Fortress of Glass

By David Drake

Volume One in the Crown of the Isles Trilogy.
A new book in the long running Lord of the Isles series and the first book in a new trilogy, this book does not require that the reader be familiar with the preceding books, although it would be helpful. Still, the text informs the reader as to the characters backgrounds but not in a lot of detail.
This book finds Prince Garric paying a formal visit to the ruler of First Atara, an island nation, ruled by King Cervoran. Independent for generations, now First Atara will be recognizing the supremacy of Valence III, Lord of the Isles and father of Garric. Upon nearing the island, Garric is greeted with the news that King Cervoran is dead and is to be cremated shortly.
Meanwhile, a charged atmosphere hangs over Garric's fleet. His wizard, an old lady, senses that something stupendous is about to happen and it does when a meteor falls from the sky and into the ocean near the fleet.
Garric's party survives the meteor and subsequent tidal wave and arrives on First Atara, ready to witness the dead king's cremation. Once again, strange powers fill the air and another meteor streaks down, this time toward the island only to burst in the air above the dead king and his pyre. Stunned by the meteor, few people notice that King Cervoran is no longer dead. Trapped by the rising flames of his pyre, he is sure to die a second death until he is helped down by one of Garric's people, the lady Ilna, a weaver with mystical powers she acquired when she was in hell. Ilna saves the resurrected king, but what exactly she has saved remains to be seen.
During the furor Garric has disappeared, magically snatched away from his world and placed in a dismal swamp world, destined to help the peaceful Grass People dwelling there who are being hunted to extinction by blood thirsty cat people who view humans as cattle to be eaten.
Back on First Atara, Princess Sharina, Garric's sister, is forced to take over his duties. Her first duty is to protect the island from deadly mobile plants that have crawled out of the sea soon after Cervoran rose from the dead. These giant plants seem unstoppable as they seize and dismember the defenders at will. Luckily Cervoran, who is a powerful wizard, has a plan and uses his magical powers to temporarily halt the plants advance. Cervoran knows the plants have been sent to the island by the Green Woman, a wizard who arrived on his world via the meteor that crashed into the sea.
Taking the battle to the Green Woman, Cervoran sails out to confront her and the two wizards struggle against each other but the battle is inconclusive. Cervoran is rescued by Ilna again, this time from drowning. As they head back to the island, a huge crystal fortress arises out of the sea at the place where the meteor splashed down. Now it's a battle to the death between Cervoran and the Green Woman with the people of First Atara and Garric's friends and family caught in between. Before it is over, loved ones will be killed, treachery unmasked and Garric's people scattered throughout time and space.

This novel started off pretty slowly but once it got going it really moved along. It turns into a rip-roaring tale with lots of battles, lots blood and gore (too much for my taste) and people caught in desperate situations that seem hopeless. Garric's sojourn among the Grass People was especially interesting, as were the stories of the other characters who were magically transported to strange, alien locations. I did get tired of reading about the people left behind on the island who had to continue to cope with the repeated assaults of the killer plants sent against them by the Green Woman. That and the continual gore got pretty old. Despite those drawbacks I found the book pretty interesting and at times surprising and I will certainly check out the next book in the trilogy, The Mirror of Worlds.

For another review of the book, see Bookreporter.com.

New Words

Apotheosis: the occasion when someone (often an emperor) becomes a god or goddess after death. '"But I thought -- that is, the council did -- that since you were arriving just in time, you could preside over the apotheosis ceremony of King Cervoran and add, well, luster to the affair."'

Coffle: a chained line of prisoners, slaves or animals. 'The last of the coffle moved through. The gates groaned shut on their rope hinges.'

Masar: a mazer, a large drinking bowl or goblet, originally of a hard wood, probably maple, later of metal. 'Instead of being terra cotta or a simple wooden masar, the sort of thing people who dressed like Antesiodorus generally drank out of, this was glass clearer than the water that filled it.'

Bight: the term bight is used in knot tying to refer to any curved section, slack part, or loop between the two ends of a rope, string, or yarn. '"Get out of the way!" Ilna said, making a quick change to the pattern -- gathering a bight in the middle of the fabric because there wasn't time to do the job properly with an additional length of yarn.'