This series has grown on me, as I stated in my review of the preceding volume, Mage’s Blood. However, I jumped into The Scarlet Tides with no reservations whatsoever. Middle books of a series can also be mighty tricky I’ve had enough disappointing experiences with sequels myself, which makes me understand why some readers would be nervous when approaching them. These books take place across two huge continents following about half a dozen characters of different creeds and cultures, with the alliances and conflicts that arise between nations forming the basis for multiple threads of the story and driving the plot forward. David Hair goes well beyond simply describing the different peoples and places - what he’s created here actually feels like a living, breathing system. I’ve never come across a fantasy series with such a comprehensive and detailed approach to world-building. Needless to say, the maps became indispensable to me while I was reading. Open up The Scarlet Tides and the first things you’ll see are several gorgeously illustrated maps depicting the world of the Moontide Quartet. Mage's Blood is one of the better first installments I've read in recent years." "Hair tells his story with aplomb in a clear and concise prose. Alaron, a failed mage, the gypsy, Cymbellea, and Ramita, once just a lowly market-girl, have pledged to end the cycle of war and restore peace to Urte.Įast and West have clashed before, but this time, as secret factions and cabals emerge from the shadows, the world is about to discover that love, loyalty and truth can be forged into weapons as strong as swords and magic. But the emperor's greatest treasure, the Scytale of Corineus, has slipped through his fingers and his ruthless Inquisitors must scour two continents for the artefact, the source of all magical power.Īgainst them are the unlikeliest of heroes. They are slaughtering and pillaging their way across Antiopia in the name of Emperor Constant. And a small group of dwymancers grope blindly for knowledge in a race against time before the masked Cabal strike again.The Moontide has come and the Leviathan Bridge stands open: now thrones will shake and hearts will be torn apart in a world at war.Ī scarlet tide of Rondian legions is flooding into the East, led by the Inquisition's windships flying the Sacred Heart, the bright banner of the Church's darkest sons. An idealistic rabble-rouser sees a chance to strike. Two brothers must reconcile disparate cultures to regain their kingdom. Two princes clash in the skies, the fate of two nations riding on their skill. A young queen whose court is riddled with traitors turns to the wrong people in her hour of need. Only Lyra's secret affinity to the heretical power of dwyma saved her - but that affinity is also her most dangerous weakness.Īs empires clash, lives are torn apart and long-held beliefs are overthrown by circumstance and desperation. Empress Lyra has barely survived a coup, triggered by a masked cabal whose members still remain concealed in the highest echelons of her court. A vast windfleet, constructed in secret, is winging across the Pontic Sea With the Leviathan Bridge critically damaged and its towers unable to control the skies between Yuros and Antiopia, the East has invaded the West. Desperate for the next Game of Thrones? Prince of the Spear continues the Sunsurge Quartet and delivers a full-on fix of epic fantasy.
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