 |
Prince Sillik, the youngest son of King Saldor of Illicia, is the prime mover in this action-packed fantasy. The father detects the boy’s special abilities early on. At age nine, Sillik produces fire with a wave of his hands and befriends a huge wild bird—the common means of transportation—after being prompted by the goddess Silvia. Sillik will act fearlessly, fighting and winning a war, while employing magic and his sharp wits against a consortium of evil beings. He will have an ally—Prince Lysander of Aceon, a cadre of warriors led by stalwart general Ramos, and two special supporters: his consort and someday wife, Renee, and Briana, a bold female warrior. When Saldor and his brothers are lost in the fray, Sillik assumes the Illician throne, even as his future enemies are being conjured from the souls of the conquered.
Author Cannon, in creating this second part of an envisioned trilogy, has clearly delved deeply into the genre his works typify, evoking inevitable comparisons to The Lord of the Rings and A Game of Thrones. There is an infusion of medieval realism here, making it easy for the reader to picture the settings and the action based on historical annals of costume, weaponry, and royal intrigue. This volume can be enjoyed as a stand-alone, though reference to the first book, The Kings' Assassin, will amplify the current story. A strength of Cannon’s writing is his portrayal of well-rounded characters seen through their actions and lively dialogue. Another is his focus on notably strong women, such as Briana, Jacqueline, Renee, and Lysander’s frustratingly contentious mother, Queen of Aceon. True to the genre, many magical elements underpin the fast-moving plot. Cannon is doubtless building an enthusiastic fan base for his dynamic series that may aid in transmuting it to other media formats.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review