Song of Homana

For five long years the land of Homana had been strangling in the grasp of a usurper king- its people ravaged, by strife, poverty and despair; its magical race, the Cheysuli, forced to flee or face extermination at the hands of their evil counterparts, the sorcerous Ilhini. The time had come for Prince Carillon, Homana's rightful ruler, to return from exile with his Cheysuli shapechanger liege man, free his land from the evil domination of the tyrant Bellam and his villainous magicians, restore the Cheysuli to their rightful position of grace, and claim his birthright. To do this, he would not only have to raise an army, but overcome the fear and prejudice of an ignorant population and answer the call of a prophecy he never chose to serve! Book two of the dynastic fantasy epic of the magical Cheysuli race and the compelling prophecy which ruled them!

After reading "Shapechangers", I was pretty confident that I wasn't going to continue reading books in this series.. it was average at best, and did very little to compel me to continue. The second book; however, was much more entertaining, and steered clear of most of the silly melodrama that so marred the first installment. The plot was definitely superior in part 2, and dealt with Carillon's war to reclaim his stolen throne. The actual "action" sequences in the novel are still not well developed.. i.e. you'll end a chapter before a battle, and the next chapter will begin immediately after the battle. This gets a little annoying, but the story moves at a fast pace and is entertaining enough to at least keep the pages moving. Still not major earth shattering high quality fantasy, it's an fun enough read if you've already finished up with George R.R. Martin and Tolkein, and need something to while away a rainy afternoon. For simple enjoyment, it's not bad at all. Don't expect it to change your life... it won't.

As a sequel to Shapechangers (the first in the series), I think Jennifer Roberson did a fairly good job in keeping interest and the plot going. I like it that she wrote this book in the first person - it created some changes with the first book. However, i think the story was too much focused on Carillon. THe book was written from his POV, and although some scenes were very well done, I wanted to hear more of Alix's story. Shapechangers, which is definitely my favorite in the Cheysuli series, made me love Alix's character, and that she was almost a side character and of only minor importance (except at the end) in this book bothered me. But overall, I thought this was a good book - there are some unexpected plot twists and changes which make you keep reading, despite how much you like or dislike the book.

The sequal to Shape Changers, The Song of Homana is a very good read. I don't want to give anything away, so I'll just say that it's really good, and not confusing. If you like this book you should also read Sword Dancer, which is also by Jennifer Roberts, but takes place in a differnt world.

This is easiest my favorite novel in the "Chronicles of the Cheysuli" series. This novel provides a certain turning point for character appreciation (specifically with respect to Carillon) and also acts as an incredible catalyst for the time progression in the books to come. I don't want to spoil it for those who have no read it yet. Oh, and don't forget to read "Shapeshifters" first.