Mark Sehestedt's Frostfell is one book of a series of stand alone novels called "The Wizards". It's a gripping story about a Cormyrian Warwizard and her adopted son set in the Endless Wastes long after the Tuigan invasion. For Realm's fan this area is brought to amazing life by Mark's style of description and grasp of the scenery.

As the last survivor of a small village, Jalan is found among the wreckage by Amira, a Warwizard tasked to care for the child. Amira ultimately becomes attached to the boy and comes to think of him as her own, little realizing the history of his heritage. When a cadre of sorcerer's kidnap the child, she enlists the aid of Gyaidun and Lendri, blood brothers and exiles of a remote elven tribe, as well Kwarun, the tribe's shaman.

The boy's bloodline holds a story and secret that the group unravels as they give chase to the kidnappers. Amira, as a foreigner in the Wastes, comes to learn more about the history of the land and people that live there and ultimately accept and embrace her role in it's unraveling.

Mark's description of the cold, empty vastness of this region leaves the reader with goose bumps and a sense of desolation. His method of showing this region is palpable as he weaves his story around the backdrop of the land. The characters are rich in complexity and his seamless control of the "foreign-ness" of Amira in this region is perfect.

The story is primarily told from Amira's point of view and Mark captures the communication differences in the dialogue wonderfully. The learning experiences between Amira and the others are fascinating as they struggle to understand one another. Mark's ability to maintain an intense pacing whilst the characters are forced to interact and save the child are amazing. Many times the reader is caught up in the middle of the character's frustrations and anger and then relieves the pressure by providing leaps of progress in the character's interactions.

The story itself is very well thought out and the plot balanced between lore and character with no distinction of the two. As a Realm's fan and reader there is a lot of showcased material in this story but to enjoy the book on its own does not require background information. This was a strong tale and it holds its own weight even without the background knowledge.

A wonderful and enjoyable story to add to any fantasy collection.

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Created May 15, 2007 at 12:28am • Submit your own review...