Eltiron is having a rough month. First, one of his best friends, Jermain, was banished by the King, supposedly for treason. And Jermain thinks Prince Eltiron was part of setting him up for treason. Now, King Marreth's new advisor, the slimy Terrel has convinced Marreth to betroth Eltiron to the princess of Barinash sight unseen. Lucky for Eltiron his aunt Vandi shows up to help lend some sanity to a really crazy court. Vandi won't let anyone push her around, and she sees that something weird is going on. She also knows that Jermain is innocent and his claims of an imminent invasion of the Hoven-Thalor are based on good sources. She's determined to help Eltiron figure out what that weasel Terrel is up to and keep the kingdom safe. Meanwhile, the princess of Barinash, Crystalorn is on her way to Sevairn with her friend the possibly addled but definitely useful sorceress Amberglas, and Jermain is recruited by the Wizard-King Carachel to lead a massive army because he claims that the real danger threatening the seven kingdoms is not the Hoven-Thalor moving north, but what comes behind them, an ancient evil known as the Red Plague or Matholych. Some people are not what they seem, others are more than they seem, and all are important in figuring out how to save the seven kingdoms from the Matholych.Wrede is one of my favorite fantasy authors, particularly her Enchanted Forest Chronicles, so I was quick to snatch up a title of hers I have not read yet. It did not disappoint. The plot wasn't simple, nor overly complicated. I managed to figure out some parts, but not all. The characters were diverse, and though some were predictable, several were not simple or flat and were fun to get to know. I absolutely loved Amberglas (especially reading that she was inspired by Sayer's Dowager Duchess of Denver and Jones' Christomanci), and Vandi wasn't bad either. Overall, it was a fun read with just the right mix between seriousness and humor. Notes on content: No language issues that I remember. There are no sex scenes. Some innuendo is alluded to but not stated outright, mostly involving wrong conclusions about relationships or obvious conclusions about the King's ever-changing ladies. An affair is also mentioned. There are a couple battles that are serious life/death confrontations and several people die. Some are rather horrible deaths at the hands of twisted magic; these aren't really described but the reactions of others to them give readers the picture they are horribly grotesque and sickening. Other people die via standard weapons or horse hooves or poisoning, none of those is described in very much detail. A couple wounds survivors receive are described, mostly broken ribs and bruises, but one profusely bleeding side wound and another shoulder wound.
I had a hard time getting into this book, which was strange for me as I usually enjoy Wrede's work. The story basically follows seven characters, who inhabit seven kingdoms and who are all facing the same poorly understood threat as the nomad tribes of the south prepare to come north and the matholych (some kind of fearsome monster) follows them. I think part of my difficulty came from the fact that there were so many characters, and the point of view switched back and forth every chapter or so between two of the main characters: Eltiron (prince to one of the kingdoms) and Jermain (the man Eltiron's father had wrongly accused of treason). I never really felt like I was connecting with any of the main characters--they seemed pretty thinly drawn to me, each defined primarily by some sort of stereotypical feature: the sorceress Amberglas who mostly rambles in disconnected ways (she drove me crazy until I read on the back of the book that Wrede had modelled her after the Duke of Denver, in Dorothy Sayers novels. Since I actually like the duchess, once I understood the inspiration I found her a little more tolerable); Eltiron, who seems largely ineffective, even for a prince; Jermain, the embittered soldier figure; the princess Crystalorn (who's so unremarkable, for a princess, that I can't think what to say about her); Eltiron's aunt, Vandaris, a professional soldier, who speaks in a bluff, insulting way (which was really annoying after a while). At any rate, definitely not Wrede's best work. Having just read her most recent novel, it's easy for me to see that her style has matured (and improved!) since she wrote this (in 1984). As an aspiring writer myself, I find this tremendously reassuring.
Do You like book The Seven Towers (1984)?
Wrede, along with Pamela Dean, Phillip Pullman, Susan Cooper, and Diana Wynne Jones, have been among my most liked fantasy writers since I was a kid. Wrede for her Enchanted Forest Chronicles and the 2 magician books. Reading this one now- I enjoyed her writing voice but it definitely didn't live up to those other books. The characters were very obvious, which is irritating in a book that has so much political intrigue plot points. The plot itself reminds me a bit of Game of Thrones except, like, for preteens (i.e., minus the incest/nudity/gore).
—Laura
This was the last book in my string of Patricia C. Wrede's works. It is classic fantasy, complete with evil wizards, warring countries and a shapeless evil. The plot revolves around seven characters who must either band together or fight to their death. While Eltiron (the prince) and Carachel (the wizard-king) are fully drawn and develop through the work, others are more one-dimensional. Amberglass, as the absent-minded sorceress is a humorous addition but feels over-played at times. The story-line is pleasantly twisty but resolves too quickly and easily in the end. All in all, an enjoyable if not overwhelming read.
—Charlotte
I really liked Wrede's Enchanted Forest and Lyra books (especially the Raven Ring), but here it feels like Wrede couldn't quite make up her mind whether to make this a humorous fantasy novel, like the Enchanted Forest, or a more somber fantasy novel, like the Lyra books. So, there are these serious murders/betrayals/setups for genocide right next to cutesy insults of "squash head!", and it doesn't quite work for me. Serious evil needs some serious swearing in order to be taken seriously. I also didn't find the characters as appealing as Wrede's usually are. Amberglas and Vandaris have downright annoying conversational styles. Vandaris can't have a conversation without a silly insult (mush mind! squirrel brain!) or generic fantasy exclamation (dragon's teeth!) . Some of the others wavered between being dynamic interesting characters and being bland genre stereotypes. The book isn't bad, but I don't see many people choosing it for their favorite Wrede novel. Good for a rainy afternoon, but you don't need to rush out and buy it.
—Emily
