Alector's Choice (Corean Chronicles, Book 4)

Some People say that this book is a repeat of the first three of the sequel. The writing is exactly the same but the storyline isn't. This book clearifies somethings and shows what Acorus was like before Legacies, Darknesses, and Sceptors. Mykel and Alucius are very similar characters in the way they think and act. Also, the author takes the perspective of and Ifrit and shows the troubles Dainyl and all other Alectors faced. I for one can't wait until I read the fifth and sixth book to see if the things I am guessing right now are what really happened.

Alector's Choice (2005) is the fourth Fantasy novel in the Corean Chronicles series, following Scepters. This volume starts a new subseries taking place several thousand years in the past on the same planet. Many placenames are the same, but the political hierarchy is greatly different; Acorus and another planet, Efra, are ruled by Duarches appointed by the Archon on Ifryn. The lifeforce on Ifryn is slowly draining away. Acorus and Efra are being transformed into more suitable homes for the Ifrits. The Archon will soon select one of these planets as the new capital of the entire Ifrit population. After that decision, the number of Alectors on the chosen planet will increase dramatically. Alectors have been on Acorus in large numbers for only five centuries, but their first contact with the planet was many centuries before that. They have seeded the land with lifeforms -- including the intelligent indigens and landers -- to increase the lifemass and to warm the climate. The ancient ones -- the soarers and others -- were on the planet prior to the coming of the Ifrits. Their ruins are still visible, but personal encounters are rare, since the original inhabitants prefer colder climes than the Alectors. Besides, the Duarchy is suppressing reports of such encounters. Dainyl is one of the small minority of Alectors born on Acorus. He was initially evaluated as having little Talent and thus was not trained to any extent. He has worked his way up from the most menial jobs, but has gained much higher responsibilities since marrying Lystrana. While he hides his abilities, Lystrana has also helped him more fully develop his Talent. Dainyl is now a Colonel of Myrmidons, the third highest position in the Alector military. He witnessed the death of Submarshall Tynaylt in the office of Marshall Shastylt and realizes that Tynaylt was executed for failing to support the plans of the Highest Alectors. Now Dainyl is the acting submarshall and has been sent to the island of Dramur to observe the deployment of a Cadmian battalion to suppress an insurrection. Mykel is a lander Captain, commanding the Fifteenth Company in the battalion deployed to Dramur. He is not aware that he has latent Talent, but has learned to use it to direct his rifle fire. His battalion commander, Majer Vaclyn, is less than competent, but unaware of his flaws. Mykel has refused to obey his direct orders on occasions when they would entail excessive casualties to his men, but the Majer has overlooked such insubordination when the results are favorable. Since the deployment to Dramur, however, the Majer has been out to get Mykel and any other officer who defies him. Rachyla is the daughter of Seltyr Ubarjyr. She is driving a horsecart to town when Mykel, leading a squad of Cadmian riflemen, stops her for questioning. Mykel notices her shifting her leg to hide a firearm under the seat and warns her to move away from it. When he checks it out, the rifle is a standard C

An enjoyable continuation of the series. Although the story for this novel takes place on Corus, the action occurs many years before the Alucius based trilogy; and of course, there is an entirely new set of characters. This is a tale told with similar characteristics as the previous three novels in this series. The story is not profoundly deep, but good story telling techniques, plenty of action and a couple of heros not too far removed from the Alucius mold make it an interesting fantasy/adventure read. Anyone who liked the previous three books will, I'm sure, enjoy this one as well; also, there are enough loose ends in the last couple of chapters to make one look forward to the final installment of this series.

I've read almost ALL Modesitt's novels and series to this point. I "discovered" him in "Archform Beauty" and was intrigued. Alector's Choice is marked as Corean Chronicles 4 and having read it I wonder if this won't be another huge series like Recluce. Alector's Choice is told from what I would have called "the bad guys'" point of view, based on the first three novels, but now I'm not so sure! Now I suspect that, as in the Recluce series, MULTIPLE points of view will come out. Bottom line is, I like it! Like The White Order, the Ecolitan Envoy etc. it has me thinking about ethics and ecology and what are workable principles of life. That's probably why I keep reading Modesitt: there's a story with a hero AND there's material to make me think. I don't experience Modesitt as preaching or advocating a particular ethos, except, perhaps, to keep THINKING about ethics, ecology, workability, and life.

Alector's Choice, L. E. Modesitt's 4th book of the Corean Chronicles, is probably his best novel since 2002's Legacies. By pushing the timeline back several thousand years Modesitt plays to his strengths, spending most of the novel exploring an essentially new world and culture without his common pitfall of telling the same story over and over. I do take a half star off as the plot still isn't up to his very best fantasy work, but it is still a refreshing change from much of his more recent books. I rank it 4.5 stars out of 5 and can recommend it for both Modesitt fans and those new to the series and writer. It's taken me a while to realize this, but L. E. Modesitt's plethoric catalog of fantasy and science fiction novels share a pattern based on his strengths of worldbuilding, rational characters, and martial writing. Because Modesitt spends so much time forming believable worlds and protagonists, the first couple of novels in any series he writes (as well as the standalone books that he doesn't speed write) tend to be quite good as the story unravels the mysteries he creates. Unfortunately, since his plot writing tends to be repetitive, his followup novels rarely fare as well. What makes Alector's Choice a solid read despite being the fourth novel in this series is that by bringing the timeframe back several millenia Modesitt essentially creates an entire new world and culture to explore. The Alector (Ifrit)-run Corea of Alector's Choice is substantially different from the lower-tech, post-Catastrophic Corea of the earlier novels, and because Modesitt has only glancingly addressed Alector culture there is a wealth of society to observe for the first time. (The latter works far better than his attempts to backtrack in the Recluce series as once we see a little of Fairhaven and Cyador in the early novels a multi-book exploration is overkill.) Part of the plot is quite familiar but some isn't. Half of the plot involves the efforts of a young junior officer, Mykel, to deal with incompetent superiors and be slowly forced into using his burgeoning magical skills to valiantly lead troops while making tough moral choices. Had Modesitt used only this plot line, even with the new world the novel would have not been nearly as good as it essentially duplicates that of several of his other novels. However, what makes it far more interesting are the simultaneous efforts of Colonel Dainyl, a military observer and later Mykel's commander, to play Alector politics and unravel what led to the revolt that both are fighting. Modesitt skillfully uses Dainyl to explore Alector culture and it's a masterful attempt that makes this his best novel in several years. I wish the Mykel side of the story wouldn't be as predictable as it was if you've read any previous Modesitt - and Dainyl's mid-level officer caution against high level scheming superiors is far too similar to that of his characters in other novels - but since Modesitt sticks to world explorati