Socerer’s Moon
The Boreal Moon Tale, Book III
by Julian May
It’s always tough to come in on the third book in a high fantasy trilogy, and Sorcerer’s Moon is certainly no
exception. Without the previous books to orient the reader, the vast number of characters and quick jumps from one
character’s predicament to the next can be confusing - so you’ll want to start the series at the beginning. For
those who have, Sorcerer’s Moon does a tidy job of tying up all the threads of the tale neatly - if a bit
predictably. At its heart, it’s the story of a man who wants to be Emperor - a goal so filled with hubris that you
know it isn’t going to work out for him. By book three, the combination of magical influences and logical paranoia
(almost everyone really is out to get him) has driven King Conrig nearly mad and he still has the Salka threat to
deal with. Salka are big man-eating amphibians with magical powers and sly plans for conquest. The source of their
power is a complex game played by god-like supernatural beings who are always looking for a little fun by making
lesser creatures suffer. Throw into this mix a lot of humans (and nonhumans) with plans of their own and you can
imagine the complexity of loose ends May needs to tie up in this book. With that in mind, it’s a little slow going
at the beginning, but picks up about halfway through. It kept me quite riveted to the end. There aren’t many surprises
here - but good solid plotting and an interesting magical world make it an enjoyable read for high fantasy fans. |
The Book |
Ace Hardcover |
August 2006 |
Hardcover |
044101383X |
High Fantasy |
More
at Amazon.com |
Excerpt |
NOTE: |
The Reviewer |
Jan Fields |
Reviewed 2006 |
NOTE: Reviewer Jan
Fields is the editor of Kid Magazine Writers emagazine and has written dozens of
stories and articles for the children's magazine market. |
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