It has been years since I have read any of Donaldson’s
books. I remember Thomas Covenant fondly
for his enormous self doubt. That theme
seems to be in this book as well. Prince
Bifalt shares a similar lack of self esteem or perhaps more accurately a doubt
as to his abilities. He sees himself as
a soldier, doesn’t regard himself as terribly bright and cognizant of his
diplomatic shortcomings. His kingdom, Belleger, is locked in a generational
dispute to the death with Amika. Both
kingdoms are suffering and apparently suicidal.
The Prince is tasked by his father the king to find a solution to the
perceived one sided stalemate.
The Decimates are magical tenets or perhaps spells, I was
not entirely sure which. The evoking of
the Decimates are the primary cause of the catastrophic loss of life when the
two kingdoms battle. The Prince’s goal is to find the Seventh Decimate which
supersedes the previous six by nullifying them.
I did not find the Prince as likeable as Thomas Covenant,
not that he was eminently likeable either.
The book seemed more simplistic than I recall Donaldson. There were not a ton of nuances or thought
provoking scenarios. My most frequent
reaction to some of the Prince’s behavior was “what the heck is wrong with
you.” That feeling was tempered by the
acceptance that generations of death and destruction would raise cynicism to a
new high. I felt this was more YA than
A as far as the plot and flow were concerned.
I recommend it but I don’t think it is of the same caliber
as the Covenant series.
Web: http://www.stephenrdonaldson.com/
This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.
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