by Helen Lowe
March 27, 2012
Tarathan of Ar and Jehane Mor, ride into the great city of Ij in time for it's grand Festival of Masks. But soon after their arrival they witness a terrible slaughter as their fellow heralds are targeted an assassinated. They must flee for their lives across the city as they discover Swarm agents at work as they attempt to destabilise the entire River Cities network for their own ends. And five years after her great flight from the Derai Wall, Malian remains hidden to those who seek her. But she has not been idle. Her goal is to muster all Derai magic users that have fled into exile rather than face destruction. Only by uniting against the Swarm menace can they hold their own against the dark tide and she has hunted down every rumour of their presence. And she has developed her own powers that the Swarm must learn to respect ? and to fear. For Malian won't see her people fall to a dark tide of twisted magic as demonic forces subvert a way of life.
Here is a synopsis of The Heir of Night written by the author. If you have read Heir, then you can skip this part.
"In the far north of the world of Haarth, the alien Derai garrison the mountain range known as the Wall of Night against their aeons old enemy, the Swarm of Dark—an enemy they have been fighting across worlds and time. The Derai's cataclysmic arrival, several millenia before, threw up the Wall, which their Nine Houses have garrisoned with a series of central Keeps and outlying Holds. When the story opens, the Derai remain a people under arms, but xenophobically isolated from the other peoples of Haarth. A society divided into warrior, priestly, and artisan castes, the Derai are also bitterly divided amongst themselves by the civil war that took place five hundred years before, setting brother against sister, warrior against priest, House against House. The civil war also culminated in a “night of long knives” that resulted in the loss of the Derai’s greatest power, the Golden Fire of the Keeps. This, together with discrimination against those with the Derai’s old magic powers, has considerably weakened the Derai’s ability to resist their ancient enemy.
In the beginning of HEIR we meet Malian, the daughter and Heir of the Earl of Night. She is only thirteen and has an adventurous nature and befriends Kalan, an exile from the House of Blood. Together they face a destiny that will require unbelievable sacrifice; the Derai Alliance is crumbling and no longer able to hold back the Swarm of Dark and “If Night falls, all fall”"
Now, onto The Gathering. While Heir was about the Deria and life on the Wall, this book is about the life and people of Haarth after the Great Cataclysm, a period of devastating natural disasters followed by civil war and the fall of the Old Empire. I don't want to discuss the plot of this book because there are a ton of revelations and twists that would ruin the first book as well as this one if you knew ahead of time. The unexpected events are one of the reasons I love this series so much. Pretty much what I could talk about is in the Gathering's blurb at the top of the post.
This story is richly layered with multiple story lines coming together and Helen’s depiction of this world is vivid and complete. I would swear this was a real place and the author lives there. We meet so many characters in this book it is almost overwhelming, but none of them feel frivolous.
The writing is exceptional and the clever weaving of a “hiding behind the mask” theme is impressive. I am in awe Helen’s ability to write a story of this scope and not have any plot holes or WTH? moments. This isn’t a light read by any means; every word counts, so if you skim you will miss something. At over six hundred pages this book is one you must give your complete attention to and be actively engaged, but the payoff is worth it. Helen does a good job of occasionally summing up what has happened so far, which is a great help to me because with kids running around I wasn’t able to focus sometimes and I needed that extra help to connect the dots. There is some romance, but it is a bitter-sweet. The Wall of Night series has enthralled me and I look forward to what other surprises are in store for Malian and the House of Night as well as the joy of Helen’s writing. Book 3 will be called Daughter of Blood.
U.K. covers |
Heir of Night awards
Sir Julius Vogel Award for "Best Novel" for The Heir of Night
International Gemmell"Morningstar" Award 2012 for Best Fantasy Newcomer!
5 “face-stealing” Sheep
website-blog-twitter
Helen Lowe's first novel, Thornspell, a critically praised retelling of Sleeping Beauty, was published by Knopf Books for Young Readers in September 2008. Thornspell was a Storylines Notable Book 2009 and won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Novel, Young Adult 2009; Helen also won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best New Talent in the same year. Helen Lowe lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, and writes fantasy and sci-fi novels, poetry, and short fiction.
Helen Lowe's first novel, Thornspell, a critically praised retelling of Sleeping Beauty, was published by Knopf Books for Young Readers in September 2008. Thornspell was a Storylines Notable Book 2009 and won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Novel, Young Adult 2009; Helen also won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best New Talent in the same year. Helen Lowe lives in Christchurch, New Zealand, and writes fantasy and sci-fi novels, poetry, and short fiction.
I read The Heir of Night and really enjoyed it. I knew there was another book in the offering and I am glad to see it is a goodie :) Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteOmigosh - FIVE sheep? I have to go get these books right now!
ReplyDeletewell, duh! it is a unique story and exceptional writing. The second book is better than the first! but I think I gave the first book 5 also...
Delete