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Summary
Summary
With his acclaimed Watershed Trilogy from Ace--and his phenomenally successful "Dragonlance" series from TSR--Douglas Niles became one of the most promising stars of epic fantasy adventure. Starlog mazagine raved that Niles "writes so well that his characters come to life after only a few sentences." Now this gifted storyteller has created a rich and complex new trilogy filled with centaurs, goblins and trolls, druids, elves, and other fantastic beings who live in a world of peace--until now...In the realm of the Seven Circles, harmony has reigned since time immemorial. That is about to change...Disaffected members of all the races are gathering into a force that may spell the doom of the Seven Circles. Strangers to brutality and warfare, the inhabitants need a champion who can teach them to defend themselves. For this, they recruit warriors from a world where only the strong survive. A primitive world where life lasts only as long as you can fight for it...A world called Earth.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Niles follows up his popular Watershed fantasy trilogy with this first book in a new trilogy. The standard fantasy-world denizensÄdwarfs, goblins, trolls, etc.Ädwell peaceably, each to its own Circle niche in the Seven Circles, and are benevolently ruled by the elves of Nayve, the city in the Circle at Center, seat of the great College and the Senate, home of the mystical Grove and of the druids and enchantresses who serve the one true Goddess. This peace is shattered, however, when the keeper of the Stone of Command is murdered and the Stone stolen. Then Zystyl, an evil Delver Dwarf, leads a rebellion against the good Seer Dwarves of the sunless Underworld city of Axial, in the First Circle. In Nayve, Belynda, elven sage-ambassador to the Fourth Circle, learns that a druidess named Mirandel is one of several enchantresses who have been teleporting human warriors from Earth, hoping that the barbaric humans can teach the enchantresses' people how to defend themselves against the evil invaders. Unfortunately one of those warriors is an insane knight from Earth's Crusades, Sir ChristopherÄand he now holds the Stone of Command and is using it to build an army of Delvers, centaurs and others, leading his own Crusade against the Goddess-worshipers of the Circles. Niles has again conceived a fantasy setting of great richness and scope. Although his characters rely on standard fantasy stereotypes ("noble" elves, "gruff" dwarfs, etc.), and the day is ultimately saved by a deux ex machina, his fans are sure to enjoy this spritely tale. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
First of a new fantasy trilogy from the author of the Watershed trilogy (War of Three Waters, 1997, etc.). Elves and druids--the latter magicians from Earth--live in the immortal realm at Circle at Center, but their idyll comes under threat from two sources. Sir Christopher, a Crusader from Earth, has obtained the powerful Stone of Summoning, killing its guardian; because of the stone's distinctive red cross, Sir Christopher's convinced that God wants him to exterminate the witches and unbelievers of the higher realm--and the stone compels loyalty in those whom it influences. In the lower realms, meanwhile, evil blind dwarves called Delvers invade the caverns of their cousins, the good Seer dwarves. Led by Zystyl and his metal teeth (think Jaws), the Delvers swarm upwards, where they encounter Sir Christopher's crusaders and form an alliance. Belynda, an elf Sage-ambassador once raped by Sir Christopher, urges the lackadaisical elves to action, while the druid Miradel summons Aztec warrior Natac from Earth, at great personal cost, to train and lead the defense. After 25 years of war, Belynda and company figure out that to defeat Sir Christopher they must take away his Stone of Summoning. Well, duh. To Niles, the stuff of fantasy isn't "something readers can believe in" but "anything the author can dream up." Result: storytelling beats logic to a pulp. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
As chaos descends upon the perfect world of the Seven Circles, the druids who dwell at the center of the realm transport warriors from a place called Earth to fight as champions against the evil that threatens the land. An Aztec warrior, a Viking, and an Irish soldier join together in an unlikely alliance to battle a fanatic crusader and his armies bent on imposing their vision upon the world of Nayve. The author of the "Watershed" trilogy begins a new series that combines elements of standard fantasy with myths from many cultures. A good choice for most fantasy collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.