Mistress of Winter

I believe I read this book faster than any other. Mr. Fahnestock and Mr. Carwyn left each chapter with a cliffhanger, but the difference I see in their styles and other authors is that I found myself not just curious to find out what HAPPENS, but also curious to LEARN MORE. That's a rare gift. I don't know how these guys do it, but in the course of following the story in these two books, I felt increasingly immersed into the world they created. The key is that Fahnestock and Carwyn do it at just the right dosage level, where the reader continued to learn something new about the history and legends of this world, even into the final chapters, while the story never loses momentum. Heir of Autumn, I thought, began in such a way that ran them the risk of telling too much back-story and losing the audience. This kind of story should NOT be presented like a history lesson. When Brophy was banished and went off into the desert, I was really worried we would be breaking out the History textbook and high doses of caffeine to get through it. CS Lewis did it to me in the Narnia books, and I had a REAL hard time getting through those endless chapters of the main characters STILL riding their horses, and STILL trying to find water, and STILL rubbing their aching butts, and STILL worried about those dark clouds that STILL loomed over the horizon.... YAWN!!! These guys, however, very effectively used one of the better time-lapse tools - rendering the hero unconscious!! Brilliant! Scorpion sting, blackout, wake up at his destination - PROBLEM SOLVED. There's a little Obi-Wan Kenobi inspiration there, but we can forgive anyone our age for that. It was from that point forward that the story really picked up the pace for me, and of course I appreciated the back story before that point, making the reader fall in love with this glorious city, Ohndarien, and its people's philosophy. I'm wondering - where did the authors travel for inspiration? Ohndarien truly is an original creation - either that or I'm not exposed to its literary counterpart. The Nine Squares contest was confusing at first, but looking back, I see the genius in its presentation. I wonder about the inspiration for the structure and animal progression (rat, scorpion, phoenix, etc.. I'm half-expecting to travel to Denver and see that exact series of statues or carvings at the Zoo. What keeps the momentum going is that they are consistently dangling the mystery of the heartstone like a carrot in front of the reader's nose. How did it get its power? Did it contain someone's spirit? Did it come from outer space? What was it made of? Why was it in Ohndarien? And what's the deal with the Seasons? The Nightmare Battle at the end of Heir of Autumn was crafted like the best action movies are - you know it's a regional or global catastrophe, however it's best told and enjoyed from the point of view of just a few characters. And then Mistress of Winter introduces a whole new serie

The Mistress of Winter is the sequel to the Heir of Autumn. This latest addition to the three part series, adds many new characters, but still keeps all of your favorite characters from the last book. Mistress explores new places that take the reader father into the story. The book brings up those small questions all throughout that you have to have answered. These questions keep your eyes glued to the pages untill the very end. I can not wait for the final book in the series so that all of the ends get tied up!

This book is fantastic, taking the series to a whole new level. Carwyn and Fahnestock have outdone Heir of Autumn by making their characters even richer and more complex than in their first outing. This book is page-turning, funny and heart-breaking, as loaded with human drama as with great action and fascinating new lands. I loved scampering from ship-deck to ship-deck on the marvelous Floating Palace watching poets duel almost as much as I loved racing through Ohndarien's darkened streets where monsters aplenty are lurking just beyond the walls. If you're like me, you'll also love the trenchant political parallels to present day America. A phenomenal read all around.

Eighteen years have passed since Brophy, the once HEIR OF AUTUMN, saved Ohndarien but at the cost of his well-being; he sleeps the endless sleep filled with horrific nightmares caused by the Black Emmeria curse. During this ghastly period, Brophy's beloved sex-mage sorceress Shara has tried to free him, but has failed. With each passing night, the weight of her failure has taken a toll on her psyche as she suffers from nightmares just thinking what mental anguish he suffers. Making matters better and worse from Shara's perspective is when teenage sorceress Arefaine Morgeon, a goddess in the rival kingdom of Ohohhim, awakens Brophy. He is not the same heroic person who entered the eternal sleep and easily is led away by Arefaine who persuades him to accompany her to the ruined magical city of Efften; there she says he can rid himself entirely from the residual remains of the sinister Black Emmeria. As a heartbroken and mentally devastated Shara leaves for the Summer Isles seeking solace, her beloved owes Arefaine although he distrusts her. Brophy knows Arefaine and her empire must have some reason to want to journey to Efften with him, but he is unaware that the plan to raid the magical city is to enable her kingdom to destroy Ohndarien. This exciting action-packed sequel requires the audience to recently have read the first epic saga HEIR OF AUTUMN to keep up with all the goings-on (the above two paragraphs glide on the surface of the zillion subplots). Brophy is a fascinating protagonist who behaves like a tortured prisoner of war with no escape possible leading to all hope gone. This sort of reminded this reviewer of a Star Trek episode in which a man is stuck for eternity in a "universe" with a manic who wants him dead. However, the more fascinating character is Shara whose mixed reactions to his awakening are classic. Fantasy fans will enjoy Brophy's latest escapades as it appears he has jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Harriet Klausner