The Tower on the Rift

I'm by no means a fanasy fanatic, but after stumbling across this series, I'm beginning to consider myself one. The first book takes you to a land that, dare I say, mixes science fiction and fantasy together and thoroughly immerses you in it's detail. The idea behind the books is extremely original considering that fantasy has become a genre that never seems to run dry in terms of new settings. An extremely enjoyable and worthwhile read.

I read the first book in the series with a slightly jaundiced eye. While passably written, it lacked freshness and I felt too bogged down in the details of the differences between the different human races. Things improved noticably in this second book for me. There was less exposition and more focus on the characters. Particularly intriguing is the Yggur/Maigraith relationship-- I am genuinely curious to see where that goes. I still did not like Karan (the main character), which makes it more challenging to like the book. Still, I am in more of a hurry to buy the third book then I was to buy the second.

Tensor of the Aachim blames the other three human species for the woes suffered by his people actually caused by his leadership. His desire is pandemic destruction at a level never seen in known history. His scheme gels when Yggur the Sorcerer destroys Thurkad, forcing the Great Conclave attendees to flee for their safety. Tensor abducts Lilan the Chronicler and steals the magical Mirror of Aachan that a millennium ago belonged to his race and reflects all it has seen. Through the Twisted Mirror, Tensor plans to eradicate all he loathes.Karan borders on lunacy without Lilan to anchor her, but only she can find Tensor, Lilan, and the mirror, that is if her mind remains sane long enough to hold a rationale thought. She and the likes of Yggor and Shand the hermit magician will meet in a desperate gathering of the magic at a bastion long lost to time in the midst of the Dry Sea Desert with the fate of Santhenar and probably the other two orbs at stake.THE TOWER ON THE RIFT, volume two of the "View From the Mirror", is a powerful epic fantasy loaded with numerous threads and sidebars that ultimately merge into a complex cohesive story line. An introductory synopsis of the first novel (see A SHADOW ON THE GLASS) helps provide perspective, but reading the debut volume would enhance perusing this extremely complicated book. Ian Irvine's vividly descriptive universe should go to the head of the reading lists of the sub-genre audience because the characters are multiple-dimensional, the worlds and its species feel real, and the outstanding plots majestic in scope.Harriet Klausner

but for some reason the publishers are making us wait until june for the next book. (Dark is The Moon)I have to say this is one of the most intresting books i've ever read. hopefully he won't pull a Robert Jordan and keep trying to Stretch this series any more that the 4 books that make up the story. i beleave that this book is a lot better than the first in the series, and i can't wait until june for the next

This book is a great sequel to a great book. The story draws you in from the first page. Even though it had been five months since I read the first book, the authour refreshed my memory with a good synopsis of his first book, A Shadow on the Glass. This series will be one that I will be hard pressed to wait for the next six months in order to read the next book in the series. Over all, a great buy.