From Publishers Weekly
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. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Book Description
After the King of Ayr died without naming an heir, a century of enmity destroyed the one kingdom, as the mighty families of the Renn#233; and the Wills fought to determine the crown in a bitter storm of treachery and blood. But now the decades of hatred have woken the unquiet river spirits from their timeless sleep, andrevived a feud more deadly than any conflict of man. As alliances shift and loyalties are tested in the harsh civil war between the two great families, each determined to destroy the other, Toren Renn#233; still fights for peace, hoping to stop the age-old war. But betrayals and double crosses rack the Renn#233; and the Wills, even as a larger threat rises. For the dark knight Hafydd has made a sinister alliance that leads him to secrets hidden for eons, including one that could destroy them all. Only a brave few have managed to stand against Hafydd, and they are scattered throughout the land after a painful defeat: lost, separated, and weakened. Left for dead, the enigmatic wanderer Alaan must find his way through the treacherous, shifting southern lands, accompanied by the courageous Valeman, while Elise Wills, transformed by an eldritch bargain, pursues Hafydd herself as the nagar fight for revenge and the armies of the Renn#233; and the Wills clash for supremacy on the battlefield. But what began as a struggle for a crown hasbecome a fight far more perilous, for woken by the wars of man and nagar, even Death himself is preparing to leave his fell kingdom and walk the world again. And if the door to his dread domain cannot be shut, the feud between the Renn#233; and the Wills and even the ancient wars of the nagar will be as nothing compared to the coming doom. Lyrically written, dramatic yet poignant, the eagerly awaited The Shadow Roads concludes at long last the epic tale of the Swans' War, a triumph of literary achievement and the height of Sean Russell's acclaimed career to date.
About the Author
Sean Russell is the author of The One Kingdom and The Isle of Battle, previous books in the Swans' War trilogy, plus the River into Darkness books: Compass of the Soul and Beneath the Vaulted Hills; the Moontide and Magic Rise books: Sea Without a Shore and World Without End; and Gatherer of Clouds and The Initiate Brother. He lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, with his wife and son.
The Shadow Roads: Book Three of the Swans' War FROM OUR EDITORS
The Barnes & Noble Review
In The Shadow Roads, the third and concluding volume of Canadian author Sean Russell's Swans' War trilogy (The One Kingdom and The Isle of Battle), a century-long feud between two great families has escalated to all-out war -- and awakened sleeping spirits that could spell doom for all of humankind.
After the King of Ayr died without naming an heir, the realm's two most powerful clans have bitterly fought for control of the throne. After a century of pointless bloodshed, the one kingdom is much divided. Some landowners side with the Rennﾽ, some side with the Wills; but many others, fearing for their own lives, have become spies, double agents, and unwilling saboteurs. The rampant treachery and evil machinations in Ayr have awakened mythical water spirits from a timeless sleep. Once roused, these three powerful siblings will revive their own feud -- one that makes the war between the Rennﾽ and the Wills look like child's play. When one sorcerous sibling makes an insane deal with Death, the other two must somehow stop him before the Gate of the Dark Kingdom is opened and Death and his nightmarish minions can walk the world.
Russell is one of the most underrated fantasy authors of the last decade. Readers who have enjoyed his Swans' War trilogy should also check out his River into Darkness duology (Beneath the Vaulted Hills and The Compass of the Soul), a fantastically understated masterwork published in the late 1990s that readers will not soon forget. Paul Goat Allen
FROM THE PUBLISHER
"After the King of Ayr died without naming an heir, a century of enmity destroyed the one kingdom, as the mighty families of the Renne and the Wills fought to determine the crown in a bitter storm of treachery and blood. But now the decades of hatred have woken the unquiet river spirits from their timeless sleep, and revived a feud more deadly than any conflict of man." "As alliances shift and loyalties are tested in the harsh civil war between the two great families, each determined to destroy the other, Toren Renne still fights for peace, hoping to stop the age-old war. But betrayals and double crosses rack the Renne and the Wills, even as a larger threat rises. For the dark knight Hafydd has made a sinister alliance that leads him to secrets hidden for eons, including one that could destroy them all." "Only a brave few have managed to stand against Hafydd, and they are scattered throughout the land after a painful defeat: lost, separated, and weakened. Left for dead, the enigmatic wanderer Alaan must find his way through the treacherous, shifting southern lands, accompanied by the courageous Valeman, while Elise Wills, transformed by an eldritch bargain, pursues Hafydd herself as the nagar fight for revenge and the armies of the Renne and the Wills clash for supremacy on the battlefield." But what began as a struggle for a crown has become a fight far more perilous, for woken by the wars of man and nagar, even Death himself is preparing to leave his fell kingdom and walk the world again. And if the door to his dread domain cannot be shut, the feud between the Renne and the Wills and even the ancient wars of the nagar will be as nothing compared to the coming doom.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
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 Renn " 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. (On sale Oct. 12) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
What began as the latest outburst in an ancient feud between two families, the Renne and the Wills, has erupted into a worldwide cataclysm of war and sorcery. Ancient wizards awaken with the power to create or destroy worlds, and dark knights make pacts with beings from the lands of Death. Against the tide of war stands a small group of people, including the Lady Elise Wills and a wanderer named Alaan. This conclusion to Russell's epic trilogy (The Isle of Battle; The One Kingdom) offers a wealth of intrigue, magic, and battles both on the battlefield and in the characters' hearts and minds. A good choice for most fantasy collections. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Final installment in Russell's medieval-Wales-flavored fantasy trilogy (The Isle of Battle, 2002, etc.) centered on the magical River Wynnd. The three plot strands here often converge, cross, tangle, or just plain confuse. Chief among human concerns is the civil war raging between the Wills and the Renne, though it's rarely clear who's related to whom, and in what degree-and it's never certain, even to the protagonists, who's on whose side. . . not to mention the long list of traitors, turncoats, and double-crossers. Next, there's the feud, perpetuated down the ages, among the three children of the sorcerer Wyrr; the River Wynnd preserves their souls until it's opportune for them to emerge into the world, causing havoc once more. Hafydd, the evil knight and sorcerer of flame, hates and despises Elise, with her water-magic, and Alaan, with his warrior skills. Hafydd also has ambitions to rule the world, and to further them has made a bargain to release Death from the underworld. To achieve this, he must create a soul-eater, an entity against which even Elise and Alaan together can't stand. The Wills-Renne struggle suits Hafydd, since, regardless of alliances, he can compel whatever loyalty he needs. Further complications arise from various magic gems, not to mention giants, elves, and other stock folk or creatures that muddy the waters but exert little or no overall effect. Furiously, bafflingly complicated, then, but nothing and nobody original or compelling enough to stand forth from the background noise. Even Russell's usually pellucid prose has degenerated into plodding banality.
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