Yesterday's Kings Book

From Angus Wells comes a stirring tale of magic, adventure, and passion as only he could imagine it — the saga of two ancient peoples, long divided by a bloody past, and the courageous young man who must save them both or die with the woman he loves....

Long ago the Kandarians seized the border forests, driving the native Durrym into a land of powerful magic that protects the Durrym from further invasion. But Kandarian priests have now mastered their own form of magic — a magic that can overcome the Durrym's protective spells and open their land to conquest.

For Cullyn, a young and innocent Kandarian woodsman, it means the end to a life of idyllic solitude, as Kandarian troops, Durrym spies, a noble lady, and a cruel priest all force him to choose sides in the impending conflagration. Cullyn soon comes to realize that through fate's design, he alone can stop the war. But it will mean betraying his own people, earning the trust of his Durrym enemies, and winning the heart of the woman he loves — before the coming clash of magic and mayhem destroys them all.

VOYA

Seemingly insurmountable and unspeakable differences fuel suspicion and mistrust between the two groups in Wells's novel. The Kandarians live in cold, dark stone dwellings and rely on their use of metals to master their environment and enemies. Although the Durrym use magic to shape and change natural surroundings for their needs, they live in harmony with nature. These rivals reside on different sides of a river that is controlled with magic by the Durrym. No Kandarian has ever returned from a trip across the river. The young forester Cullyn lives a tranquil but increasingly lonely existence in the small cottage where he dwelled with his parents until their deaths. His quiet life is disrupted sharply and endangered when he befriends Lofantyl, a Durrym stranger who falls in love with Abra, the Kandarian Border Lord's daughter. Cullyn reluctantly agrees to let the illicit lovers meet at his cottage. When Lofantyl is captured and imprisoned by the evil Kandarian priest, Per Fendur, Abra helps him escape. Per Fendur accuses Cullyn and two other fugitives—Laurens, a faithful soldier of the Kandarian court, and Eben, a half-Kandarian and half-Durrym forest dweller—of treason and heresy. Cullyn and his cohorts are pursued ruthlessly by Per Fendur whose magical powers seem to increase as they travel across the river. Wells's fluid story line is engrossing and suspenseful with just a few interruptions by the insertion of contemporary language such as "whatever." The satisfying but slightly abrupt ending leaves readers hoping for a sequel. Because there is some discussion of the sexual awakening of the main characters, this book is suitable for high school fantasy readers. VOYACODES: 4Q 4P S A/YA (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult and Young Adult). 2001, Bantam, 328p, $6.50 pb. Ages 16 to Adult. Reviewer: Brenda Moses-Allen SOURCE: VOYA, August 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 3)