Description:

Epic fantasy found an exhilarating new voice in Robert Newcomb, whose monumental debut novel, The Fifth Sorceress*, was hailed by readers and critics alike. And now, for all those spellbound by the tale of Prince Tristan, heir to the throne of Eutracia, his twin sister Princess Shailiha, the ancient wizard Wigg, and the fate of their enchanted land, there is indeed more—much more—to be told. . . .

*THE GATES OF DAWN

For three centuries, Eutracia was a kingdom at peace, ruled by a benevolent monarchy and guided by a council of wizards. But a horror from the past, long believed vanquished, returned with devastating fury. And when the battle against the bloodthirsty Sorceresses of the Coven was finally won, victory was not without its price. Now, the royal palace lies in ruins; the king and queen, the royal guard, and the Directorate of Wizards are dead; the land is lawless; and Prince Tristan— forced by the Coven to murder his father, the King—is a wanted man.

In a cavernous underground labyrinth, once headquarters of the wizards’ council, Tristan has taken refuge with his sister, Shailiha, her infant daughter, the wizard Wigg—the lone surviving member of the Directorate—and the crippled wizard Faegan, returned from self-imposed exile in the forest of Shadowood. Together they face the daunting task of restoring order to Eutracia and winning back the allegiance of her subjects. But suddenly, even these challenges pale beside a truly terrifying turn of events. The sacred jewel that is the source of all magic has inexplicably begun to lose its power. Without its age-old enchantment to sustain their spells, the immortal wizards will perish . . . and magic will vanish from Eutracia forever.

At the same time, a mysterious and ruthless mercenary has declared a bounty upon the head of Prince Tristan. And an army of wizards on a mission to rid Eutracia of monsters created by the Coven has fallen prey to an insidious breed of creatures—beings that can only have sprung from forbidden use of malevolent magic. With time and their powers dwindling, Wigg and Faegan desperately seek to discover who, or what, has succeeded the dead Sorceresses in laying siege to Eutracia. But when the shocking truth is revealed, and an evil that transcends life itself is made known, it is Tristan, more than any other, who will be stunned to his very soul. And it is Tristan who will be thrust into the ultimate battle—for his life, his land, and the course of his destiny.

From the Hardcover edition.

Amazon.com Review

The Gates of Dawn, sequel to Robert Newcomb's debut, The Fifth Sorceress, is somewhat repetitive and clunky, but significantly superior to its predecessor. Most epic fantasy fans will thrill to the sequel's action-packed plot and Newcomb's vivid imagination. However, feminists may want to avoid The Gates of Dawn, since its large cast has only three semi-important female characters (all passive). The squeamish should note that Newcomb can be very tough on his characters, and that the magic of his fantasy world depends on blood--sometimes a lot of blood.

Prince Tristan, the Chosen One of ancient prophecy, has defeated the vicious Sisters of the Coven, but at enormous cost. Thousands have been slaughtered, his twin sister is gravely ill, they're both in hiding, and the Chosen One's vast magical power is of little use--he is still untrained. If these aren't troubles enough, Prince Tristan has an active, deadly enemy he doesn't even know exists: a trained wizard who is, astonishingly, even more powerful than the Chosen One. The hidden wizard has an intimate connection to Tristan that the prince could never have imagined. And he is restoring life to the evil souls of the still-potent Guild of Heretics, an act that requires raising the notorious Gates of Dawn and consecrating them with magically endowed blood--the blood of the Chosen One, Prince Tristan. --Cynthia Ward

From Publishers Weekly

When the Paragon, the mystical crystal that harnesses the power of the endowed blood, starts to lose its power, Tristan of the House of Galland fears this means the end of his country Eutracia and the end of all magic, in Newcomb's dizzyingly uninspired second Blood and Stone fantasy (after his controversial debut, 2002's The Fifth Sorceress). The forces of good-headed by Tristan, his twin sister Shailiha, and the two wizards Faegan and Wigg-must find out who is draining the stone, why it's being drained and, most importantly, how to stop the magic from disappearing from Eutracia completely. As the prophesied "Chosen One," whose azure blood is the purest ever seen among the endowed, Tristan has a lot going for him, though the author's repeated emphasis on the purity of blood smacks uncomfortably of eugenics. As in volume one, the "data dump" method of offering plot points slows the action, what little there is of it. The wizards spend most of their time talking, while Tristan can scarcely contemplate lifting a sword against his evil nemesis. Those readers who were hoping Newcomb might avoid some of the first book's problems will only find more ammunition here.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.