Sorcerer's Moon
"For sixteen years, King Conrig Ironcrown has battled to preserve the Sovereignty he imposed over High Blenholme Island and repel the invading Salka monsters. His hopes rest on Prince Orrion, his heir - whose betrothal should bring peace. But Orrion is determined to marry his childhood sweetheart - and would rather forfeit his life than wed the barbarian princess chosen by his heartless father." "In the devastated kingdom of Moss, the Salka are hunkered down - and planning the reconquest of "their" island. A shaky interval of peace has been broken only by skirmishes with these monsters. But the Salka's audacious new battle plan will keep them undetected until they vanquish the human settlements on Terminal Bay - while their reserves secure a beachhead and their main force seizes the heart of High Blenholme." "With his scheme for his son Orrion in ruins, King Conrig - his magical powers weak - is more vulnerable than he realizes. Years of opposing the Salka and his human enemies have undermined his sanity. With his dreams of extending his Sovereignty beyond this island fading away, he'll be even harder to control. Once again, he is preparing to use the foulest Beaconfolk sorcery to counter the monsters' massive invasion." "As battles rage, the only chance for peace lies deep in King Conrig's past. His former spy, Deveron Austrey, has secret magical powers - and no love for the Beaconfolk. And while the King's first wife is largely unremembered, she has not forgotten that her son is the true heir to the throne of High Blenholme."--BOOK JACKET.
Series
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3 primary books#3 in Boreal Moon
Boreal Moon is a 3-book series with 3 released primary works first released in 2003 with contributions by Julian May.
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3, 2, 2 stars
I'm a big fan of the Saga of Pliocene Exile, and I also enjoyed the Galactic Milieu. So, since I was unable to get the books one by one as they appeared, I bought the entire Boreal Moon trilogy in one go, excited for a real treat.
This wasn't it. From the start, the first book failed to capture my interest, but eventually, I forced my way into the story, and after a few chapters, it got better. Sadly, not much.
The series relies on complex politics, and simplistic individual motivations. The evil foe (the Salka) are a caricature - literally stupid, evil, slimy, green, tentacled baddies - sidestepping the fact that they somehow created the special magic sigils the entire trilogy depends on. Worse, the entire story ignores the fact that the slimy creatures are the aboriginal inhabitants of the island, and that humans displaced them through conquest. The fact that they want their land back just proves their evil nature. Good creatures who want their land back are fine, though.
The omniscient narrator tends to forget that the characters are not (meant to be) omniscient, and central figures keep picking up key bits of information almost at random. The magic system is barely examined, and is highly inconsistent - for example, “windscrying” (clairvoyance) is widely used, but virtually no one takes even simple precautions against it. This means that all sides can easily pick up opponents' plans - except when scrying mysteriously doesn't work (or isn't considered) - all too apparently for the convenience of the author. Finally, the resolution of the trilogy is very much ex machina.
May relies here heavily on an omniscient, yet coy and perpetually vague oracle/fate. She used this same technique to slightly better effect (though near-equal reader frustration) in the Galactic Milieu books. Having now read all her major works (including parts of the Trillium and Rampart Worlds series), I can say that she was at her best in Pliocene Exile, when her voice was fresh and the setting unique. Much less successful, though still interesting in the Galactic Milieu, which built on part of the same background. The Boreal Moon trilogy, however, uses the same techniques in a fairly standard-issue fantasy setting, and it just doesn't work.
The trilogy is slightly dull and convoluted in the first volume, but still worthwhile for May fans. The second volume (Ironcrown Moon (The Boreal Moon Tale)) is substantially less interesting, but does carry the story forward. The final volume (Sorcerer's Moon (The Boreal Moon Tale)) is a very hard slog indeed, and worth reading only for those who just can't stand to quit a story part way through.
If you enjoy Julian May and epic fantasy, skip this series.
