Child Of Flame
Volume 4 of Crown of Stars
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
Lost and alone in an unknown country, Alain struggles to survive as he is unwittingly drawn into an ancient conflict between humankind and their old enemy, the Cursed Ones. Separated from her husband and child, Liath must undergo her greatest test in a land of exile. Only here can she hope to discover the truth of her parentage and learn the extent of her remarkable powers.
Mourning the loss of his wife, the bastard prince Sanglant seeks his father,
King Henry, to warn him about the conspiracy of powerful sorcerers who wish to destroy the Aoi, the Lost Ones, once and for all - no matter how much destruction their magic will unleash. But King Henry's gaze is fixed on the throne of Aosta and the imperial crown left vacant for two generations. As a Quman army, sweeping in from the eastern steppes, ravages the Wendish countryside, Henry marches south, ignoring the pleas of his beleaguered subjects. The great cataclysm, foretold in the stars, is approaching. . . .
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The fourth of what is intended to be a five-volume epic series, this exceedingly stout high fantasy novel stands comparatively independent of the three preceding it. Continuing their deadly rivalry for the throne, King Henry of Wendar and his bastard son, Sanglant, enlist the aid of their siblings as they conjure spells and clash swords. Meanwhile, Sanglant has an heir of his own, the Cursed Ones (beings from one of the several alternate planes that exist in this saga) capture his wife, and his nonhuman mother returns, bearing prophecies of such imminent and dire doom that nobody believes her until disaster is upon them. Newcomers to this series will appreciate the narrative's brisk pacing, as well as Elliott's formidably competent world building (particularly the courts and the village of the Hallowed One) and carefully considered systems of magic and tactics that display more than an average knowledge of military history, religion and folklore. Some readers may find this installment too long and complex, though, and lacking, at critical points, the emotional impact and characterization that Tolkien or more recent fantasists such as Jordan, Hobb and Orson Scott Card bring to works of similar complexity. Although devout Elliott fans and lovers of long, convoluted fantasy tales will find her latest to be more than satisfactory, the novel's lack of precision may limit its appeal.
