The second book in Carol Berg's four-part series THE BRIDGE OF D'ARNATH is GUARDIANS OF THE KEEP. Initially dealing with domestic life, it does not start with the bang of the first book, but within a few chapters it becomes just as powerful and just as good an example of superb fantasy.
The three evil lords remain. To keep them at bay in their parallel world, Prince D'Natheil must be in good health to guard the magical bridge. Unfortunately the battle at the end of the first book has left him in a weakened condition with a loss of memory severe enough that the council of preceptors questions his identity. They want to examine him, but it would be dangerous to fool around with the memory of the person responsible for the safety of the world. Especially when at least one of the preceptors has been conspiring with the evil lords.
Though that may not seem a particularly interesting theme, the author expands it into an excellent yarn. Partly because her modern prose is clean and easy to read, partly because she gives enough background detail to put the reader into the scene without boring him, and partly because she merges plot paths time after time with credibility.
Her characters stand out, which presented me with a problem. The bad guys were detestable, which was right. But the good guys were so endearing that when the bad guys gave them trouble, or when the good guys ran into some other kind of serious trouble, I became fretful. I wondered if I should throw this book aside and find something happier. I persevered only by persuading myself that the ending WOULD be happy. And I was justified. The depth of the book's lowest point did not equal the height of its highest point. So at the end I came out ahead.
NOTES:
(1) The second book contains enough recapitulation that you do not NEED to read the first book, though your satisfaction will be significantly improved if you do. By no means, however, should you read the second book before the first. Then the first will be spoiled rotten.
(2) Though I firmly recommend both of the first two volumes in this series, I wonder if someone who reads fantasy exclusively will be as pleased as I was. Maybe the exclusive-fantasy reader will be inordinately pleased only if he reads something good from another genre of fiction, or from nonfiction.
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Top reviews from other countries
AnetteF
Highly recommended fantasy adventure
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2010humanitysdarkerside
A great continuation to a great series
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 15, 2005