All's Well That Ends Well
by Angelo
Ventura
 |
The
Ghosts of Blood
and Innocence
(2005)
by Storm Constantine |
| BOOK
LINKS
|
Note: This review contains plot spoilers.
Second-generation hara bask in the limelight, when their parents
are busy with their not-so-easy triumvirate.
Darquiel, son of that triumvirate, grows in the far northern
Olopade and he discovers he's dfferent not only from humans,
but also from ordinary hara, with whom has little affinity. His
only true friend, a girl named Amelza, becomes woman and says
she can no longer be her friend. Darq tries to incept her, and
afterward, terrified by the results, cries out desperately into
the Ethers. This prompts the arrival of a certain har we know
very well, and Darquiel says good riddance to Olopade to travel
with a new teacher to the wolf-magic ridden realm of the Nezreka.
Meanwhile,
Loki. son of Pell and Galdra, officially son of Pell and Cal,
is the Aralisian's pampered golden harling. A call from help
with Freyhella and a questionable decision of Cal shall precipitate
events. Loki's feybraiha will be truly unforgettable, as Loki
finds himself in the sombre realm of Thanatep in the company
of his relative Geburael, son of Ponclast and Abrimel, and
of the less than charming Diablo. At the same time in the Multiversal
Library, Lileem and a rather tamed Ponclast discover very interesting
things about the Sedim and Teraphim and their masters — and
about the birth of Wraeththu.
From there develops an adventure rich in revelations, surprising
insights, return of old characters and visits to arcane realms,
where Darquiel, Loki, Geburael and Lileem will unravel the secrets
about the origins of Wraeththu, with a little help from Cal,
Pell and a long forgotten har who all think dead. A very dramatic
and poignant finale will reveal the true hero of this tale, and
Wraeththu come of age, and the truth about Sedim is known.
I think this book is a worthy conclusion of the Wraeththu
Histories trilogy, a novel beautifully narrated. It's full
of interesting characters, notably Darquiel, troubled about
his true nature but gentle and brave, Loki, naïve and
eager for knowledge, and devious Geburael, who is brought to
question the indoctrination in hatred given him by his brother
Diablo. We see also a much less control-hungry Thiede, a surprisingly
paternal Cal and a Pell that experiences a sort of coming of
age, in the end.
This book also signals himself for the extraordinary blending
of science fictiony and fantasy motives, reminding us of Erik
Frank Russell's Sinister Barrier and of Tad William's Otherland.
There's a cosmic and mystic flavor that contrasts eerily with
the sensuality of some scenes.
And all is well that ends well, as Shakespeare would have it.
About
the Author:
Angelo Ventura lives in Italy. His email is angeloventura@iol.it. |
