Review: Epic Heroism
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 12, 2013
I began reading this trilogy of novels with a sense of anticipation. I like to be transported to another world where the rules are different and the creatures are magical and exotic. The unlikely heroine Shann champions the independence and dignity of the Kelanni. She is introduced in Book One, Sea Of Storms, as a shy orphan who begins to understand the awesome power of the lodestones. These magnetic stones are mined by the Kelanni slaves of the despotic Prophet. Shann's thought is wonderfully described like this, "The memory was an insect, fluttering at the edges of her consciousness, yet tantalisingly out of reach." She has many allies and many enemies along the way. Book One of the trilogy sets up the struggle between those who want to harness the power of the lodestone for good or evil.But the plot and the characters are deeply complex, and the truth is often shrouded in mystery. The feel of Book One is medieval and faith is in the forefront. The transition to Book Two, The World Of Ice And Stars, is a journey to more modern and icy scientific thought. There is the feeling that the brave characters have traveled to the dark side of a moon where the atmosphere has frozen. The introduction of the scientific apprentice Rael signals the importance of cold rationalism and a new enemy, man. The Third Book, The Crucible of Dawn, brings faith and science together for a showdown. Shann's remnants of memory become more fully realized and she steps through a door of discovery. Many conflicts from Book One and Book Two are resolved in Book Three, but not without heroic struggle, self-sacrifice and the fate that will bring the light of dawn. The Prophet is revealed but ultimately the story of this world does not end.