The Isle of Battle (Swans' War) - Hardcover

Russell, Sean

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0380974908 ISBN 13: 9780380974900

Publisher: Eos, 2002

Synopsis

Fleeing a forced marriage, Elise Wills makes a desperate bargain with a dark river spirit, while wanderer Alaan, searching for Elise with a band of companions, seeks to elude the dark knight Hafydd who hunts him for his secrets.

About this title

Review:

Sean Russell adds interesting ideas to the Medievalising fantasy. The Isle of Battle, second volume of his Swan's War trilogy, has a handy amount of night-time treachery, feats of archery, sorcery and pitched cavalry battles. It has interesting thoughts about the nature of identity--to save her life, noblewoman Elise has allowed herself to be possessed by the long-dead sorceress Sianon and it is not clear, in either direction, who got the better of the deal. Similarly, Russell plays games with honour--is Dease, who has changed his loyalties, more, or less, honourable than his cousin Samul, who pursues them into dishonour and treachery?

These books take place in debatable land--centuries earlier a sorcerer twisted the relationship in time and space between locations along a river valley and its tributaries--and the moral landscape in which the characters get bogged down is equally perverse and disjointed. He brings a compassion to relationships--that between the blind minstrel King Carral, for example, and the hideously scarred Llyn--that never becomes quite saccharine. As its predecessor, The One Kingdom,The Isle of Battlekeeps us caring about the destinies of a large cast of characters and weighs courage against wisdom, loyalty against righteousness in an intelligent and morally complex narrative. --Roz Kaveney

Review:

A perfectly plotted, beautifully written fantasy (- Publisher's Weekly)

A master of intelligent fantasy - subtle, well-crafted and gripping. (STEPHEN Donaldson)

Sean Russell adds interesting ideas to the Medievalising fantasy. The Isle of Battle, second volume of his Swan's War trilogy, has a handy amount of night-time treachery, feats of archery, sorcery and pitched cavalry battles. It has interesting thoughts about the nature of identity--to save her life, noblewoman Elise has allowed herself to be possessed by the long-dead sorceress Sianon and it is not clear, in either direction, who got the better of the deal. Similarly, Russell plays games with honour--is Dease, who has changed his loyalties, more, or less, honourable than his cousin Samul, who pursues them into dishonour and treachery? (These books take place in debatable land--centuries earlier a sorcerer twisted the relationship in time and space between locations along a river valley and its tributaries--and the moral landscape in which the characters get bogged down is equally perver)

Roz Kaveney, AMAZON.CO.UK

About this edition

• Publisher: Eos
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0380974908
• ISBN 13: 9780380974900
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 467