When the tension between the lands governed by the mages of chaos and the order-ruled Isle of Recluce escalates into full-fledged war, Cerryl?newly ordained as full mage of the White Order?discovers his true calling as reconciler. A direct sequel to The White Order (LJ 5/15/98), set at the same time as the events portrayed in The Magic Engineer (LJ 3/15/94), Modesitt's latest novel in his "Recluce" series views the conflict from the other side, as Chaos struggles to prevent the forces of Order from gaining ultimate victory. The author's skill in portraying the humanity of characters who possess the power to destroy others with a thought adds a level of verisimilitude and immediacy rarely found in grand-scale fantasy. A strong addition to fantasy collections.
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