Hecate's Glory

Rating:
Summary: Michalson does it again!
Review: Hecate's Glory is stronger than Enemy Glory because Llewelyn completely comes into his own here. He is evil, but his chief attraction is his conflict with his inner goodness, which is more tragic and exciting here than in Enemy Glory because Michalson brings him out of Kursen Monastery and gives him a chance to make his own decisions in the world. He loves beautiful music and poetry so much he risks his own life to save an imprisoned musician (my favorite scene of many). My other favorite scene is when he helps his new companion, Aeren, kill the wizard Zelar, because it brings out a strange sensitivity in Llewelyn even while he is killing an enemy. That is why I love this character. He is not your usual villain. He is ruthless in his assessment of himself and other people - so ruthless I feel pity for him sometimes, even though he always makes me think. But in a way, that's the strength of this book. Michalson provides an intellectually challenging moral tale that asks hard philosophical questions, something you rarely find in a typical fantasy book. I highly recommend this series.