Review: A sweeping fantasy saga
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 18, 2013
If you’re looking for a book to curl up with on a long winter’s evening or several, something you can immerse yourself in, then ‘The Infinity Mantle’ might be just the thing for you. In the best traditions of Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’ or ‘The Silmarillion‘ it is a sweeping fantasy saga, rich in the history and culture of the beings that make up Davidson’s world. Hats off to her for imagination. She has created a pantheon of characters, both mortal and immortal, both human and alien, all carefully embedded into this universe.This isn’t a light or easy read. There are many characters, many different paths to follow. It’s also very dark. For example, early in the book when Rayne reaches the town of Farinwood, he notices the children."There was appalling knowledge in the children’s dead eyes and they were not afraid to attack and kill like rabid dogs; as with rabid dogs, it was thus wise to retreat. Innocent children were now dark beings- incomplete at this juncture- but approaching the point where nothing would save them from an abominable fate."In a similar vein, the description of Margus’s world is chilling. All of this darkness is drawn to the beautiful world of Valaris, where fourteen folk must face fourteen challenges – and their own demons.As with any fantasy epic, the stakes are huge, with a quintessential good versus evil scenario. It’s not as simple as that, though. The heroes aren’t all good and the villains aren’t archetypes. The evil dara-witch, Infinity, wishes to avenge her dead son and this gives her an element of ‘goodness’ to balance the bad. Moreover, she’s not invincible. She plays with forces which she may not be able to control. If she can’t, things worse than her will come to pass. Rayne is a necromancer on a world where sorcery is forbidden. Although powerful, he is reluctant to follow a path he hasn’t chosen. For each of the players, the stakes are also personal as Davidson considers the price people will pay for immortality or love or power.This is volume one of a series. People who enjoy the book will be looking forward to the release of the next volume.