Electronic OtherRealms #24
                                 Spring, 1989
                                Part 7 of 10

                      Copyright 1989 by Chuq Von Rospach
                             All Rights Reserved

 OtherRealms may not be reproduced without permission from Chuq Von Rospach.
            Permission is given to electronically distribute this
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                                No Prisoners!
                           Reviews by Laurie Sefton
                       Copyright 1989 by Laurie Sefton

Let's explore a kind of book that has been popping up in increasing
numbers. It's the "this happened previously to the story in the first
novel I wrote in the series" book, or prequel. The prequel is not bad
or ugly by its very existence, as many times it gives a good
explanation of how past events may have affected the future. Good
examples of this are Darkover Landfall by Marion Zimmer Bradley and
Dragondawn, by Anne McCaffrey. However, the prequel can be abused, used
as sales fodder for series fans. To be successful, the prequel must
follow some rules.  Therefore, here are Sefton's Laws of Temporal Linearity:

1) There must be a good reason for the prequel to exist.
2) Money is not a good reason.
3) The prequel must answer questions raised in the "future" books. If 
	there are differences between actions in the past and how they are 
	remembered in the future, a good explanation must be provided.

There are obvious problems and pitfalls to the prequel novel. For
example, a character may be newly dead by the time the "future" novel
occurs. The writer must then be able to keep the reader's interest
while planning to do away with the person who might be the lead
character.  Also, when genealogies are provided in the original book,
the writer has to keep to the schedule of births, deaths and events. A
hastily provided past is a deadly trap, while a well thought our past
provides a framework for prequels.

The Harrowing of Gwynedd	[****+]
Katherine Kurtz
Del Rey, 380pp, 1989

Katherine Kurtz's The Harrowing of Gwynedd is a case in point.  Anyone
who has kept up with the Deryni novels knows the timetable of deaths
after the "death" of St. Camber. Especially evident is the death of
Evaine, Camber's daughter. Also, the scope of Deryni persecutions has
been alluded to in the "future" novels, while the groundwork for these
persecutions has been laid in Camber series. Kurtz is able to work
within these restrictions and still deliver an enthralling story.

The storyline starts immediately after the "death" of Camber.  Camber's
work, the stability and trust between human and Deryni in Gwynedd, has
fallen apart under the pressure provided by a few evil men. These men
feed off of the fear of Deryni power, and they use their power as
regents to mold the minds and hearts of the young princes left in their
care. More horrifying than the physical torture is the use of
psychological and temporal means to destroy Deryni resistance. By using
the medieval Church, the cornerstone of society and ultimate authority,
they destroy Deryni by convincing them that they are evil. The Church
is held out as the wielder of punishment and tool of salvation to the
Deryni.  By removing the Derynis right to exist, they have done much
worse damage than mere physical slaughter.

The Harrowing of Gwynedd is not an easy book to read. Kurtz ties you so
tightly to the fortunes of the Deryni, and the MacRories in particular,
that every transgression against them is twisted knife in the gut.
Because of the unbridled jealousy of a few evil men, an entire race of
people are tortured and destroyed. The "good guys" don't win in the
story, but from the struggle comes the power of the book.

The Silver Branch	[***]
Patricia Kennealy
New American Library, 442 pp, 1989

A less successful attempt at the prequel is The Silver Branch, the
latest in the Keltiad series, and the prequel to the Copper Crown
diptych.  The books attempts to give a background for the future war
between the Kelts, the Fomorians, and the Coranians. Those who have
read the Copper Crown diptych will be familiar with the characters, and
those who have read Celtic mythology will be familiar with the three
nations.  Each fled to the stars from the encroachment of Christianity
on their lands and kept the enmity they had on Earth alive through the ages.

Into this venue, we have the story of Aeron, who we first met in The
Copper Crown, and how she became the empress of Keltia. This is where
the prequel goes wrong. Too little attention is paid to Aeron's
parents, who actually have much more to do with the state of affairs in
The Copper Crown than anyone else. Aeron's early life, while providing
answers to questions raised in The Copper Crown, eats up too much of
the story that should rightly be shared across three generations. A
better treatment of the time immediately preceding The Copper Crown
would have used two books, rather than subjecting the reader to a
Celtic roller coaster ride. Even better, a book about Aoife Aoibhell,
the Old Queen, who appears at the beginning of The Silver Branch, would
have been an excellent place to start. The character is bursting with
stories to be told -- anyone with her ability to strike fear in the
hearts of her court must have been a very interesting person.

I also have a small quibble over the extensive foreshadowing; there is
entirely too much of "we know what is going to happen, since we've
already been there." The most blatant example of this is the vision of
the space crew that will show up at the beginning of The Copper Crown.
Granted, The Silver Branch segues nicely into The Copper Crown, but it
segues almost too nicely.

On The Seas of Destiny	[****]
Ru Emerson
Ace, 280 pp, 1989

Reversing the time flow, lets take a look at the third book of the
Nedao trilogy, On the Seas of Destiny. One of the aspects of Emerson's
work that I especially enjoy is the style of warrior and war she
presents. Many fantasy novels have great effortless battles in which
the only people who manage to be killed are the 10,000 nameless
peasants who were in the way. In the style of warfare in the Nedao
trilogy novels, people get hurt.  And people die in rather unpleasant
ways. And sometimes, innocents get caught in the crossfire.

Another aspect is the training that occurs for battle. Anyone who
thinks that they can immediately become proficient in either sword or
bow and arrow ought to pay a trip to the local fencing or archery club
for a lesson. Make sure you have a copious supply of your favorite
painkiller for the next morning -- you'll need it. It's nice to see
someone who realizes that the use of a sword or bow and arrow takes
time and practice and incorporates it in her novel.

Emerson also show that the climactic battle, while nice in theory,
doesn't always happen. Ylia, the warrior queen spends some time after
said "climactic battle" cleaning up loose ends. As some have found,
warriors can die as easily in the mop-up operations as they can in
"glorious battle."

I have reconciled to, if not started to enjoy the ruminations of Nisana
the cat, who provides a short description of the chapter to follow. Nisana's
explanations reminded me of Dumas' chapter titles in The Three Musketeers,
which instead of spoiling the chapter, give clues of what is ahead.

On The Seas of Destiny is a satisfying end to the Nedao trilogy, and a
welcome relief to the post-Christmas reading drought.

Prentice Alvin	[****+]
Orson Scott Card
Tor, 342pp, 1989

Change the battleground from the physical to the spiritual, and you
have the theme for Prentice Alvin, Orson Scott Card's latest in the The
Tales of Alvin Maker. I've had a special interest in the series, since
I lived a few miles from BattleGround Indiana, the site of the
slaughter in the previous book, Red Prophet.

Alvin's story moves from the Wobbish territories to Hatrack River,
where he begins his apprenticeship as a blacksmith. Alvin's growing
ability as a blacksmith is nicely paralleled with his growing ability
as a Maker. As a concurrent subplot, the flight and return of Peggy,
the torch in the first book, is chronicled.

The use and misuse of power is also covered, from Peggy's running away
from her destiny, to Alvin's spiteful misuse of his power, and the
brush with the Unmaker that follows, to the slave trackers from the
Appalachee nation, who misuse their "knack" only to further human
misery. The reaction of those who find out about Alvin's knack,
particularly his master blacksmith, closely parallels the feelings
towards the Deryni in Kurtz's work. You can change the setting, and
change the timeframe, but human foibles stay the same.

Once again, Card has mixed allegory, lessons in morality, and an
insight into human psychology into a very entertaining story.

The Sarsen Witch	[***+]
Eileen Kernaghan
Ace, 217 pp, 1989

Finally, a book, while a part of a series, stands on its own. The
Sarsen Witch is the latest by Eileen Kernaghan. Instead of Celtic
Ireland, she uses Celtic Britain as her venue. Naeri, the main
character, is a geomancer -- she can use and control the power of the
ley lines and stone circles left by the original inhabitants of the
isle. She is swept up in the building of a great stone temple for the
benefit of the local warlord by her cousin, who wants the building for
his own ends. In fact, most of Naeri's trials can be traced to the
manipulations of her cousin, Daui, who forces her into marriage to the
warlord, against her wishes, and takes her away from a small colony of
her distant relatives, once again, against her wishes. Her cousin is
the only off-note in the story. There are times he comes across as an
over-played Iago, and for some reason, no one seems to notice his
constant manipulations.

Other than Daui, The Sarsen Witch is an excellent treatment of an
underutilized place and time.

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