2023-09-19
Howard concludes his two-part epic about a crusading warrior in this fantasy novel.
A group of crusading defenders departs the fantastical realm of Azgald to continue their campaign, leaving young Godfrey de Bastogne behind to defend the central castle of Olso Fortress against the vengeance of High Warlord Alvir, who bears some grudges stemming from the events of the previous novel. The forces arrayed against Olso Fortress include armies of disaffected human soldiers as well as legions of supernatural entities like cyclopses, orcs, and even forest satyrs, who have their own reasons to hate the crusaders (“The crusaders defile our pastures,” the satyr leader Rogith grimly pronounces; “they kill our brethren without thought, and they offend nature itself”). Inside the fortress, while Godfrey continues to mature and learn the ways of war, his betrothed, Lady Madeline, familiarizes herself with the politics of the keep’s personnel. Even some of her closest friends become alarmed and intimidated by her developing command of her natural magical abilities, and some of Olso’s authorities frown on her increasing power. Although the narrative primarily follows Godfrey (astride Spathi, his faithful griffin) on dangerous sorties (and charts his growing understanding of the customs of the court at Castle Olso and the nature of the magic commanded by Madeline), the story regularly returns to both political tensions and the low-grade turmoil between the leads, who are beset by romantic misunderstandings even as dark forces amass, intent upon taking the fortress and revenging themselves on the last of the crusaders.
Howard’s world-building is as strong in this second volume as it was in the first. His memorable blending of high fantasy and chivalric medieval romance places knights and codes of conduct alongside sorcery and magical creatures like orcs and griffins, and the blend almost always feels smooth and natural. Religion plays a central role: acolytes are ordained in their orders, and the equivalents of priests and nuns reprimand other characters for moral lapses (“Lady Madeline should think twice before sneaking off alone with her betrothed,” Sister Vanya cautions; “No one should question her purity on the day of the wedding”). Characters pray and pledge their faith to the sun god (variously called Loxias, Helios, Sol, and other names), which is slightly anomalous in modern fantasy, and the author does an effective job of integrating these themes into this second volume’s many brutal action sequences (Godfrey is very young, but in the course of his adventures, he sees plenty of violence). The prose is workmanlike throughout, never particularly evocative and sometimes flat and clunky (Godfrey contemplating two crusade leaders he’s bonded with: “If some evil should befall them … Shaking his head, Godfrey banished the thought”), and some readers may find the emphasis on the romance of the two young main characters oddly disproportionate to the epic affairs of state. But Howard constructs an engaging story that will appeal to older readers as well.
An appealingly-crafted fantasy about a young man coming of age in love and war.
