The Crown of Silence (Chronicles of Magravandias)

Rating:
Summary: Now Comes The Telling: Mod Gothic at its finest.
Review: First off, if you haven't read Sea Dragon Heir yet, what are you waiting for? Go, read it. I'll wait.

Back? Good. The Crown of Silence continues the story begun in SDH. The first half of the novel overlaps the events of the first book, revealing what was going on in other areas of the world. The second half is a true mythic Quest with all that that entails.

The characters are well developed and for the most part sympathetic, but as with all of Storm's characters these are not perfect people. You will find yourself at times wanting to reach your hand into the book to thwap them on their collective heads for being idiots... but when you think about it, how would you handle the situation they find themselves in?

Another area where Storm excels (and sadly many other fantasists do not) is in the depth and resonance of her magical system. It is not some "point/zap/you're dead/you're a frog" amalgamation of fantasy cliches grafted on to the story, rather it is the story. What these characters are doing, how they are growing and evolving, is a direct result of the self-discovery involved in learning. As several characters state: "Learning is better than knowing."

I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but I feel I must state that a portion of the book does deal with the consequences of surviving a traumatic rape and that two of the major characters are involved in a same-sex relationship. To me, these things add to the weight and reality of the book, but I realize that for some such subject matter is a determinant factor in what you read. I still recommend the book even to those people, though, as the handling of both subjects is superb for the genre, but if you're looking for another Harry Potter this is not the book for you.

As to the book itself, Tor did a great job on this one. Everything from the jacket art to the binding is top-notch. This is definately not one to wait for paperback on.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding.
Review: First off, if you haven't read Sea Dragon Heir yet, what are you waiting for? Go, read it. I'll wait.

Back? Good. The Crown of Silence continues the story begun in SDH. The first half of the novel overlaps the events of the first book, revealing what was going on in other areas of the world. The second half is a true mythic Quest with all that that entails.

The characters are well developed and for the most part sympathetic, but as with all of Storm's characters these are not perfect people. You will find yourself at times wanting to reach your hand into the book to thwap them on their collective heads for being idiots... but when you think about it, how would you handle the situation they find themselves in?

Another area where Storm excels (and sadly many other fantasists do not) is in the depth and resonance of her magical system. It is not some "point/zap/you're dead/you're a frog" amalgamation of fantasy cliches grafted on to the story, rather it is the story. What these characters are doing, how they are growing and evolving, is a direct result of the self-discovery involved in learning. As several characters state: "Learning is better than knowing."

I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but I feel I must state that a portion of the book does deal with the consequences of surviving a traumatic rape and that two of the major characters are involved in a same-sex relationship. To me, these things add to the weight and reality of the book, but I realize that for some such subject matter is a determinant factor in what you read. I still recommend the book even to those people, though, as the handling of both subjects is superb for the genre, but if you're looking for another Harry Potter this is not the book for you.

As to the book itself, Tor did a great job on this one. Everything from the jacket art to the binding is top-notch. This is definately not one to wait for paperback on.

Rating:
Summary: Choppy waters with petulant characters
Review: I really wanted to like this book more. There were some good ideas but whenever it started to get interesting it would digress into petulant sulky inner dialogs or catty exchanges between the characters. It has a strong self-discovery theme but sadly that seems wasted as the characters never really seem to evolve, only switch who is their new best-friend.

Constantine's writing flows beautifully and there are some wonderful images but any connection I felt to the characters was tenuous at best. By the end of the book the only character I cared to know more about was the indirect antagonist, Valraven Palindrake, and even he comes off as the bad boy in the clique that everyone either secretly loves or openly loves to hate.

If you are into soap operas then you may find some enjoyment in the characters and story but for my taste everyone was just a bit of a drama queen.

Rating:
Summary: Outstanding writer!
Review: Outstanding! I am new to Ms Constantine's work. I first read her in collaboration with Moorcock, Silverheart, which I bought as an import. That was a real treat and different enough from regular Moorcock to show a writer who was his equal. If she's good enough to collaborate with Moorcock, I thought, she's good enough for me! I would still recommend Silverheart, but I have become enchanted by Ms Constantine's strange, weird sensibility and while this isn't her best novel, it is still pure Constantine, which is good enough for me!

Rating:
Summary: The quest for the crown
Review: Shan was living an idyllic life, until the arrival of the conquering Magravandians, who destroy his town and shatter his innocence about men of war. Broken in spirit and body, Shan is taken by the wizard Taropat to be his apprentice, but soon Shan learns that his path encompasses more. He learns the story of Khaster Leckery and his lover Tayven Hirantel, and the tragic events leading to both of their disappearances. Both men have survived and since changed, and Shan feels compelled to bring them back together, if for nothing but closure. Soon fate brings these men together in a quest to claim the crown of silence, which can only be worn by the true king of the land, who it is hoped will overcome the evils of the Magravandian Empire. The story does drag in places, and seems to be filler for the trilogy. Yes, a lot happens to the characters, but in the grand scheme of the story, the book slows the momentum and I found it a struggle to get through sometimes. I was most fascinated when Constantine was telling about the court intrigues and the interconnections between the rival factions. I only wish the book was better, because "Sea Dragon Heir" was so enthralling, and I am looking forward to the next in the series nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking quest...
Review: Storm Constantine is rapidly becoming one of my very favourite authors. This book is the sequel to Sea Dragon Heir, which you should read first, although I didn't, and it didn't affect my reading pleasure.
In this novel a young boy living a happy if impoverished rural life is changed forever by the brutal events of one day, when soldiers serving the forces of evil invade his village.
What follows is a personal quest with vast ramifications for his homeland. There is an enclave of magicians, there is a mystical journey through lakes with arcane qualities, there are prizes to attain and lessons to be learnt for every member of the company, not just its youngest.
But the crowning glory (if you'll pardon the pun) of this work is the story told by the boy's magician mentor of events in the recent past which have helped to shape the coming conflict. Political intrigue, imprudent desires, very sexy prose and a deft narrative hand render this story compelling and engrossing. I had to put it down occasionally, but I couldn't wait to pick it back up again. It's one of those books that you want to go on forever: and the ending is cruelly designed to leave you howling for more. I can't wait to get my hands on the next masterpiece.

Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: Storm Constantine is truly a skilled author, and I have been reading her work since the first book of the Wraeththu series. Yes, the books can be a little disturbing for those who are sensitive to adult themes, such as homosexuality and incest, but these themes are always approached tastefully.

A good story focuses on one thing, and one thing only: the development of character, and this is what I think Storm will continue to refine as the years go by. She's damn good at it already, so I can't wait to see what future books hold. I am so enraptured by this book, that I read half of it before I realized that most of the day was gone. To that I say, bravo.

I, for one, will read Storm Constantine until she ceases to produce stories of such wonderful flavor.

Rating:
Summary: Uneven, with very good moments
Review: This book is so frustrating -- there are moments that are really very good. It's a classic journey of self-discovery (individual and group) and Constantine is a good writer at the sentence level. But, as has been mentioned here, the plot and character development is very uneven. All in all, it feels like it needed another few hours of baking.

Rating:
Summary: Uneven, with very good moments
Review: This book is so frustrating -- there are moments that are really very good. It's a classic journey of self-discovery (individual and group) and Constantine is a good writer at the sentence level. But, as has been mentioned here, the plot and character development is very uneven. All in all, it feels like it needed another few hours of baking.

Rating:
Summary: Ther eis one word for it - "BAD"
Review: This book is wonderful.Storm explores the deep meanings of heroic fantasy's topics (the quest,the crownless king, the war between good and evil) whit rare wisdom and a dry wit that's sometimes reminiscent of the satire of Douglas Adams (think only of the base quarrel between Tayven, Khaster /Taropat ans Shan), and even echoes the Arthurian Lore (Who does the Crown serve?, the Peacock Angel Azcaranoth asks, reminiscent of a famous question not asked by Percival/Parsifal in many versions of the Grail Saga). By the way, Storm Constantine has contrived to insert plausibly one of her favourite themes,Fallen Angels and knowledge.But in the Seven Lake's quest there is much more: Storm's deep understanding of the contradictions of the human mind, her realistic renditions of the crudest realities of war. And what of the uncanny feeling you get when you compare her fantastic worlds and the world we know? You can read in her most fantastic stories some echo of actual events.There's more: since Isaac Asimov I've never read a most realistic and ironic rendition of polytical intrigues.And she adds the realistic view on the sexual side of human relationships. And you wonder: Frodo and Sam relationship was so chaste as Tolkien rendered ii?