Het Zilveren Zwaard

The Ea Cycle #2

by David Zindell, Karin Schuitemaker (Translator)

Op de schouders van prins Valashu Elahad rust het lot van zijn wereld. Anders dan zijn landgenoten is hij een man van vrede. Het is niet het enige dat hem anders maakt: hij is gezegend - of vervloekt - met de gave om in de harten van anderen te kijken en hun diepste emoties te ervaren.

Val en zijn vrienden zoeken een legendarische graal om de vrede te doen terugkeren. Maar ook de gevreesde Morjin jaagt op deze Lichtsteen en hij ontziet niets en niemand.

Met het magische zwaard Alkaladur weet Val telkens tijd te winnen. Maar hoe lang kan het duren voordat de Lichtsteen in handen valt van de vijand?

Genres: Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction, Fiction

431 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Biography at Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This continuation of Zindell's epic fantasy is straight out of the Quest book, but that's not a bad thing. In fact, it's so questy that it's an utter Grail (even if it is far in the future, full of magic, and is on another planet) Quest.

Sometimes these kinds of things tickle all the fancies.

At least, it did for me. Especially after the Grand Library, two dragons (with one actually spewing fire) and all kinds of moral tests that demonstrate that not everything is treachery and sometimes being a friend is the thing that saves the world.


The best thing about this:

So many adventures -- and they all FEEL like a real progression at every step. The characters are absolutely valorous and the setbacks prove it. The grand ancient evil villain FEELS right.

The so/so:

It's all very familiar. Done well, exciting, and even glorious, but it's still very familiar. Good if that's what you're hoping for, not so much if you want something that breaks so many molds -- Like Zindell's SF series. :)

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second part of the first book of the Ea cycle. As exciting in parts as the first, though a little rushed in its last 50 pages, I think. I very much enjoyed reading it again, though the death of Alphanderry didn't make me as sad as it did the first time I read the books. Possibly it was because I knew what would happen, so I didn't let myself get as attached to the character...

Either way, such an enjoyable read, and coming into its own more as the story progresses.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book. The quest was full of adventures and interesting challenges and characters.

[Mihra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up without realizing it was the second in the series, but settled down and opened it to read anyway. That's when I reaslized it was written in first person. I can sometimes get over that, but was immediately bombarded with "I" statements. I listened, I thought, I said, I told, I felt. It's much more difficult in first person to avoid repetitions, which are boring and become very obvious. First person can be a very powerful pov, but only if you can convince the reader to engage with it.

It is a second book, so this point is more my fault, but in the first four pages, there are 28 proper names of places, people and objects that I'm going to have to sift to decide what's important and what's just incidental. If it were a first book, I'd call it rushed world building, but I can't say that for sure since it isn't. So I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt for that, and rating it 3 stars, but this one will be donated and I won't look for the others.

[S. L. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the plot. The only reason it got three stats instead of four is because the writing could be improved.

[Julia Marsen dyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant - I'd not read this classic until recently. We read it as a family taking in turns whilst the others were building a puzzle. We were all hooked. Wonderfully crafted book that follows a Polish family who are caught up and separated in the war and who struggle to find each other - trusting through all sorts of adversity that they will be reunited.