sorcerer-sister, and Loses his Way, an ally from another White Raider tribe, the Icefalcon trails Vair and his undead army to the long-hidden Keep of the Shadow at the End of Time, where Vair plans to use Tir's ancestral memories to strike at the heart of the Keep of Dare. When Vair's corrupt magic rouses the ancient powers of the Keep of Shadow itself, however, the Icefalcon finds that there are even worse threats to deal with. Though the Icefalcon has been a minor character in previous Renwath novels, here his dry humor and insight into "civilized" culture hold center stage with ease. Hambly's latest is, as expected from this talented author, another fast-paced adventure with a finely textured setting, lively characters and some genuinely dark magic.
