| ||||||||||||||||
|
|
L. E. Modesitt's bestselling fantasy novels set in the magical world of Recluce have established a standard of entertainment in contemporary fantasy. "In Modesitt's universe, where good and evil, chaos and order, are in perpetual conflict, a young wizard finds that his destiny is to strike a balance, but at considerable personal cost. Modesitt creates a deeper and more intricate world with each volume," says Publishers Weekly. "Modesitt's elaborate and intelligent working out of a systemof magic and a system of technology parallel to it is becoming more the lifeblood of the Recluce books with every new volume. . . . His saga continues to gain in popularity," says Booklist. Each Recluce novel tells an independent story that nevertheless reverberates though all the other Recluce novels to deepen and enrich the reading experience. Now in Fall of Angels, Modesitt moves deep into Recluce's past to chronicle the founding of the Empire of the Legend, the almost mythological domain ruled by woman warriors on the highland plateau of the continent of Candar. He tells the story from the point of view of Nylan, the engineer and builder whose job it is to raise a great tower on the plateau known as the Roof of the World. Here the exiled women warriors will live and survive to fulfill their destiny. Here a revolutionary new society will be born . . . if Nylan can get the tower built and defenses in place before the rulers of the lowland nations come with their armies to obliterate them all. And if Nylan can learn to control the magical powers that are growing within him. Thus Modesitt relates the story of how magic comes into the world of Recluce, in a fantasy novel destined to please the growing Recluce audience and win new readers to the series. Fall of Angels is the sixth book of the saga of Recluce. |
|
It always amazes me just how engrossing Recluce can be. This novel is about the Angels that fell from the heavens and the miracles they performed. In Modesitt's typical blend of sci-fi and fantasy, we learn that the angels were actually space marines fighting a cosmic battle between order and chaos in space. The marines end up getting stranded on the planet when their spaceship suffers tremendous damage in a battle with no hope of being rescued. The main character of this novel would have to be Nylan the engineer. He's the most practical crew member and sets about making a life for himself and his fellow marines. The planet has a wierd effect on all the marines making some more attuned to the order around them. Nylan discovers his ability as an order mage and begins to make use of his powers and the limited resources that was scavenged from the spaceship. It's kinda hard to describe the depth of this novel with just a plot outline. This novel covers many personal hardships facing survivors of a great disaster and their attempts to recreate a society for themselves and the local populace. I would recommend this book to all fans of sci-fi or fantasy. It requires no previous knowledge of Recluce (most Recluce novels are based many centuries apart), so anyone can pick it up and start with it. The concept of the world and the magic used in it is very innovative and unique and is a very enjoyable read for those wanting something different from the status quo.
|