From Library Journal
A young boy and a blind bard journey to the land of Deverry, home of the ancient conquerors of their people, in fulfillment of an oath--and find themselves swept up in a war to save their ancestral enemies from a mad goddess. Set in the world of A Time of Omens ( LJ 6/15/92), this stand-alone tale features heretofore unexplored civilizations as well as characters that Deverry series fans will remember. Kerr's more complex cosmologies take a backseat to classic fantasy themes in this well-conceived introduction to an ongoing series. Recommended for most fantasy collections.Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Kerr's latest fantasy novel of the Westlands continues the story begun in A Time of Omens (1992). To escape entrapment on the etheric plane, Guardian Evander has arranged for his daughter, Elessario, to be born to a mundane, Princess Carra of Deverry. However, a powerful, evil, and mad goddess, Alshandra, is plotting to frustrate him, and the conflict soon involves some familiar characters--Jill the Dweomer-master and Rhodry the mercenary silver dagger--along with the usual assortment of bards, seers, warriors, nobles, elves, and talented children. Eventually, it emerges that Rhodry must go forth in search of the dragon Arzosah, without whose aid the good guys cannot win. These ingredients are stirred slowly with dollops of reincarnation, predestination, magic, and fate. Kerr's scenario is detailed but uninteresting, her plots large but unmotivated, her narrative agreeable but meandering and sluggish. For series fans only. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"This grand saga is by a wide margin the best Celtic fantasy around."--Chicago Sun-Times
Review
"This grand saga is by a wide margin the best Celtic fantasy around."--Chicago Sun-Times
From the Publisher
In the peaceful land of the Rhiddaer, Jahdo the ratcatcher's son stumbles upon a secret meeting between a city council man and a dangerous, mysterious woman. Suddenly the boy is tangled in a web of intrigue and black magic that drags him far from home. In the company of a blind bard, Jahdo must travel to Deverry to unravel the evil that binds him. But there the boy is caught up in dangers far greater than he has ever known. Two powerful sorcerers--one human, the other elven--are battling to save the country from a goddess gone mad. Their strongest ally is the mercenary soldier Rhodry Maelwaedd, a berserker bound to both women by fate and magic . . . and to the dragon upon whom all their live may depend. Days Of Blood And Fire begins an exciting new chapter in the chronicles of Deverry and the Westlands, with a story suited to new readers and loyal fans alike."This grand saga is by a wide margin the best Celtic fantasy around."--Chicago Sun-Times
From the Inside Flap
In the peaceful land of the Rhiddaer, Jahdo the ratcatcher's son stumbles upon a secret meeting between a city council man and a dangerous, mysterious woman. Suddenly the boy is tangled in a web of intrigue and black magic that drags him far from home. In the company of a blind bard, Jahdo must travel to Deverry to unravel the evil that binds him. But there the boy is caught up in dangers far greater than he has ever known. Two powerful sorcerers--one human, the other elven--are battling to save the country from a goddess gone mad. Their strongest ally is the mercenary soldier Rhodry Maelwaedd, a berserker bound to both women by fate and magic . . . and to the dragon upon whom all their live may depend. Days Of Blood And Fire begins an exciting new chapter in the chronicles of Deverry and the Westlands, with a story suited to new readers and loyal fans alike.
From the Back Cover
"This grand saga is by a wide margin the best Celtic fantasy around."--Chicago Sun-Times
Days of Blood and Fire (Westland Cycle #3) FROM THE PUBLISHER
In the peaceful land of the Rhiddaer, Jahdo the ratcatcher's son stumbles upon a secret meeting between a city council man and a dangerous, mysterious woman. Suddenly the boy is tangled in a web of intrigue and black magic that drags him far from home. In the company of a blind bard, Jahdo must travel to Deverry to unravel the evil that binds him. But there the boy is caught up in dangers far greater than he has ever known. Two powerful sorcerers—one human, the other elven—are battling to save the country from a goddess gone mad. Their strongest ally is the mercenary soldier Rhodry Maelwaedd, a berserker bound to both women by fate and magic . . . and to the dragon upon whom all their live may depend. Days Of Blood And Fire begins an exciting new chapter in the chronicles of Deverry and the Westlands, with a story suited to new readers and loyal fans alike.
FROM THE CRITICS
Library Journal
A young boy and a blind bard journey to the land of Deverry, home of the ancient conquerors of their people, in fulfillment of an oath--and find themselves swept up in a war to save their ancestral enemies from a mad goddess. Set in the world of A Time of Omens ( LJ 6/15/92), this stand-alone tale features heretofore unexplored civilizations as well as characters that Deverry series fans will remember. Kerr's more complex cosmologies take a backseat to classic fantasy themes in this well-conceived introduction to an ongoing series. Recommended for most fantasy collections.
BookList - Roland Green
The seventh volume in an outstanding contemporary Celtic fantasy saga begins where "A Time of Omens" left off. A blind bard answers some of Jill's and Rhodry's questions, but these answers send Rhodry off on yet another perilous quest. The dwarfs introduced in "Time" play a large role here, and in general both spirit intervention and human folly keep the action moving. By no means a good place for starting the saga, this is, however, a superb continuation of an extended adventure that in depth and complexity is beginning to rival Jordan's "Wheel of Time" and even "Lord of the Rings".
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