Tristen, a young man summoned and "shaped" into the world by the wizard Mauryl in Fortress in the Eye of Time (1995) takes up, in the third book of this high fantasy series, as duke of the Southern stronghold Amefel under his lord and friend, King Cefwyn. Although fully grown, Tristen has lived in the world less than a year and is still more magical creature than flesh and blood man, so he has trouble handling the subtleties of politics. He keeps breaking rules: rebuilding old defensive walls, sheltering starving fugitives from his enemy's lands and summoning the Southern Lords to discuss battle in the middle of a harsh winter. King Cefwyn, meanwhile, is learning that the head beneath the crown always rests uneasily. Though he is comforted by his love for his new wife, other troubles distress him?his priests and courtiers are conspiring against him, his former lover's imminent marriage provokes much gossip and his foreign-born bride still seeks to retake her native lands amid hostility from his own people. None of these quandaries are resolved in this series entry. Cherryh delights in bringing to the fore the small details of courtly life: the political import of petticoat fashions, the disposition of oxcarts and payment of royal carpenters. Her rich characters are sure to please her many fans (she has won three Hugos) and a detailed, if somewhat drawn out, prologue will bring new readers of the saga up to speed. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
As a creature summoned by an ancient spell to answer the need of the land of Ylesuin, the young man called only Tristan has no past. As the newly appointed Duke of Amefel, however, he discovers that his future involves taking part in an intricate and possibly dangerous game of politics and war in order to preserve the friends and people he has come to love. The third installment of Cherryh's Fortress series (Fortress of Eagles, HarperCollins, 1998) continues the tale of an ingenuous hero whose instincts for truth and unfolding knowledge of magic bring him ever closer to his destiny. The author's accomplished storytelling and leisurely pacing lend an allegorical quality to a fantasy epic that explores the dual nature of truth and illusion. Recommended for most fantasy collections. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Description:
From Publishers Weekly
Tristen, a young man summoned and "shaped" into the world by the wizard Mauryl in Fortress in the Eye of Time (1995) takes up, in the third book of this high fantasy series, as duke of the Southern stronghold Amefel under his lord and friend, King Cefwyn. Although fully grown, Tristen has lived in the world less than a year and is still more magical creature than flesh and blood man, so he has trouble handling the subtleties of politics. He keeps breaking rules: rebuilding old defensive walls, sheltering starving fugitives from his enemy's lands and summoning the Southern Lords to discuss battle in the middle of a harsh winter. King Cefwyn, meanwhile, is learning that the head beneath the crown always rests uneasily. Though he is comforted by his love for his new wife, other troubles distress him?his priests and courtiers are conspiring against him, his former lover's imminent marriage provokes much gossip and his foreign-born bride still seeks to retake her native lands amid hostility from his own people. None of these quandaries are resolved in this series entry. Cherryh delights in bringing to the fore the small details of courtly life: the political import of petticoat fashions, the disposition of oxcarts and payment of royal carpenters. Her rich characters are sure to please her many fans (she has won three Hugos) and a detailed, if somewhat drawn out, prologue will bring new readers of the saga up to speed.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
As a creature summoned by an ancient spell to answer the need of the land of Ylesuin, the young man called only Tristan has no past. As the newly appointed Duke of Amefel, however, he discovers that his future involves taking part in an intricate and possibly dangerous game of politics and war in order to preserve the friends and people he has come to love. The third installment of Cherryh's Fortress series (Fortress of Eagles, HarperCollins, 1998) continues the tale of an ingenuous hero whose instincts for truth and unfolding knowledge of magic bring him ever closer to his destiny. The author's accomplished storytelling and leisurely pacing lend an allegorical quality to a fantasy epic that explores the dual nature of truth and illusion. Recommended for most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.