Greetings all! Since this is the first review for the February Issue of Sabledrake, I thought it would be best to review a novel that had a romance theme to it. As such, I picked a pair of books that fit the bill, and should please even the most devout fantasy fan.

I found these books quite by accident - browsing the paperback rack at a local grocery store one day - and, since then these two books have been a steadfast fixture in my collection. Written by Stephen R. Donaldson, a man who wrote the entertaining trilogy "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever", these two novels cover the events of an epic struggle to save a kingdom in peril, while dealing with the central theme of an unlikely romance.

The primary character is Terisa, a daughter of a wealthy man in our modern world. She's the product of a neglectful parentage; sheltered and protected, while at the same time never acknowledged nor encouraged by her father or his 'trophy wife' of a mother. Forced to rely on herself, Terisa finds herself wishing for a better life than the one she now lives; working in a volunteer shelter, with no hope of ever being truly alive.

Then enters a most unlikely savior; Geraden, a young man from a providence in the kingdom of Mordant. He's an acolyte Imager - one that can summon up things from specially made curved mirrors - whom is used by his elders to try to bring a champion to save Mordant from the encroachment of an enemy monarch. Accidentally, he brings Terisa into his world and almost from the get-go she finds herself caught in between the struggles of the various factions trying to wrest the kingdom away from the benevolent-yet-neglectful ruler, King Joyce. While some are obviously in the struggle to better the kingdom, others are just pawns for the true villain, like the Castellan, Lebbick, who quickly becomes one of the tragic figures of the story.

In the middle of this, Geraden and Terisa end up chasing (figuratively) one another in a dance of a relationship. At one point, Terisa isn't sure she wants to be involved with the slightly-clumsy, eager young man, choosing instead to get near the dashing, confident and amorous Master Eremis; one of the leaders of the Congury. Towards the end of the tale though, Terisa soon realizes it's Geraden that she loves, though it takes a while for them both to realize it.

Aside from Geraden, I'd be amiss not to mention his other brothers, all of whom Terisa meets during the course of the tale; Artagel, a skilled swordsman; Tholden, Geraden's older brother & heir to their father's title; Stead, the 'family scapegrace', a man that can't seem to keep his hands off of women, even Terisa! These are just some of the ensemble of characters that come and go in the course of this tale. All of whom are figurative and literal pieces in this 'game' where the ultimate prize is the kingdom of Mordant, and life itself.

So, with that in mind, here's what I think of this book. For starters, Donaldson is a fantastic world-weaver. The vistas and settings in this double novel are rich and very visual. From Terisa's apartment to King Joyce's castle, and to the lands of Mordant themselves reach far into the reader's mind to view them. Visualization is also key to the results of the magic of Imagery. When anything is conjured up from the curved mirrors, you can't help but feel the menace of just how powerful this unique twist on mirror magic is; whether its ravenous beasts to swarms of insects to the virtual creation of an earthquake in the final battle.

His use of characterization and characters themselves is one of the keys in this book. For a cast this large, the author makes good use of each individual; even the lesser ones that only appear for one chapter. Everyone has a part to play, from Terisa and Geraden to the Congery's 'champion', who later proves to add a little sci-fi twist to this overall fantasy tale.

Some people may not care for the length of this tale - spanning four books and a whopping fifty-two chapters - and some of the content of the book; which does have some scenes of violent death, the aftermath of a woman nearly beaten to death and some language that is not intended for children. However, aside from these weak points, this is still a gripping tale. Not once does it slow to an agonizing pace, nor does it inundate the reader with meaningless exposition or "techno/fantasy blab".

Overall, Donaldson has a good pair of books here. Aside from the gore and the language, it's a nice read, equal to some of the longer works of fiction out in the fantasy ranks. Most however recommend you read the "Chronicles of Thomas Convenant" first, but in truth you can't be too wrong with either those or these books, as they showcase Donaldson's true talent of an epic fantasy writer. If you're not into intrigue or a long march to a climax, this is not a story for you, but if you like a romance that transcends the usual "Harlequin"-style stories as of late, definitely check these out!

*****

Title: The Mirror of Her Dreams & A Man Rides Through

Review: (out of 5 stars) 3.50

Author: Donaldson, Stephen R. Cover Art: Whelan, Michael

Publisher: Del Rey

Cost: USA - $5.95 CAN - $7.95

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 0-345-33298-9 / 0-345-35657-8

The Crystal Warriors

Historical Fiction is something I don't read a lot.

This doesn't mean I don't like it. I can appreciate an author that writes a story reflecting a period in our own history. To research something like that, so that it comes down to every last fine detail as accurate as possible, and then to adapt it into fiction is a great effort. Such work takes dedication, patience and skills that are a mark of a great author. Thus it's great to see such skills applied to taking period history and placing it in a story that goes from history to high fantasy in a eye blink; and still maintain a quality, entertaining read!

That's what you'll get when you read "The Crystal Warriors. The premise sets up in the fantasy world of Haven, where a group of rogue sorcerers are trying to penetrate dimensions to unleash demons on an unsuspecting nation. In the course of their searching, they happen upon our dimension during the clash of World War 2; over Anshan, Manchuria in 1944. By a blunder, the sorcerers end up rescuing the survivors of a crashed B-29 bomber crew and a Japanese occupational garrison (who are beset by a horde of attacking Chinese bandits).

Finding themselves on Haven, the Americans and Japanese are forced to form an alliance - in spite of a few dissenters - to survive in this alien world. They soon learn that Haven is a world of bounty and magic, and that the Gods (beings with the ability to manipulate an energy called Essence) live and interact with the people of this world. One of the sons of these gods, a man named Allic, offers them protection in exchange for fealty and service in his name. Left with little choice, the two groups agree, and thus their adventure truly begins.

What makes their eventual arrival so special is that the Gods sent a limit on the humans of Haven that prevents normal men and women from using the Essence. However, one human in a million can be born without this limitation, and with training can become a sorcerer. The Americans and Japanese never had such a limitation, so they cause an immediate shift in the structure of Allic's power block.

Intertwined in this is several threads that the American's and Japanese must deal with: the cost of gaining these powers, with which comes the ability to live practically forever; the dealings with many of the men and women of the political superstructure of Haven, as well as finding love and other interests in the realms. Under all of this, they find themselves in the path of a plot of one of the other 'demigods' - a bastard named Sarnak - who plots to use a fake war between Allic and his neighbor, Macha, to run the ultimate coup against the rest of the gods to avenge the death of one of the elder gods.

The great thing about this book is the way the authors balance the social backgrounds of the two off-world factions against those of the people (and Gods) of Haven. Most notable are the respective leaders of the Americans and Japanese - USAF Captain Mark Phillips & Imperial Army Captain Ikawa Yoshio. Men that were once at war against one another soon learn to respect and like each other, as they find their way through the tangle of socio-political webs of Allic's princedom and the world of Haven in general. Also notable is the humorous personage of Mark's friend Sergeant Goldberg (who proves to be very adaptable to Haven), and the otherwise semi-tragic plummet of Ikawa's former second-in-command Lt. Mokaoto, who ends up captured by Sarnak and manipulated to serve the villain's needs.

The book is historically accurate on the parts of the WWII scenes, and later meshes the characters from that period well into the continual adaptation to Haven. It also mixes a good balance of action, humor, romance/erotica, terror and sadness, all in which takes the reader on a good pace through the book. There are a few places that I was somewhat confused - transition scenes where we see some of the imagery of Haven around us - but these are few and far between. There are some obvious scenes that were borrowed from some movies (the arena sequence for the Havenite game of Deathstrike for one) but the authors don't make them too cliché or tacky.

This book was published back in 1988, so it sort of is a reflection of the way things were sci-fi/fantasy wise for that period of time. It's also not likely to be available in your local bookstore chain, but if you have used bookshops or do a search for it online, it's definitely one book I recommend you add to your collection. History buffs will like the WWII elements, and fantasy buffs will love the fast-pace of the story. Overall, a good read!

*****

Title: Crystal Warriors, The

Review: (out of 5 stars) 3.75

Author: Forstchen, William R.

Cover Art: DeVito, Joe & Morrison, Greg

Publisher: Avon Books

Cost: USA - $3.50 CAN - $5.50 (as of 1988)

Format: Paperback (OOP)

ISBN: 0-380-75272-7

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