The stunning conclusion to a powerful epic fantasy from the worldwide bestselling author of the Saga of the Pliocene Exile.
For sixteen years King Conrig Ironcrown has ruled High Blenholme, battling both to preserve the Sovereignty he ruthlessly established over the four provinces of the island kingdom and to repel the invading Salka monsters that threaten them all. His hope for the future is his heir, Prince Orrion, whose betrothal to a princess of the province of Didion should assure the future peace of High Blenholme. But Orrion has no interest in the girl, and is determined to marry instead his childhood sweetheart, Lady Nyla.
Orrion's madcap twin, Corodon, dreams up a scheme to keep Orry and Nyla together by asking the supernatural Beaconfolk, who appear as lights in the sky, for a magical intercession. The twins are unaware that the Beaconfolk are fighting their own battle with others of their kind; to them all humans, even princes, are but pawns to be used in their own conflict. Their granting of Orrion's wish comes in a manner the twins far from expected, and precipitates chaotic infighting amongst the folk of High Blenholme.
As battles rage both on the ground and in the sky, the only hopes for peace can be found deep in King Conrig’s murky past. His former spy, Deveron Austrey, has secret magical powers and no love for the Beaconfolk. And while many of his subjects no longer remember the King's first wife, Maudrayne, she has never forgotten that her son is the true heir to the throne of High Blenholme.
Description:
The stunning conclusion to a powerful epic fantasy from the worldwide bestselling author of the Saga of the Pliocene Exile.
For sixteen years King Conrig Ironcrown has ruled High Blenholme, battling both to preserve the Sovereignty he ruthlessly established over the four provinces of the island kingdom and to repel the invading Salka monsters that threaten them all. His hope for the future is his heir, Prince Orrion, whose betrothal to a princess of the province of Didion should assure the future peace of High Blenholme. But Orrion has no interest in the girl, and is determined to marry instead his childhood sweetheart, Lady Nyla.
Orrion's madcap twin, Corodon, dreams up a scheme to keep Orry and Nyla together by asking the supernatural Beaconfolk, who appear as lights in the sky, for a magical intercession. The twins are unaware that the Beaconfolk are fighting their own battle with others of their kind; to them all humans, even princes, are but pawns to be used in their own conflict. Their granting of Orrion's wish comes in a manner the twins far from expected, and precipitates chaotic infighting amongst the folk of High Blenholme.
As battles rage both on the ground and in the sky, the only hopes for peace can be found deep in King Conrig’s murky past. His former spy, Deveron Austrey, has secret magical powers and no love for the Beaconfolk. And while many of his subjects no longer remember the King's first wife, Maudrayne, she has never forgotten that her son is the true heir to the throne of High Blenholme.
From Publishers Weekly
Dangerous family secrets and the growing threat of Salka invasion make for arcane bombast and treacherous politics in May's taut, fast-paced third Boreal Moon Tale (after 2005's Ironcrown Moon). As King Conrig of High Blenholme readies for war with the tentacled Salka, his official heir, son Orrion, foolishly bargains with the ancient magical Beaconfolk to gain the hand of his true love, Nyla, rather than wed Hyndry, the daughter of King Somarus, Conrig's ally. The Beaconfolk take his sword arm, leaving him unfit to rule and the fate of the royal dynasty in turmoil. Meanwhile, Deveron Austrey, Conrig's former spy, seeks Dyfrig, Conrig's true firstborn son and heir, and the wife Conrig divorced years earlier, in the hope of setting things right. Given the complex backstory as well as the immense cast, new readers would do well to start with the first of this epic fantasy series, Conqueror's Moon (2004). (Aug.)
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From Booklist
The conclusion of the Boreal Moon Tale (Conqueror's Moon, 2004, and Ironcrown Moon, 2005, precede it) fulfills most readers' expectations. The magic of King Conrig of High Blenholme, by which he maintains his rule against the rebellious, nonhuman Salka, is weakening. He trusts his son, Prince Orrion, will succeed him, but that depends on a dynastic marriage. Orrion wants to marry his childhood sweetheart--and endanger his succession. Posing further danger to orderly succession, Conrig's first wife thinks her son is the legitimate heir and intrigues to put him forward. That might solve Orrion's romantic problems. Then the Salka flare into open revolt, and Conrig is driven to desperate measures, including old, foul magic, to get himself off the horns of his dilemmas. Though the pace is sometimes slow, May realizes characters, setting, and the potential ethical conundrums involved in using magic with her accustomed skill, and readers who've enjoyed her for 30 years won't stop now. Roland Green
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