From Publishers Weekly
A foray into the consciousness of its antihero opens this stately chronicle of evil vs. goodness from a veteran, celebrated author. Irasmus, formerly an apprentice at Valarian, the Place of Learning, has renounced his teachers and plundered their powerful cache of knowledge, with which he wishes to reawaken the Dark of Chaos, an evil kept in check for generations by the Covenant of Light. The imperfectly trained yet potent Son of Darkness begins building his empire with enslaved "low-grade demons" and, gradually, the people of the Valley. Among the captives, the villagers of Firthdun are unique in their adherence to the old ways; they nurture a lingering Old Blood ability to commune with the Wind, a natural force commanded by a female entity called Theeossa. Meanwhile, laboring to undo the damage unwittingly wrought, the mages of Valarian enlist the aid of Theeossa and the children of her Forest. To combat Irasmus, Forest and Valley inhabitants alike must place their faith and future in three youths of the Old Blood: a girl named Cerlyn, and a pair of twins born of a terrible rape. While skillfully conceived and deftly written, this novel moves slowly, for each advance is related from a variety of sketchy viewpoints. The inevitable showdown between the forces of dark and light thus arrives as more of a relief than as the thundering climax Norton (Scent of Magic) clearly intends it to be. (Nov.) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
A renegade wizard seizes control of the Valley and its people, thus breaking the long-standing Covenant that prevented the Wind from unleashing its full fury against the evil forces of the Dark. The balance between good and evil rests with a pair of twins, one raised by the wizard to do his bidding, the other sheltered by the strange denizens of the nearby Forest and taught to serve the captive Wind. The latest novel by the grandame of sf features well-delineated characters, including an intriguing nonhuman race of forest dwellers. Norton's storytelling mastery and her ability to create complete worlds with a few simple words continues unabated. A good choice for fantasy collections. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The New York Times Book Review
"A superb storyteller."


From Kirkus Reviews
New, multigenerational fantasy from the grand dame of the genre (Scent of Magic, 1998, etc.). The evil and ambitious young wizard Irasmus fools his teachers at the Place of Learning into thinking him ignorant and harmless. Then he steals some books of magic, summons a squad of gobbeshorrid demonsand takes up residence in the Tower in Styrmer. Long ago a battle between the Dark and the Light was fought here, resulting in the Covenant that binds all magical forces, including the Wind and its manifestation, the Forest Lady, to noninterference. Irasmus enslaves the people and arranges for young Sulema to give birth to a magic-capable son whom he aims to control. Before she dies, though, Sulema delivers Fogarwho is grabbed by Irasmusand then, unknown to Irasmus, a daughter. Falice is sent into the forest to be fostered by the nonhuman Sasqua and the Wind. But, with some subtle and judicious interventions by Irasmus's erstwhile teachers, the Mages, Fogar is able to resist his master's attempts to enslave him. So, while Irasmus prepares to summon Vastor, a hideous Great One, hoping for an alliance, the Mages, Fogar, Fogar's magic-touched cousin Cerlyn, and Falice conspire with the Wind to oppose him. Standard fare, with lots of appeal to Norton's appreciative audience. -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Once the Wind united the Valley with the Forest, enveloping them in the strongest of magics which protected the land and banished the threatening Darkness. And there was peace for many centuries...Until the Dark returned.

A mage, seeking to enslave the Valley and destroy the Forest, has brutally sundered a family. A mother has fled into the woods with her infant girl-child, while the depraved sorcerer holds the babe's twin—a boy—captive in a black tower. The mother dies but the girl survives. Adopted by the strange denizens of the Forest—safe from the mage's malevolent influence—she grows to young womanhood, cultivating a cherished skill that has been denied the others of her kind: the ability to truly hear the sounds of her world. But her future will be fraught with trial and terror, for only she can smash the chains that shackle the Balley and its inhabitants. It is her destiny to confront sorcerer and demon minions, and to oppose the one she must conquer and free: the magician's protege and her most powerful adversary. Her bane and blood. Her brother.

SYNOPSIS

"Norton Can Still Evoke That Mysterious And Difficult-To-Define Sense Of Wonder."

Fantasy Review

"A Superb Storyteller."

The New York Times Book Review

"One Of The All-Time Masters."

Peter Straub

"One Of The Most Popular Writers Of Our Time."

Publishers Weekly

Over a celebrated career that has already spanned six decades, ANDRE NORTON has written many highly regarded works of fantasy and science fiction, including Scent of Magic, Mirror of Destiny, The Hands of Lyr, Brother to Shadows, and the popular Witch World and Beast Master series. She has received lifetime achievement awards in both science fiction and fantasy, the most prestigious honors in her field. Ms. Norton presently resides in Tennessee.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal

A renegade wizard seizes control of the Valley and its people, thus breaking the long-standing Covenant that prevented the Wind from unleashing its full fury against the evil forces of the Dark. The balance between good and evil rests with a pair of twins, one raised by the wizard to do his bidding, the other sheltered by the strange denizens of the nearby Forest and taught to serve the captive Wind. The latest novel by the grandame of sf features well-delineated characters, including an intriguing nonhuman race of forest dwellers. Norton's storytelling mastery and her ability to create complete worlds with a few simple words continues unabated. A good choice for fantasy collections. Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

New, multigenerational fantasy from the grand dame of the genre (Scent of Magic, 1998, etc.). The evil and ambitious young wizard Irasmus fools his teachers at the Place of Learning into thinking him ignorant and harmless. Then he steals some books of magic, summons a squad of gobbes—horrid demons—and takes up residence in the Tower in Styrmer. Long ago a battle between the Dark and the Light was fought here, resulting in the Covenant that binds all magical forces, including the Wind and its manifestation, the Forest Lady, to noninterference. Irasmus enslaves the people and arranges for young Sulema to give birth to a magic-capable son whom he aims to control. Before she dies, though, Sulema delivers Fogar—who is grabbed by Irasmus—and then, unknown to Irasmus, a daughter. Falice is sent into the forest to be fostered by the nonhuman Sasqua and the Wind. But, with some subtle and judicious interventions by Irasmus's erstwhile teachers, the Mages, Fogar is able to resist his master's attempts to enslave him. So, while Irasmus prepares to summon Vastor, a hideous Great One, hoping for an alliance, the Mages, Fogar, Fogar's magic-touched cousin Cerlyn, and Falice conspire with the Wind to oppose him. Standard fare, with lots of appeal to Norton's appreciative audience.