The Roses of Roazon
By Cherith Baldry

There is an old legend that if ever the Duke of Roazon, ruler of the island duchy of Arvorig, should fall from power the evil sister island of Autrys will rise again from the deep. When the new Duke Joscelin starts supporting an icon painter in her visionary view of the deity in a third aspect it sets in motion a chain of events doomed to call Autrys back from its watery grave.

Have a rest from Tolkeinesque fantasy and read this more original tale, based on Breton history and folklore. There is a nicely topical slant here with a theme of the terrible outcome of religious intolerance, and plenty of magic and adventure. If you like to read about characters that are more shades of gray then you might find the folk in here a bit black or white, but even this seems in keeping with the nature of the tale. You can imagine this courtly drama with tournaments, religious wars, knights and magicians being told by some mediaeval troubadour and indeed this is the sort of novel that is likely to be read by historical novel devotees as much as fantasy fans. Different, gripping and only a shade too long in places, I would certainly read another book by this author.

You can read a review of Exiled From Camelot on this site, a Malloryesque Arthurian romance.