Rating: 
Summary: More authors should actually deliver a fantasy trilogy
Review: I was pleasantly surprised that this book actually completed the story. Too many authors promise a "trilogy" that continues endlessly. This was a great read. Question in my own mind about how everybody had standardized rifles with black-powder cartridges, but no artillery, not even rockets or mortars.
The fantasy assumptions are consistent; the society believable; the characters interesting.
Very nicely developed.
Rating: 
Summary: All the pieces fall into place
Review: I would just like to say this is a fast read. As always L. E. Modesitt puts all the pieces into place to make a plasible, yet out-there fantasy story. I would recomend this series to anyone who like fantasy with some logic.
Rating:
Summary: excellent ending for Modesitt's Corean trilogy
Review: Modesitt continues his fine work with Scepters, the final chapter of the Corean Chronicles Trilogy.
The writing and plot continues to develop as Alucius and his wife Wendra learn about their powers.
This book is different from the other books as Alucius is promoted to a majer and is responsible for 3 companies of lancers. The larger scale responsibility challenges Alucius' leadership, but as always he responds with his best effort.
His relationship with his wife Wendra is true love but quite bland. On the other hand his relationship with his executive officer Feran is wonderful. Modesitt captures the camraderie of brothers in arms and the graveyard cynicism of veteran troopers.
One problem I had was Wendra leaping into battle with her young daughter in a carry sack. I found that hard to believe but that was the only problem I had with the book.
A very enjoyable world and characters and I would highly recommend this series.
Rating:
Summary: Where will Modesitt go from here?
Review: Perhaps the most important line on the book jacket is the last (emphasis mine):
"Scepters is a stirring climax to the *first* Corean trilogy."
This book, while clearly built on the foundation of the first two books, is essentially a hybrid of "traditional" SF and fantasy, something I haven't run across in the other Modesitt books I've read (which number a dozen or so), although such a turn seemed fairly likely to me after reading "Darknesses."
And, as this book is *not* the last book Modesitt intends to set in this universe, it is only fitting that he doesn't give up all the answers here (for example, he never explains how the changes to Alucius and Wendra on Corus take place--or if there is a deeper significance to them). There are tantalizing clues as to what has gone before, but a lot of questions still remain.[For example, how did the Matrial "bring her destiny" to Hieron?]
There are obvious similarities between this series and the Recluce saga, although there are major differences as well (among them, the lack of an obvious good-evil dichotomy in the Corean Chronicles). The Recluce books jump around in time--they cover periods spread out over a thousand years in the history of that land--so I'm already wondering whether the next Corean trilogy will be a prequel or a sequel.
You'll have a hard time understanding what's going on in this book if you haven't read the first two books in the series, "Legacies" and "Darknesses." Read those two, then enjoy this one.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfying wrapup, a few more things explained.
Review: Scepters is a satisfactory wrapup to Modesitt's Corean Chronicles, with the series' reluctant hero Alucius using both steel and magic to defeat the Efran menace to Corus. Modesitt does a nice job in tying up most mysteries explored in Legacies and Darknesses, but the book loses a star given a number of new and ultimately irrelevant plot lines and a hero that seems just a bit too noble. Still, a good read in itself and a worthwile end to the three best fantasy novels Modesitt has penned since the first three books of the Recluce series.The plot here is familiar. Alucius gets called away from his simple life as a herder and soon-to-be-father to beat back the Matrial's troops. (And like any good sequel, they now have twice the firepower - two spear throwers - than they did before.) While he does his usual spectacular military command job and comes home to take command of the Northern Guard, it turns out his callup is part of a plan by his enemies to distract him from the true threat to Corus. The cultured, relativistically amoral, and lifesucking ifrits Alucius fought in Darknesses are about to win their eternal battle against the agrarian soarers, and both he and his wife must master their herder Talent to become their planet's saviors. Modesitt makes it work, as usual, with characters that aren't cookie-cutter villains or heroes and a world that begs to be explained. Unfortunately, much of the explaining doesn't really get done until the second half of the book. This slows the pace down as the first half ends up a redux of battles that are largely indistinguishable from Legacies and Darknesses, along with new plot lines from ifrit plots in eastern lands that have nothing to do with main plot resolution. It's the same writing mistake Modesitt made in parts of the Spellsong Cycle and detracts from a basically good story. The other slight negative is Alucius, who goes from a very believable teen who has make some hard decisions in Legacies to Scepters' morally grounded 30-something superpower. Modesitt himself has written of his protagonists that "the real triumph is when a character can put aside personal gain and do the right thing -- but it's never easy and it's never without a tremendous personal cost." The cost to Alucius is never really made clear, and neither is his decision to walk away from using power that would let him dominate the planet. As he did in the Ethos Effect, it feels like Modesitt's new conclusion is that sometimes good has no choice but to completely exterminate evil - the first half fight in Scepters against the brainwashed Dualist religion rebels especially stands out - and character flaws in a protagonist may not fit in that framework. Still, a good read and a satisfying conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Satisfying wrapup, a few more things explained.
Review: Scepters is a satisfactory wrapup to Modesitt's Corean Chronicles, with the series' reluctant hero Alucius using both steel and magic to defeat the Efran menace to Corus. Modesitt does a nice job in tying up most mysteries explored in Legacies and Darknesses, but the book loses a star given a number of new and ultimately irrelevant plot lines and a hero that seems just a bit too noble. Still, a good read in itself and a worthwile end to the three best fantasy novels Modesitt has penned since the first three books of the Recluce series. The plot here is familiar. Alucius gets called away from his simple life as a herder and soon-to-be-father to beat back the Matrial's troops. (And like any good sequel, they now have twice the firepower - two spear throwers - than they did before.) While he does his usual spectacular military command job and comes home to take command of the Northern Guard, it turns out his callup is part of a plan by his enemies to distract him from the true threat to Corus. The cultured, relativistically amoral, and lifesucking ifrits Alucius fought in Darknesses are about to win their eternal battle against the agrarian soarers, and both he and his wife must master their herder Talent to become their planet's saviors. Modesitt makes it work, as usual, with characters that aren't cookie-cutter villains or heroes and a world that begs to be explained. Unfortunately, much of the explaining doesn't really get done until the second half of the book. This slows the pace down as the first half ends up a redux of battles that are largely indistinguishable from Legacies and Darknesses, along with new plot lines from ifrit plots in eastern lands that have nothing to do with main plot resolution. It's the same writing mistake Modesitt made in parts of the Spellsong Cycle and detracts from a basically good story. The other slight negative is Alucius, who goes from a very believable teen who has make some hard decisions in Legacies to Scepters' morally grounded 30-something superpower. Modesitt himself has written of his protagonists that "the real triumph is when a character can put aside personal gain and do the right thing -- but it's never easy and it's never without a tremendous personal cost." The cost to Alucius is never really made clear, and neither is his decision to walk away from using power that would let him dominate the planet. As he did in the Ethos Effect, it feels like Modesitt's new conclusion is that sometimes good has no choice but to completely exterminate evil - the first half fight in Scepters against the brainwashed Dualist religion rebels especially stands out - and character flaws in a protagonist may not fit in that framework. Still, a good read and a satisfying conclusion.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best of the trilogy, but very good
Review: SCEPTERS is the third book in the trilogy, and follows LEGACIES and DARKNESSES. After settling down to a quiet life back on his family's stead, Alucius, the protagonist, enjoys family life with his wife, Wendra, his mother, and his grandfather. But, not for long.
A complex conspiracy is afoot, with many unknowing participants and all being masterminded by the alien Ifrits/Efrans. Alucius and Wendra are both gifted with Talent, which is a form oif magic akin to, but differing from, magic described by other authors. Talent is the most original aspect of this trilogy by Modesitt. As Alucius gets semi-willingly drafted back into military service and called into battle, and then to another battle, he gradually sees more and more of the big picture of the Ifrit conspiracy, even as he hones his Talent. Meanwhile, his wife and new born daughter . . . no that would be a spoiler.
SCEPTERS is very well-written and, like its predecessors, is very detailed. Alucius is very three-dimensional character, as are some of his military comrades, especially Feran (I thought it odd that the name of the character's right-hand man was an anagram of the enemy's name, Efran). The relationship between Alucius and Wendra is very loving, but seems unrealistically flawless and conflict-free to me. I thought Royalt's character was given too small a part in this book. I also felt that the ending was a bit anti-climactic, for two reasons which I will try to state without creating a spoiler:
1. The balance of power between Alucius and Wendra and the Soarers, on the one side, and the Ifrits/Eafrans on the other side, seems to shift too dramatically and with insufficient explanation.
2. When Alucius and Wendra get an idea of what the homeworld of the Efrans is like, there is not enough emphasis, in my opinion, on what will be lost if Alucius and Wendra are victorious. It is mentioned, but not enough for me.
SCEPTERS is a very good book, and concludes the trilogy well. I think the next step is made clear in the final page: a generation-later trilogy focusing on Alendra and the Sanders.
Rating:
Summary: The Final Confrontation
Review: Scepters is the third novel in the Corean Chronicles, following Darknesses. In the previous volume, Iron Valleys became a province of Lanachrona and the militia was transferred to Lanachronan control as the Northern Guard. Alucius led four companies of the Northern Guard into Deforya to defend against invading Illegean nomads. After defeating various human and nonhuman enemies -- including legendary yet real pteridons -- and barely surviving his experiences, Alucious was summoned to Tempre to meet the Lord Protector. Encountering an ifrit who had possessed the Recorder of Deeds, he was forced to flee through the Tables network and found his way to the hidden city of the Soarers. There Alucius was taught much more about his Talents and then returned to the Table network to defeat two of the ifrits. Afterwards, Alucius was finally allowed to return to Iron Valleys, was presented with his discharge papers, and, with only a small delay, set off for the family stead. However, on the way he encountered an ambush obviously intended for him and just barely managed to kill all the assassins before they quite finished killing him. After a minimal recovery time and with an escort of Northern Guard horse troopers, Alucius finally returned home to Wendra. In this novel, Alucius and Wendra have been enjoying their time together. However, the situation has gotten worse in the Iron Valleys and in Lanachrona; prices are still rising and the war against the Matrites is not going well. The Lord Protector has been forced to spread his forces too thinly in order to protect against a variety of threats while simultaneously prosecuting the Matrial war. At the request of the Lord Protector, Alucius returns to duty as a Majer and leads an expedition of Northern and Southern Guard companies to put down a duarchist revolt in Hyalt. After that mission, he is requested to lead a special operation against the Matrial crystal-spear throwers. The Lord Protector is careful not to offend Alucius; he appeals mostly to his sense of civic duties, but he also offers command of the Northern Guard to Alucius upon return from the mission, replacing Colonel Weslyn. This combination leaves Alucious without an acceptable alternative and he rides out once more in command of the Fifth Northern Guard company and the Eighth Southern Guard company and with Feran as his second in command. Later, he acquires another two companies of newly trained Southern Guards. In Hyalt, he finds that someone is using Talent to produce total fanatics, so more than military action is required. Afterwards, in Southgate, he spends more time defending himself against senior Lanachronan officers than fighting the Matrites. In this story, Alucius is repeatedly attacked by Talent-beasts sent by the ifrits, who are using the Tables against him. However, he begins to learn more about the ifrits themselves as well as the true history of Corus. He also begins to learns how to use more that his own lifeforce, including the lifeforce of the world itself. Alucius is truly becoming a lamaial, destined to be powerful enough to prevent the return of the duarchists as rulers over Corus. As his powers grow, so does his responsibilities; a goodly amount of the novel is devoted to the ethics of such power. Of course, he also gets to travel more along the worldlines, enjoying encounters with new and more powerful enemies. Highly recommended for Modesitt fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of magical powers and speculations on responsibilities and ethical restraints. -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating: 
Summary: not bad on its own but been down this road too often
Review: Scepters, the third and perhaps concluding book of the Corean Chronicles, isn't a bad book in its own right. If it could be read on its own (one really needs to have read the two previous books to follow this one), it would have been a decent if not great or even really good read. But coming as it does after the first two, my largest reaction was haven't we seen all this before?
By now the pattern of plot and character has become pretty rote. Alucius, the main character of all three, is reluctantly forced to once again take up arms to protect his ability to remain a herder and have a normal life. Once again, he protests that he has no desire to leave his home, that he only does "what needs to be done", that he wishes no further honors, awards, etc. Once again, he is placed in "impossible" situations (made impossible due to overwhelming forces arrayed against him, overwhelming enemy technology, weak and/or corrupt officers on his own side, and poorly or barely trained soldiers he must fight with). Once again he overhears snippets of conversation about how impressed his soldiers are with him and how insecure and jealous his superior officers are. Once again, he does the impossible while getting badly wounded. After healing, it all begins again. Literally. These general repetitions of plot would be bad enough, but for some reason in Scepters Modesitt simply repeats some specifics as well. The crystal throwing machines are back wreaking havoc and needing to be destroyed. The torques are back and their controlling crystal which needs to be destroyed. The ifrit are back with their tables that need to be destroyed. And the soarers are back to kidnap a herder and teach him how to use his talent. Actually, Modesitt slips in a creative change here; they teach her to use her talent.
Of course there is some new plot here and a few new characters, but this may be the worst example of plot repetition in a series I've ever seen. I suppose Eddings' later works give it a run for its money.
The main character is far too perfect and if his own perfection doesn't get to you, the constant reminder by others in the book that he is perfect just might. One never really feels a sense of crisis as it's been made clear he will sail through all obstacles, even if he has to spend a few weeks in bed afterward. His wife is more footnote than anything else in this book until the last section and doesn't really stand out in the reader's mind as more than a plot device. And here again, their relationship is far too perfect. His sidekick, Feran, is far more realistic and therefore far more interesting.
The military aspect of the novel is interesting to a point; it's nice to read battle scenes that have some sense of reality to them. But do we really need every single reporting in or attendance check? It reminds me of old movies where directors would show people getting in their car and actually driving for minutes before someone finally realized they could just say they were going someplace and then shoot them arriving at their destination.
As I said, if this were a standalone book, with a little more exposition it would have been a decent read. But it isn't a standalone and Modesitt has crossed the line from welcome familiarity of character and plot to simple dull repetition. He (and his readers) would have been far better served with a single book or perhaps a single sequel.
Rating:
Summary: The Perils of Flawless Protagonists
Review: This is a satisfactory conclusion to the trilogy begun in "Darknesses" and "Legacies." Modesitt's writing continues to improve (although there are some appalling typos) and some mysteries from the first two books are answered. There's also enough unresolved issues and mysteries - several of the bad guy Ifrits and Efrans are still on the loose - to leave room for sequels.
But there are sour notes, too. And while this is, overall, the best book Modesitt has produced since the earliest Recluce novels, some of those sour notes detracted from my enjoyment of the book.
Sure this is fantasy, and as long as we are fantasizing, we might as well have a perfect love interest, but the relationship between Alucius and Wendra is just too perfect. They never fight, quarrel or disagree. These two would be a lot more compelling if they and their relationship was just a little more real. Especially since Modesitt purely cannot write a sexually charged scene.
The faint hints in "Darknesses" that Alucius might be at least partially a creation of the Soarers is never developed or explained. For me, there are faint echos of E.E. Smith's "Lensmen" series here. The prefix "a" means "in" and "lucius" means "light." The first pages of "Darknesses" have the infant Alucius bathed in the Soarer's green-gold light. Tantalizing ideas. But we never find out.
And then there is the "Superman effect." What makes the comic book character Superman starkly incredible is that he is darn near all-powerful and yet he never is anything but selfless. He's never greedy, selfish or even faintly immoral. He may kill entire regiments of enemies but he fells bad about it afterwards, and anyway he has no choice if he is to save the world (or at least Lois Lane). Look, we *crucified* the last perfect human being, and there haven't been any since. In the last few chapters of this book, Alucius has powers that Superman would envy. And he doesn't abuse or misue them. Not once.
In the somewhat similar Recluce series, the Wizard Lerris at least acts human from time to time; he can be stupid, short-sighted and blind to the obvious. Alucius isn't any of those things. He is immensely more powerful, and his power isn't constrained. Alucius is a much less interesting character as a result. Perfect and nearly omnipotent just isn't that interesting.
Finally, the quasi-ecological theme of "Scepters" is just a little too heavy handed for me. If the Ifrits' and Efrans' life-destroying habits aren't a metaphor for our own culture, then I'm a Soarer. And the implication of "Scepters" - that it is all right to obliterate and extirpate the other guy if you are protecting your own ecology - might just be a little extreme. Analogy, in Heinlein's phrase, is "more slippery than logic," but by analogy it is okay to annihilate that oil industry because of what it does to the environment. Sorry. The ends don't justify the means.
The book is fun, it's well-paced and Talent is an interesting idea. The book is a nice wrap to the trilogy. But it's not Moedesitt's best book. Readers new to the series should read the books in order.
Good, but not great.
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