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Title: The Outstretched Shadow (The Obsidian Trilogy, Book 1) by Mercedes Lackey, James Mallory ISBN: 0-7653-0219-5 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 08 November, 2003 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $27.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.96 (23 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: Not the Worst thing I've ever read, but not the best, either
Comment: Kellen Tavadon lives in the Mage city of Armethalieh, where nothing ever is allowed to change. Son of the Arch-Mage, he's expected to follow in his father's footsteps, but he doesn't fit in, doesn't live up to expectations, and doesn't agree with the agenda that's been set for his life. His discovery of a mysterious set of books on the forbidden topic of "Wild Magic" sets him on a course that will ultimately thrust him form the life he knows and introduce him to his destiny.
Sound familiar? It should. The plot, characters, themes and settings are typical of fantasy in general and Mercedes Lackey in particular. Except for the hair colour and the fact that he whines a little less, Kellen could have been Vanyel. Whether this is comforting or annoying will depend on the reader.
I found this book very difficult to get into, mostly because the writing style is frankly amateurish, particularly for the first five or six chapters. For every location there are hundreds of words of unnecessary back-story and description. No event is truly connected to the larger story, as most of them occur mainly to elucidate conditions in Armethalieh. This was especially grating in chapter 2: an entire chapter devoted to a situation and characters who never appear again, merely to point out that women are not allowed to practice magick and mages go to great lengths to prevent them doing so. I couldn't help but feel there would have been a much more elegant and less wordy way of getting this point across. I wouldn't have found it worth my while even to give those characters names!
Once Kellen's destiny is thrust on him things pick up, but there's still a lot of the same-old here. The same old good vs. evil conflict, the same old debate between Earth magic and ceremonial magic, the same old magical creatures and, saints preserve us, the same old Elves. The action is okay and the concept of Wild Magic has some originality, but there's way too much introspection and moralizing on Kellen's part. I felt very strongly that the writers did not trust their readers to "get it," and so over-explained things to the point of boredom.
_The Outstretched Shadow_ has its moments. There were some things about it that I quite liked, occasional brief flashes of originality and wit. Unfortunately, it seemed that instead of pressing the boundaries of genre fiction, the writers allowed themselves to be limited by its banalities. So this was never quite the book I felt it COULD have been. I'll probably read the rest of the series, but I won't expect any more of it than I've seen here.
Rating: 4
Summary: Excellent New Series
Comment: I've always enjoyed reading books by Mercedes Lackey, but I never classified her as one of my most favorite authors. She may be converting me though if this series stays as strong as the opening book.
The book begins typically enough with the protagonist, Kellan, dissatisfied with his life. He is the son of the Arch-mage who presides over the counsel of mages who control almost every aspect of life in the city. Kellan is gifted in magic although there is very little evidence of it at the beginning of the story. All of the mages in the city are only permitted to practice High Magic which Kellan finds very boring. The story really begins to pick up when Kellan finds three books about a different kind of magic called Wild Magic. Once he begins to dabble in this very different magic the story really gets going.
I loved the system of magic that the authors developed. There is a certain coherence and structure to it. Obviously, its magic so it is still unexplainable, but I've always felt that even when you're writing about magic there should be some system to how it functions.
I also thought that the various races that Kellan encounters throughout the story were very well done. The authors did a reasonably good job of giving them different characteristics and natures (i.e. elves are not simply very pretty people who love nature, but actually have characteristics that reflect their nature).
The last thing I liked about this book was that you get to see some of the development and training of Kellan. He has some gifts, but he has to work at learning to use them.
If you've never read Mercedes Lackey, I encourage you to give this new trilogy a try.
Rating: 5
Summary: An Evil Plot Discovered
Comment: The Outstretched Shadow is the first novel in The Obsidian Trilogy. A millennium in the past, the Great Alliance of Elves, Men, and Otherfolks joined against the Endarkened and other Shadow creatures and fought the Great War until the Enemy were driven back into the World Without Sun. The Alliance celebrated their victory, but also mourned their losses, for the war had damaged the land and even destroyed some races of the Light.
The few remaining human Mages turned their back on Wild Magic and built the Golden City with High Magic, which was tame and predictable. They banned the Wildmages who refused to deny the Wild Magic and they created a haven of stability and peace. Any who threatened the stability of this haven were discarded.
In this novel, seventeen year old Kellen Travadon is the son of the Arch-Mage and a scion of a long line of Mages. Great things are expected of Kellen and his father Lycaelon never ceases to remind him of this. Unfortunately, Kellen is bored with his studies and restless in his relative peaceful existence.
Then Kellen finds three slim volumes hidden under an illusion within a bookseller's box in the low market: the Books of the Moon, Sun and Stars. These books teach the practice and philosophy of Wild Magic. Kellen recognizes the titles as being on the prohibited list and is intrigued. When Kellen loses his key after another unauthorized excursion into the city, he uses one of the spells from the Book of the Moon to find it, only to discover that he has a strong urge to run through the alley ways and climb a wall, where he finds a child who has lost a kitten up a tree and also finds his missing key as he tumbles down the tree with the errant kitten.
Kellen continues his studies of Wild Magic with a little more caution, but his second use of the finding spell leads him to a cistern that needs to be cleaned and filled in as well as a writer who is disillusioned about the City. Moreover, his behavior leads his father to search his room and find the three books. Kellen is called before the High Council and banished from the City.
In this story, Kellen flees the City with the aid of a unicorn, fights the stone hounds of the Outlaw Hunt, and discovers a older sister that he had previously not known existed (his memory had been modified) who is also a Wildmage. Idalia is living just across the border from the City lands in a log cabin. She is the local healing mage and also shapes the weather as needed and performs other magical tasks. She teaches him much about the Wild Magic, relieving many of the fears induced by the lies told by their father.
Kellen and Idalia are not yet safe, for the Endarkened of Shadow Mountain know where he is and use him to tempt his father. Lycaelon convinces the High Council to expand the City boundaries west to encompass their cabin and the homes of their friends. Idalia learns of their plans as she is demonstrating the art of scrying to Kellen and they hurriedly warn their neighbors and prepare to move.
Kellen and Idalia flee across the Wild Hills into Elven territory. There Kellen meets Jermayan, an Elven Knight who loves his sister (and she loves him, but is conflicted by the difference in lifespan). He also becomes friends with young Sandalon, a five year old Elven prince.
In this story, Kellen is even more conflicted than his sister, for he has trouble separating the truth from the lies told by his father. He is afraid that the Wild Magic has Tainted him so that he will eventually become a Demon. After he discovers that Demons really exist, he becomes even more concerned.
He is also dissatisfied with his abilities, for he doesn't seem to be good at anything. His sister performs Wild Magic with an effortless ease, but he must struggle to perform the simplest working. Moreover, his former tutors have set him up to fail so many times that he is suspicious of anyone who asks him to try something. He even suspects Idalia, despite his growing respect and love for her.
This story often reads like Hamlet, with Kellen questioning everything. It doesn't help that Elves believe it is rude to ask direct questions and often avoid sensitive subjects. Sandalon, however, is young and excused from adult manners; in fact, he often doesn't wait for the answer before he asks the next questions, so Sandalon is a blessing to Kellen in his openness and willingness to share information.
This novel is a multi-threaded story, with the extra verbiage that usually accompanies such tales. One learns more than strictly necessary about the Endarkened, who are thoroughly destestable creatures. The novel is slow moving in places, but still full of interesting scenery and characters, especially among the Otherfolk. There are a few places where east is used instead of west to refer to the direction toward the Elven lands; mavbe the book was proofed in sections rather than as a whole. Nonetheless, the story is an enjoyable introduction to the series, but this installment was terminated at a crucial point; thank goodness the second volume, To Light A Candle, is due out in October.
Highly recommended for Lackey and Mallory fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of various forms of magic and conflicts between pure evil and impure humanity (together with elves, unicorns, and Otherfolk).
-Arthur W. Jordin
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Title: Exile's Valor: A Novel of Valdemar by Mercedes Lackey ISBN: 0756402069 Publisher: DAW Books Pub. Date: 04 November, 2003 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Sun In Glory (A Valdemar Anthology) by Mercedes Lackey ISBN: 0756401666 Publisher: DAW Books Pub. Date: 02 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Alta by Mercedes Lackey ISBN: 0756402166 Publisher: DAW Books Pub. Date: 02 March, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: This Rough Magic by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint, Dave Freer ISBN: 0743471490 Publisher: Baen Books Pub. Date: 01 December, 2003 List Price(USD): $26.00 |
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Title: The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey ISBN: 0373802021 Publisher: Luna Pub. Date: 01 January, 2004 List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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