The Shadow Roads

September 20, 2004
Like the River Wynnd at its center, the conclusion to Russell's Swans' War fantasy trilogy (after The Isle of Battle
and The One Kingdom
) rolls inexorably along, with many a tributary feeding into the main story. Ancient enchantments combine with contemporary hatreds to fuel a grand war for the kingship of the land, behind which lies a darker plot. The undying children of Wyrr work through human avatars, struggling to find the hidden resting place of their father and to remove or preserve the spell that keeps Death from the mortal realms. Their struggles involve all the folk who live in the land between the mountains, whether warlike or not. Hafydd, the black knight who bargains to release Death, must be defeated by both his enemies (Lady Elise Wills, Alaan the wanderer) and his allies. The story takes on depth from its depiction of myths come to life and the complexities of political struggles where neither side holds a monopoly on virtue or villainy. Unfortunately, the proliferation of warring parents, siblings and cousins leads to confusion as to which "Lord Wills" or "Lord Renné" has turned traitor or true once more. Russell provides a good feel for the tragic in prose that can ring as bright as rushing river water. Agent, Howard Morhaim.