A Time of Exile

The world of Deverry: an intricate tapestry of fate, past lives, and unfathomable magic. With A Time of Exile, Katharine Kerr opens hew territory in the Deverry saga, exploring the history of the Elcyion Lacar, the elves who inhabit the country west of Deverry. It is years since the half-elven Lord Rhodry took the throne of Aberwyn. When Rhodry's lost lover, Jill--now a powerful wizard-- comes to Aberwyn and tells him it's time e accepted his elven heritage, Rhodry faces the most difficult choice of this life. But with Jill's help and that of a human wizard named Aderyn who has lived for years in the Westlands, Rhodry begins to understand how his life is connected not just to his own people, but to the Elcyion Lacar as well. At last, destiny begins to unravel its secrets, revealing Aderyn's true purpose among the elves--and the gods' deeper design behind Rhodry's dual heritage. In Deverry the volatile history of humanity continues as a dashing young king journeys to his throne in disguise, fulfilling ancient prophecy. In the Westlands the exiled lord Rhodry travels anonymously as a silver dagger--a mercenary--as he did in his youth, following a destiny that will take him from the grassy plains of the elven peoples to the hills and towns of Deverry, where dark forces are gathering. And from the shadowy land of the Guardians come omens, ill-defined and mysterious, that seem to point the way toward cataclysmic war... It charts the progress of the Deverry civil wars during the ninth century, and especially focuses on the return of the true king--Maryn--to dun Cerrmor and his marriage to teh young Bellyra; of Rhodry's adventurings as a silver dagger during the wars; and of the strange talisman entrusted to his keeping. And we meet once more the seductive and infuriating Salamander as he searches for and finds a lost love; and witness the beginning of Jill's search for the lost elves of the Southern Isles. Katherine Kerr's writing takes a bit of getting used to, but it's worth the effort. She approaches her stories with a Celtic storytelling mindset, which means she conveys events according to their significance to the story, as opposed to chronologically. Consequently, while the stories begin in the "present" (which is an elastic concept, anyway, in a fantasy setting), the events unfold, chapter wise, both in the "present" and in the distant past. This can be frustrating, at first, but Kerr's writing is heavily steeped in Pagan and Western Mystery tradition, and the Celtic setting (and mindset) of her characters means that time, or chronological time, is not essentially relevant. To be honest, I found the first book infuriating, as I spent a lot of time trying to adjust to the writing style. However, I found the story engrossing enough that I persevered, and by the second book was so hooked I've read all ten in her three series. Kerr's story evolves around the concept of reincarnation, and unfinished business, and "karma", and fate. The same

Although I've read all of the Deverry series books that were published, this was the first in the series I ever read.I was raised on C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia and later discovered for myself Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. I still remember the evening seven years ago when I opened A Time of Exile and read the prologue about the dwarven smith. I knew from the style and the tone that this was a work of some scope and that I had to decide then and there to follow the series or give this book away and forget the whole thing.I've followed the series through and have not been disappointed. No other modern author of fantasy has had the ability to hold my attention for so long. There is a feeling of authenticity in every concept that is brought to our attention. We feel, truly, the joy and anguish of the main characters. We chortle madly with Rhodry when the berserk rage takes hold of him, and feel Lilli's despair and guilt about Maryn. And yes, we share the tedium of long sea voyages. Other authors have been flayed for less.I am, admittedly, a very slow reader. I linger over passages and often have to put a book down to let what has transpired in the past few pages sink in. An average paperback novel will take me a few months to finish; it took me about three weeks to finish The Black Wyvern.One can recognize that certain passages in the Deverry series are borrowed from pop culture; a scene from the movie Lawnmower Man and the Battle of Agincourt to name two. But where others might be accused of plagiarism, Ms. Kerr manages to pull it off and weaves them elegantly into her tapestry and keep us waiting hungrily for more.

I've loved every book I've read of Katherine Kerr in her Deverry series, and this one is no exception. It focuses on new characters and new story lines rather than dragging out the stories from earlier books (which she kindly resolved in a few books). If you like celtic-based fantasy, then you should be reading Kerr!

I confess that unlike other reviewers, this is my introduction to the Deverry series. That makes no difference--I'm hooked now!Kerr's writing style is impressive--I love the shifts of time and focus she uses. I found her characters were well-crafted and her storyline well thought-out. And I liked the fact that she doesn't rely on the usual chapter-style divisions in her work, a method which often becomes tedious after awhile.I'm all for reading the rest of the series now--just let me at it!