Book Review: Tir Alainn Trilogy Book 2: Shadows and Light SPOILERS!

Sorry for being away for so long, but with term ending and a recent attack of allergies (it is spring time you know), I've returned to crank out a few reviews of some books I've just finished reading and old books sitting on my shelf. In Octorber 2002, Anne Bishop returned to the vivid landscape of Tir Alainn with her second novel in the trilogy Shadows and Light. Synopsis: Ever since the slaughter of the witches, the Fae--who should be shielding their long-lost cousins from danger--have ignored the needs of the rest of the world. And shadows are again gathering in the eastern villages--dark, potent shadows that threaten the lives of every witch, woman, and Fae. Only three Fae can stand against the growing madness and help prevent more bloodshed--the Bard, the Muse, and the Gatherer of Souls. Aiden, the Bard, knows how desparately the world depends on the Fae's protection. But the Fae refuse to heed his warnings about the wickedness lurking amid the trees. Now Aiden and his one true love--Lyrra, the Muse--must embark on a perilous journey to find the one Fae who can convince the rest to leave their secure perches to save the witches and mortals. Because if the Fae don't act soon, no one will survive....

The novel opens with Aiden and Lyrra travelling through Sylvalan countryside, on their way to the western villages of Sylvalan to seek out the Hunter, the Green Lord, to talk some sense into Lucian and Dianna who are refusing and blackballing the rest of the Fae against the fact that the witches are the Pillars of the World and that without them, Tir Alainn wouldn't exist. Aiden and Lyrra handfast while on their journey, becoming husband and wife. They figure out what Morag told them weeks ago, that "Ari is gone" but not dead. The Baron of Willsobrook, Liam, learns from his mother that the witches behind the house are, in fact, related to him and that the witch called Breanna, is his half-sister, sired by his deceased adulture of a father. His mother also tells him about what the Inquistors are and what the eastern barons decree is best for women. Liam is disgusted and gets to know Breanna as a friend and becomes overprotective like an older brother would be. Meanwhile, in Breton, Morag is learning how to garden. She's given Ari and Neall her former riding stallion, a black horse. Ashk, the local Lady of the Forest, visits and tries to train Neall in the ways of a Lord of the Woods. Meanwhile, Adolfo talks with his lieutenant, Ubel, to arrange for the death of all the witches to kill the Fae because they embarrassed him. Lyrra and Aiden flee from nighthunters and run into Morphia, Morag's sister, who tells them she's heading south to look for her sister in the western Clans. Liam informs his mother that he's leaving to go to the baron's council meeting. Baron Padrick stops by Ashk's place so she can look after their kids while he attends the baron's council meeting.

In Willowsbrook, Aiden and Lyrra meet Breanna and learn that the witches are descended from the House of Gaian and really are the Mother's Daughters while the Fae are the Mother's Children--and as has been noted, spoiled children at that. Aiden runs into an angry Lucian in Tir Alainn and Falco tells Lyrra how horrible Dianna's been treating everyone and that he wants to get to know witches better. In the baron's council meeting, Liam interrupts and tells the eastern barons how sick he is at how they've treated all women and is poisoned by Ubel. Padrick rescues him and they head to Willowsbrook. Adolfo orders Padrick's death. Aiden is almost killed when the Fae "forget" to warn him and Lyrra that one of the bridges is severly weak. Falco helps rescue him and they go to Willowsbrook where Breanna and her family help take care of them and warn them about causing harm if they intend to cross the Mother's Hills. Morag wants a sailor, Mihail, to move his family to the western coast because she senses a hint that death is whispering. Morphia finds her sister in Breton and alerts them about Aiden and Lyrra travelling to seek out the Hunter. Rory, a cousin of Breanna, asks Breanna if Liam can be trusted because of what the eastern barons are doing to the women. Breanna says he can be trusted and wonders why Liam hasn't returned home yet. Liam arrives with Padrick and encounters a hostile Rory. Liam tells Breanna that he was poisoned for speakin against the eastern barons.

The Inquisitors, led by Ubel, demand that Liam stand down and surrender. Aiden can't get his horse, Minstrel to move and uses music to get him to trot, something that the humans find amusing. Morag, Ashk and a few others find some nighthunters present over a wounded child and a woman. The child gets away but not the woman. A deer (the Hunter) helped defend the child. Morag, after the Hunter dies, helps him to the Shadowed Veil. Ashk, who had defeated her grandfather (the Hunter) long ago but spared his life. She is now the Hunter. The Inquisitors attack with their nighthunters. Keely dies and so do the Inquisitors, but Ubel survives and flees. It turns out that Liam has repressed magic in the branch of Fire. Breanna scolds Falco in his hawk form for nearly dying in the fight against the nighthunters and wants to know why. He mentions not being able to save a witch in time and he was curious to see how humans lived and was angered over the rest of the Fae treating witches like they're slaves. Breanna offers him a place to stay. Ubel reports to Adolfo who decides that war is necessary. Aiden and Lyrra meet Ashk and tell her that Lucian and Dianna refuse to help and have told the Fae to force the witches to stay at the Old Places while they reap the benefits without offering anything else in return. Morag sees Aiden and Lyrra and tells Ari and Neall who would love to see them again. Morag apologies for running out on Aiden and Lyrra earlier and tells them that Air and Neall are alive. Morag tells Aiden and Lyrra that Ashk is the Hunter. The novel ends with Ashk saying that it's time the Fae returned to the world.

All in all, a good second entry in a "lavishly sensual" (Library Journal) trilogy. Great character arcs and wonderful prose that carries through the novel and Bishop's work. A must read for any fan of fantasy or Anne Bishop admirer.

Book Review: Tir Alainn Trilogy Book One: Pillars of the World SPOILERS!

Published in October 2001, during the midst of her Black Jewels series, Anne Bishop began another story about witches and fantasy, but this time, set in a different world and place than her bestselling series. Synopsis: The trees whisper of danger... The youngest in a long line of witches, Ari senses that things are changing--changing for the worse. For generations, her kin have tended the Old Places, keeping the land safe and fertile. But with the Summer Moon, the mood of her neighbors has soured. And Ari is no longer safe. The Fae have long ignored what occurs in the mortal world, passing through on their shadowy roads only long enough to amuse themselves. But the roads are slowly disappearing, leaving the Fae Clans isolated and alone. Where harmony between the spiritual and the natural has always reigned, a dissonant chord now rings in the ears of both Fae and mortal. And when murmurs of a witch-hunt hum through the town, some begin to wonder if the different omens are notes in the same tune. And all they have to guide them is a passing reference to something called the Pillars of the World....

The novel opens with Dianna, the Fae Lady of the Moon and Huntress, observing with Lyrra, the Muse, and Aiden, the Bard, that the shining roads from Tir Alainn are disappearing. They note that the disappearances have something to do with the wiccanfae (what the Fae believe to be evil people and witches) dying or leaving the Old Places and something called the Pillar of the World. In the eastern part of Sylvalan, the Master Inquisitor, Adolfo, sees to the death of a witch, something that gives him great pleasure. As he puts it, he's cleansing the land and men of the evil influences of women and has devised ways to make them "obedient" (read: subservient). In the human village of Ridgeley, Ari is cajoled into buying a magicked candy that'll bring whatever desires she wants. She hopes for a man who is strong, kind, and who can accept her for herself. Dianna notes that her brother, Lucian, the Fae Lord of Fire and Lightbringer, is restless as are most of the other Fae men. Morag, Death's Mistress and the Gatherer, notices all the spirits of the dead witches and resolves to find answers. Ari, walking home, comes across a lone black horse (Lucian in disguise) and gives him the magicked candy. He follows her home. Neall, a friend of Ari's, notices his cousin Royce demanding that Ari part her legs for him. Neall does nothing as the Huntress rides by and scares Royce off. Dianna sees how happier Lucian is and urges him to get to know Ari better so they can find out just why the shining roads disappear when a witch dies. Over the next several weeks/months (the novel's not that clear) Dianna, Lyrra, Aiden and Lucian come to view her as a friend; Lucian thinks of her as a lover, nothing more. Adolfo meets with the head of Royce's family and forms a plan to capture and torture Ari into confessing how evil she is so he can justify executing her. Morag talks to Ahern, the Lord of the Horses, and they try and stop Adolfo. Meanwhile, Dianna, Lyrra, Aiden, Lucian and Falco--the Lord of the Hawks--learn from Ari just how powerful the witches are and that they are the Pillars of the World. Ari asks Lucian if he can give her what her heart wants instead of trinkets; he can't and she decides that Neall can offer everything Lucian can't/won't. Adolfo takes some of his Inquisitors and decides the time is right. During the fight, Adolfo captures Ari and Neall, with the help of Ahern and Morag, gets her out of Brightwood but at the cost of Ahern's life. Morag tells Lucian and the others that "she's gone." Lucian and Dianna are pissed but agree that Dianna will take care of Ari's place to maintain the shining road. In anger, they banish Morag from all the Fae Clans, something that the Fae in the west have no intention of listening to because Lucian and Dianna are whining like children who've gotten their noses bloodied in far too long. Lyrra leaves Dianna to take care of the Old Place since Dianna took until the next Spring to return from Tir Alainn. In the end, Morag travels to the western city of Brenton and meets Ari and Neall who offer her a place in their clan. Morag accepts.

A well written fantasy novel, and, as SF Site said "Anne Bishop's novels are genuine gems of fantasy much to be prized." Her novels get better with each reading. It's such a shame that the Tir Alainn trilogy was only three novels. It seems like it has more to tell.

Book Review: The Curse of Challion SPOILERS!

The Curse of Chalion by respected speculative fiction writer Lois McMaster Bujold is a story set in one of her fantasy universes that tells the tale of a man named Lupe dy Cazaril and his quest to redeem himself and protect the Royesse (Princess) Iselle and her companion, Lady Betriz. Synopsis: On the eve of the Daughter's Day--the grand celebration that will honor the Lady of Spring, one of the five reigning deities--a man broken in body and spirit makes his way slowly down the road to Valenda. A former courtier and soldier, Cazaril has survived indignity and horrific torture as a slave aboard an enemy galley. Now he seeks nothing more than a menial job in the kitchens of the Dowager Provincara, in the noble household where he served as page in his youth. But the gods have greater plans for this humbled man. Welcomed warmly, clothed and fed, he is named, to his great surprise, secretary-tutor to the Royesse Iselle--the beautiful, strong-willed sister of the impetuous boy who is destined to be the next ruler of the land. But the assignment must ultimately carry Cazaril to the one place he fears even more than the sea: to the royal court of Cardegoss, rife with intrigues and lethal treacheries. In Cardegoss, the powerful enemies who once placed Cazaril in chains and bound him to a Roknari oar now occupy the most lofty positions in the realm, beneath only the Roya himself. Yet something far more sinister than their scheming hangs like a sword over the royal family: a curse of the blood that taints not only those who would rule, but those who stand in their circle. The life and future of both Iselle and her entire blighted House of Chalion lie in dire peril. The only recourse left to her loyal, damaged servant is the employment of the darkest and most forbidden of magics--a choice that will indelibly mark Cazaril as a tool of the miraculous... and trap him, flesh and soul, in a maze of demonic paradox, damnation, and death for as long as he dares walk the fivefold pathway of the gods.

It starts (with a rather excruciatingly slow 11 chapters that don't serve a point if you ask me) off with Lupe dy Cazaril walking to the Province of Valenda where the Dowager Provincara eventually gives him the job of teaching the Royesse Iselle before she, her companion/friend Betriz, Iselle's brother the Royse Teidez, his tutor dy Sanda, and Cazaril are summoned to Cardegoss by their half-brother, the roya Orico. There, and at Valenda, Cazaril hears of a curse placed on Royina Ista's family that goes back to Fonsa the Fairly-Wise. Apparently, Fonsa used death magic to kill the Golden General and it proceeded but not before placing a curse on the family of Fonsa and all his descendants--this includes relatives by blood (Tiedez, Iselle, Orico), by marriage (Ista and Sara), and close friends (Martou dy Jironal and Dondo dy Jironal). Orico tells Iselle that she'll be married to Dondo. She doesn't want to be but Orico refuses to hear one word against it. As she prays for a quick death, Cazaril talks Betriz out of using dark magic. Cazaril instead performs it and wakes up the next morning alive (something that's never happened to anyone else who performs death magic) and Dondo is dead. After Dondo's funeral, Umegat (the animal keeper for Orico), who is a member of the Bastard's order, tells Cazaril that he's carrying Dondo's soul inside him. In desperation to stop dy Jironal from taking over her life, Iselle orders Cazaril to ride to Ibra in Darthaca and ask Royse Bergon, son of the Fox, for his hand in marriage. Reluctantly, Cazaril agrees especially after Dondo starts trying to take control of Cazaril's body and Teidez kills the animals and wounds Umegat, believing he's freeing Orico from the curse. Orico becomes half-blind and extremely sick. Cazaril, Betriz and Iselle hope that she can marry out of the curse. Teidez dies of an infection and Iselle sends Cazaril on his way. He stops at Valenda to tell Ista of Teidez's death and she tells him what her husband, the former roya Ias and his lover dy Lutez and she did to try and rid the curse. On accident, they killed dy Lutez, and hid the truth about his death. They believed dying thrice would finish off the curse. And since Cazaril has died once and might die again with Dondo and the Bastard's demon inside him, Ista believes he is Iselle's dy Lutez. Cazaril continues on his way and arrives in Ibra. Bergon demands that Cazaril take off his shirt and it turns out Cazaril saved Bergon years ago and Bergon tells his father. The Fox seems impressed and, after a few days of travel and death, Bergon and Iselle announce their marriage. The curse grasps onto Bergon and Cazaril believes he's failed them. Bergon tells him not to give up and they plan to retake Cardegoss from dy Jironal. During the battle, dy Jironal stabs Cazaril, wounding him. Lightning strikes from the sky and kills dy Jironal. The Daughter releases her hold on the Bastard's demon and Dondo and the Bastard takes back the curse. Cazaril is spared, much to the disappointment of the demon, and Iselle appoints him chancellor.

All in all, once you get to chapter 12, where I believe the story actually starts, its good. The first 11 chapters seem to drag and that's because they don't serve the plot or anything other than to get Cazaril to Valenda, give him the teaching post, then send him to Cardegoss. Granted, she puts in tiny details that come back later in the novel but the vast majority of them are so abstract or so unimportant that most readers that I've talked to have failed to pick up on them. Which was the main conversation I had with a friend who adores Bujolds novels and sees no flaws. Well, to each their own, eh. Also, important note for history buffs and geography lovers: click here. I believe you'll find the information fascinating.