Cyador's Heirs (Saga of Recluce)
The seventeenth novel in the saga of Recluce is set about a generation after the fall of Cyador. We learn that the last empress of Cyador got the surviving lancers and magi on the last fireship just before Cyad was destroyed. They settled in Hamor, and, using Cyadoran technology, have established the fertile enclave of Cigoerne, which is greatly coveted by their less fortunate neighbors. The story is told from the point of view of Lerial, the second son of the ruler of Cigoerne. Lerial is expected to lead his brother’s forces one day, and this story is his coming-of-age as he works to strengthen his skills in arms, command, and the handling of order and chaos, and faces his first battle. This is not one of Modesitt’s best novels in the saga, but it does show us a time and place about which not much has been written. It is certainly an encouragement to read Heritage of Cyador, the next book in the series. --Frieda Murray