Queensblade

Heirs to Byzantium #3

by Susan Shwartz

The time for the transfer of power from one generation to the other has come. The rites require Queen Olwen to kill herself with the Queensblade in order to ensure the bounty of the kingdom. First, the Princess, Olwen's daughter Gwenlliant, must discover the powers in order to inherit the crown and the kingdom, for only in Gwenlliant rests the power to bring back the bounty of the land and the kingdom of the ages. Gwenlliant must go forth from the Isles of Mist to the shores of Byzantium in order to discover her ancient birthright. Attacked along the way by the assassins of the spirit of darkness and nearly becoming a sacrifice in the dark and bloody vaults of the Stone King, Gwenlliant must overcome hardship and steal her way to succession for only then will her kingdom survive.

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Writes with Shariann Lewitt as Gordon Kendall.

She received her B.A. in English from Mount Holyoke College in 1972 and a PhD in English from Harvard University.

Reviews

[Kes · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars

Ok read - I didn't read the first two books, but I felt this was ok as a standalone.

Basically, Gwenlliant is the heir to Penllyn. She comes into her mother's powers (hearing thoughts and empathy) and is dismayed - this means that it comes time for the transfer of powers, where her mother (Queen Olwen) will kill herself to ensure that the land remains fertile.

Gwenlliant, Queen Olwen, and her cousin Elen decide to journey to Byzantium where Gwenlliant will meet her brother, Mor. Gwenlliant is supposed to marry her brother; they have been raised apart. Along the way, they face an assassination attempt, which is in turn foiled by the sea captain Dylan. Gwenlliant falls for Dylan.

When they reach the city, plague is discovered. Gwenlliant is captured - the plague has been caused by the heirs of Irene (who is hinted as the big evil in the preceding books). Dylan, Mor, and Elen follow and rescue her. They discover that there was a king of the dark; Dylan sacrifices himself to ensure that the other three escape and the heirs of Irene are defeated (this also results in the resolution of the plague affecting the city). Dylan is also revealed to be King Marric's son / Gwenlliant's half-brother - he never presented himself because he had a lame leg, and believed he was unworthy.

Elen and Mor have fallen for each other, so Marric allows them to marry. Marric in turn decides to abdicate (because of a curse that he will never know peace while the crown rests on his head) and joins Osiris' temple. We leave them with Elen pregnant. Back in Penllyn, Queen Olwen has killed herself and Gwenlliant has ascended the throne. She meets a man (the Bearmaster) who she dreamed of.

I guess this is supposed to be an alternate history where there's magic in the world - but there's not a lot of magic involved / magic doesn't really drive the plot. Ultimately, it was an ok read.

[Micax · Rating 2 out of 5]

The conclusion to what is essentially the tale of Marric, though mostly told through his children. As an alternate history book, there is not much to come for here - it basically just retreads old ground. There is more character development here than in the past volumes, as the story now is actually interested in more than one character at a time.

The two big questions in this are: who shall inherit the Empire, and the matter of the old Queen's sacrifice. Unfortunately, the answers are rather pat - the story builds up a big conflict and supernatural threat, but then resolves everything with a whimper, and the only one who actually learns anything seems to be Marric. Overall, I found this very anti-climactic. We are told repeatedly that Olwen is premature in killing herself; that the law of the Celtic lands are overly harsh, and even confirmed that the Gods of Byzantium (who do not require blood sacrifice) are the same Gods as rule over the Celts... and yet Gwenn still submits and Olwen kills herself. The story then hints perhaps Gwenn will find a way to end the barbarous custom, but since it's heavily implied that she has resigned to her fate, this is just a case of trying to have the cake and eat it too. IMO, the series would have worked better if it had concluded after Woman of Flowers, because this one did not feel as if it added anything much to the story.

[Saleris · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, the above listed title I have is wrong - it should be one word (Queensblade).
Second, I read this long enough ago that I don't remember the story. So I'll eventually read it again. But, I do remember that I liked it.