Rating: 
Summary: A strange, distant, and compelling novel
Review: The world of Irth hangs beneath the Abiding Star, source of all magic and gateway to the Beginning. From the Star comes Charm, the power to alter reality, to create great works, to avoid the Tides that steal the dead and unconcious. It is at the top of the universe, a place of wonders, and marvels.It is also a place in danger. A cruel and evil man has returned from beyond the dark Gulf in which Irth hangs, seeking revenge against those who cast him there. He brings warriors from another world, immune to Charm, a petty man drunk on power, planning to conquer the world - and worse - with the power of a god. Flying cities fall. Thevies conspire. A nobleman flees to find love. Young royalty seek vengeance. Those marked as man-beasts make alliances, and the Dark Lord plots while a mysterious sage contemplates why this is happening, and knows that it can be blamed on a tragic death so long ago . . . This is, simply, an impressive novel. It has its own mytholog! y, own physics, own religion, own ecosystem. It could practacally be a documentary - from the economy of hex-gems to the sexual rituals of two religious groups, the detail is astounding. Unfortunately, it is a rather distant novel. The emotional impact of various events and characters, except for the brilliantly detestable Dark Lord (who is shown to be every bit as petty as many Earth tyrants), produce little reaction. There is a lot going on, but I found it easier to hate the villains then like the heroes. It's easy to produce visceral disgust then like, admiration, relation, and so forth. Still this is a novel worth reading, for the sheer breadth of imagination. Not perfect, but for a first entry in the field, utterly astounding.
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