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Westria #2
Lady of Darkness
A Queen to be Mistress of the Jewels of Westria, and wield their magical thrall over the elements. A Queen to conquer the mysteries of the Kingdom, as she had conquered the King's heart.
But the young and gentle Queen little suspected treachery in the magical spheres of the Westrian court, where jealousy festered and a sorcerer bridled at her powers.
Now her beloved King lay gravely ill, and the hands of sorcer sought to seize the sacred Jewels themselves. Now the Queen alone must battle the Kingdom's darkest threat since the Cataclysm, as whirlwinds of destruction descend upon fair Westria.
But the young and gentle Queen little suspected treachery in the magical spheres of the Westrian court, where jealousy festered and a sorcerer bridled at her powers.
Now her beloved King lay gravely ill, and the hands of sorcer sought to seize the sacred Jewels themselves. Now the Queen alone must battle the Kingdom's darkest threat since the Cataclysm, as whirlwinds of destruction descend upon fair Westria.
- GenresFantasy
253 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
68 people want to read
About the author
Diana L. Paxson
169 books412 followersDiana L. Paxson (born 1943) is a novelist and author of nonfiction, primarily in the fields of Paganism and Heathenism. Her published works include fantasy and historical fiction novels, as well as numerous short stories. More recently she has also published nonfiction books about Pagan and Heathen religions and practices.
In addition to her multiple novels and collaborations, she has written over seventy short stories. Her best-known works are the Westria novels, and the later books in the Avalon series, which she first co-wrote with Marion Zimmer Bradley, then took over sole authorship of after Bradley's death.
Paxson was nominated for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards twice, in 1989 for the "White Raven" and in 1983 for "Lady of Light".
Paxson's non-fiction books include Taking Up the Runes, Essential Asatru, and Trance-Portation. She writes a regular column for the women's spirituality magazine, Sagewoman.
Paxson has been active in the leadership of a number of organizations. She hosted the first activities of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and was subsequently among that group's founding Directors and Corporate Officers when it incorporated[1]. She was the western regional director of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and is a frequent panelist at science fiction conventions, especially Baycon, where she was the 2007 Fantasy Guest of Honor.
A leader in the Neopagan and Heathen revivals, Paxson is the founder of the The Fellowship of the Spiral Path and has served as First Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess. She has been Steerswoman of the Heathen group, The Troth, a member of its Board of Directors, and currently edits its journal, Idunna. She is a pioneer in the revival of Oracular Seidh, which she has taught and performed at many Neopagan and heathen festivals and retreats.
She composes and plays music for the harp. She currently lives at her home, Greyhaven, in Berkeley, California.
More can be found on her blog: http://dpaxson.livejournal.com
In addition to her multiple novels and collaborations, she has written over seventy short stories. Her best-known works are the Westria novels, and the later books in the Avalon series, which she first co-wrote with Marion Zimmer Bradley, then took over sole authorship of after Bradley's death.
Paxson was nominated for the Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards twice, in 1989 for the "White Raven" and in 1983 for "Lady of Light".
Paxson's non-fiction books include Taking Up the Runes, Essential Asatru, and Trance-Portation. She writes a regular column for the women's spirituality magazine, Sagewoman.
Paxson has been active in the leadership of a number of organizations. She hosted the first activities of the Society for Creative Anachronism, and was subsequently among that group's founding Directors and Corporate Officers when it incorporated[1]. She was the western regional director of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, and is a frequent panelist at science fiction conventions, especially Baycon, where she was the 2007 Fantasy Guest of Honor.
A leader in the Neopagan and Heathen revivals, Paxson is the founder of the The Fellowship of the Spiral Path and has served as First Officer of the Covenant of the Goddess. She has been Steerswoman of the Heathen group, The Troth, a member of its Board of Directors, and currently edits its journal, Idunna. She is a pioneer in the revival of Oracular Seidh, which she has taught and performed at many Neopagan and heathen festivals and retreats.
She composes and plays music for the harp. She currently lives at her home, Greyhaven, in Berkeley, California.
More can be found on her blog: http://dpaxson.livejournal.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 16, 2022
Basically, the writing takes a big upgrade. I enjoyed the story. The characters left something to be desired. Some cool trippy imagery, mental spirit battles and such. It isn't perfect but I liked it and following through with the second book in the omnibus was rewarding.
Caolin becomes more villainous. There's a lot of times where it seems like he might 'go back' to his old self, but you eventually learn that this character will always sink lower when he has a chance. It's tragic but frustrating. Sometimes it feels like his character gets derailed by having him doing something too depraved and then not working it into the character from then on. Still pretty miffed that he's this queer villain archetype on top of the nuances he has.
To be clear, I don't think it was intended to be offensive. At no point is homosexuality said to be disgusting or immoral in the book. His love for the King is often implied to be the one saving grace, the one area that lends him a chance at redemption. However. The status of 'loving men' does thoroughly set Caolin as an 'other'. And his 'otherness', including his status as a lowborn, being without spiritual insight, etc... is essential to the motivations of his villainy. It's typical fantasy villain writing for the time it was published. Unfortunate? Yes. Worth getting angry over? For me, no.
Faris struggles to bond with her baby - which was a really good conflict. I liked how Faris struggles with being seen as important only because she had a royal child. If only it went somewhere beyond her eventual death at the end of the book. Westria, so far, has a lot of great ideas. A lot of them are just left behind.
The descriptions of her trying to care for her baby while she was wandering through the wilderness were well done. In general, the book really shines when there's a lot of action/a lot going on physically.
Farin develops into the what I assume will be the protagonist of Silverhair the Wanderer. I love the idea of a character who relies on music so much, and just bards in general.
Did I mention how earnest the prose is? How much the characters have dialogue as though they were performing in a play? I love it. Genuinely. Unironically. Not everything needs a wink to the audience or constant sarcasm. Dialogue in a story doesn't have to be natural. The characters talk the way they do because the setting they live in is a construction of fiction. Sometimes it's a bit much, but I appreciate it, nonetheless.
Anyways, the Mistress of Jewels omnibus isn't hard to find online. Most copies don't seem to be very expensive. If you find it at a local bookshop, chances are it'll be a paperback. It's a good read if you like less famous genre stuff. It also has a softer approach to fantasy that I don't think was as common in the era it came out. Don't expect wizards shooting fireballs and dragons flying around. Think more psychic powers and spiritually melding with the earth and elements.
Caolin becomes more villainous. There's a lot of times where it seems like he might 'go back' to his old self, but you eventually learn that this character will always sink lower when he has a chance. It's tragic but frustrating. Sometimes it feels like his character gets derailed by having him doing something too depraved and then not working it into the character from then on. Still pretty miffed that he's this queer villain archetype on top of the nuances he has.
To be clear, I don't think it was intended to be offensive. At no point is homosexuality said to be disgusting or immoral in the book. His love for the King is often implied to be the one saving grace, the one area that lends him a chance at redemption. However. The status of 'loving men' does thoroughly set Caolin as an 'other'. And his 'otherness', including his status as a lowborn, being without spiritual insight, etc... is essential to the motivations of his villainy. It's typical fantasy villain writing for the time it was published. Unfortunate? Yes. Worth getting angry over? For me, no.
Faris struggles to bond with her baby - which was a really good conflict. I liked how Faris struggles with being seen as important only because she had a royal child. If only it went somewhere beyond her eventual death at the end of the book. Westria, so far, has a lot of great ideas. A lot of them are just left behind.
The descriptions of her trying to care for her baby while she was wandering through the wilderness were well done. In general, the book really shines when there's a lot of action/a lot going on physically.
Farin develops into the what I assume will be the protagonist of Silverhair the Wanderer. I love the idea of a character who relies on music so much, and just bards in general.
Did I mention how earnest the prose is? How much the characters have dialogue as though they were performing in a play? I love it. Genuinely. Unironically. Not everything needs a wink to the audience or constant sarcasm. Dialogue in a story doesn't have to be natural. The characters talk the way they do because the setting they live in is a construction of fiction. Sometimes it's a bit much, but I appreciate it, nonetheless.
Anyways, the Mistress of Jewels omnibus isn't hard to find online. Most copies don't seem to be very expensive. If you find it at a local bookshop, chances are it'll be a paperback. It's a good read if you like less famous genre stuff. It also has a softer approach to fantasy that I don't think was as common in the era it came out. Don't expect wizards shooting fireballs and dragons flying around. Think more psychic powers and spiritually melding with the earth and elements.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2020
7/10
Some unexpected plot developments in this sequel to Lady of Light. It’s hard to imagine the future of Westria after this, but with several more books for me to read in this series, I guess I’ll find out.
Some unexpected plot developments in this sequel to Lady of Light. It’s hard to imagine the future of Westria after this, but with several more books for me to read in this series, I guess I’ll find out.
January 23, 2020
ugh, finally finished, im probably gonna def this series cause it's been a long time since I read any book with more annoying characters
December 19, 2013
When compared to the first book in this series, this book is better. The writing is better, the story is more engrossing. The first book, the Lady of Light, we are led to enjoy all of the happy celebrations and positive things that happen. This book is the opposite as we travel with the characters down a darker path. If you enjoyed the first book you will definitely want to read this book and find out what happens next.
April 9, 2015
A good sequel to the first book. Again the pacing made the beginning tough, but the author does good work of tying together many plot points. Definitely was caught by surprise by new and unexpected changes, but it's all very well written so it works nicely (I just, you know, didn't expect a book to actually go there and do OTHER MAJOR PLOT SPOILER THINGS.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews