Beyond the Veil (Beyond Series, #2) in Sword & Sorcery: "An earthier sort of fantasy"

Mar 02, 2014 Joe Bonadonna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Beyond the Veil is the second book in the Beyond Sanctuary Trilogy. And once again, Janet Morris does not disappoint in this stirring novel of political and religious intrigue, dark magic, gods and men, witches and mages, and the price of love and war. This is a pivotal book in the trilogy, where foreshadow and story threads begin to weave in and out to form a tapestry, telling a tale of friends who become foes, enemies who become allies, and what Fate lies in store for certain demigods and mort Beyond the Veil is the second book in the Beyond Sanctuary Trilogy. And once again, Janet Morris does not disappoint in this stirring novel of political and religious intrigue, dark magic, gods and men, witches and mages, and the price of love and war. This is a pivotal book in the trilogy, where foreshadow and story threads begin to weave in and out to form a tapestry, telling a tale of friends who become foes, enemies who become allies, and what Fate lies in store for certain demigods and mortals. Now, after the battle to win Wizardwall that took place in book one, Beyond Sanctuary, Tempus, Niko and the Sacred Band are caught between the local rebels and the empire of Mygdonia’s blackest magic. Once again, “War is coming, sending ahead its customary harbingers: fear and falsity and fools.”
It begins with the murder of a courier on his way to meet with Tempus, and the arrival of a young woman named Kama, of the 3rd Commandoes, (a unit of special rangers originally formed by Tempus) who seeks audience with Tempus, who is also known as Riddler. Her mission is to take 11-year old Shamshi, the young wizard-boy back home to Mygdonia. Shamshi, once a pawn in the game played by the late sorcerer Datan in the previous novel, is still under the spell of Roxane the witch, but is now being held as a guest-hostage by Tempus and the Sacred Band. Though he may be a child in the eyes of men, Shamshi is already plotting against Tempus and Niko. He is guided and goaded by the “voice” of Roxane, who has been in hiding since the death of Datan, her former partner in crime, and the loss of Wizardwall at the hands of Tempus and his Stepsons. Roxane has her own agenda, of course: she is one of the most seductive, dangerous and deadly foes in this trilogy.
To further complicate matters, Shamshi is in love with Jihan, Froth Daughter of the weather god, Stormbringer; she has come to earth to spend one year as a mortal, and Shamshi can’t wait to grow into manhood so he can take her for his own. Even though Roxane has already introduced him to the pleasures of the flesh, Shamshi knows he must wait to seduce Jihan, wait until he is a man full-grown when she will accept him as such, or so he believes. Jihan, however, loves and cares for Shamshi only as if he was her own son. But she has fallen in love with Tempus, much against her father’s wishes, and wants to stay with him, permanently. Relationships, plots and counterplots are complicated in this series and, oh . . . what tangled webs these mortals and immortals weave. “When men and mages fought gods in perverted theomachy, no one was safe, not on earth or in the heavens.”
Tempus, still without the patronage of Enlil, the Storm God of the Armies, is weakened and uncertain, and concerned for Niko, his right-side partner, whose life and fate hang in the balance. He sends young Randal, the seventh-level Hazard Class mage who proved his worth in the battle of Wizardwall, to the Bandaran Isles to find Niko, who has gone into retreat there. Together, Niko and Randal then travel to mystical and mysterious Meridian, where they meet with Askelon, Dream Lord and regent of the seventh sphere, who seeks Niko’s aid and offers him his patronage. Reluctantly, Niko agrees to become the avatar of Askelon who says he wants “to secure the stability of the seventh sphere through its human connection, to prevent the possibility of someone threatening the right of man to dreams of comfort and healing.” But is that all the entelechy of dreams and shadows wants? Or does Askelon have a hidden agenda that is yet to be revealed? Are gods to be trusted any more than men? And let’s not forget about Roxane, the snake-eating, soul-devouring witch whose grim shadow hovers over all: she wants Niko for her own; she seeks to regain Wizardwall for all her kin, and “to find out if Tempus is truly immortal and whether a Froth Daughter might be turned to drizzle upon the air.” And young Shamshi is her tool, her weapon against Tempus and Jihan.
As I stated earlier, this is a complicated novel, rich and complex in the machinations of its characters, whether they’re mortal, divine or numinous, whose motives may or may not be what they seem. It begins with a mystery and keeps that going throughout the story: the reader knows only as much as what the characters know and learns things only when the characters learn them. When the answers and revelations come, they hit fast and hard. There is also wisdom and philosophy in this novel, and a wealth of wonderful quotes. Janet Morris was determined that Beyond the Veil not suffer from what I call MBS—Middle Book Syndrome, and she has succeeded. More than that, halfway through the story this novel goes from being as solid as its predecessor to upping the ante and raising the bar.
Tempus, Morris’ most famous character, her legacy character, is a stoic hero, a great warrior, a demigod . . . and philosopher. We get to know him, but not as well as we get to know the other members of the Sacred Band. Morris keeps the mystery, the enigma of him there to tease us. He is not called Tempus the Obscure for nothing.
And for all the glory of its flesh and blood characters, the beauty of prose, the literary depth and textures and levels of this classic, there is no shortage of inhumans, once-humans, half-humans, magic-working, mortals fighting in the streets, mage war, embattled gods, fire-spitting demons, shape-shifters, and a rousing night raid that reaches a powerful crescendo. Oh, yes . . . there’s also a golden homunculus, a creepy little thing that becomes the whispering master of one recurring character, and nearly succeeds in doing to Tempus what few men, few mages have ever attempted. The final scenes involving a young warrior-woman who has found herself pregnant, and who is torn between keeping the baby or having an abortion, is played out perfectly, with restraint and delicacy, with compassion and humanity, and a deft touch that neither underplays nor overwhelms.
Once again, as I highly recommended the first book in this magnificent trilogy, I say that you will not be disappointed in this second book, Beyond the Veil.
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Jan 02, 2014 Lori Myers rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I had to break down and google the word entelechy. Here is the third definition I found "Something complex that emerges when you put a large number of simple objects together" This book is that precisely that.
In the beginning of the book, Niko has gone back to Bandera to regain his maat, the balance he is a master of. Tempus is neck deep in the politics of war, having almost destroyed the Black Nisibisi mages in Beyond Sanctuary. Toss in a daughter that Tempus didn't know he had, (Kama), a very I had to break down and google the word entelechy. Here is the third definition I found "Something complex that emerges when you put a large number of simple objects together" This book is that precisely that.
In the beginning of the book, Niko has gone back to Bandera to regain his maat, the balance he is a master of. Tempus is neck deep in the politics of war, having almost destroyed the Black Nisibisi mages in Beyond Sanctuary. Toss in a daughter that Tempus didn't know he had, (Kama), a very pissed off Roxanne, the continued absence of Vashanka, Mygdonians massing for war, magic,Interfering gods, temperamental Froth Daughters, double agents and wow, this book is what you get. There was a TON of events in this book, each one of critical importance to the outcome. Each of those could be simple if they were a lone occurrence, but when massed all together, they become a complex mess that Tempus, Crit, Strat, Randal and Niko try to sort out.

It is a good thing I have been so sick lately. Seriously..a good thing! I was able to read straight through this one. To me, this was Niko's book, and in a way, maybe Randal's as well. There is so much that Niko goes through. I felt the whole gamut of emotions in this book. I think I ran through them all and am utterly drained right now. Niko is by far my favorite Stepson and is quite possibly my favorite character in a fantasy book ever. (Beating out Hanse, Rand Al Thor and all of the Malazan Empire characters) He is complex beyond belief, but in his heart, he craves a simple balance, maat. We see Randal evolve into a stronger mage with more developed morals, and watch his friendship with Niko become more cemented.
I loved this book,. I don't think I have ever come across such a delicious character, so complex on one hand and so simple on the other. Niko is an easy character to like. I found myself talking to the book during several parts, all the characters became so real, I didn't even realize I was talking to the book until I woke up my husband. He thought I was talking to him. I got the "I wonder if it is time for a straight jacket" look before he went back to sleep. To me, that is a sign of a well written, thoroughly plotted book, when the characters remain with you for more years than you care to admit and finding them again, after all those unmentionable years makes you giddy like a teen with her first crush. yeah, this book evoked those feelings for me. Now to devour Beyond Wizardwall! ...more

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Apr 19, 2014 Andrew Weston rated it it was amazing

Once again, I was delighted to read a tale that had depth, breadth, murder, intrigue and double-crosses left right and centre.
But what to say without giving too much away?
Someone is trying to send Tempus secret messages, vital to the stability of the region. However, 'someone else' is equally as determined to make sure those messages never get through. But who?
The only person who may hold a key to what is happening is a victim of murder, so the Stepsons are forced to turn to their Hazard Mage, R ...more

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Dec 25, 2013 A.L. Butcher rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014, recommended, fantasy, favourite, gr-author, dark-fantasy, swords-and-sorcery, magic, sci-fi-and-fantasy-book-club-bom, sci-fi-and-fantasy-challenge

Strife follows the Riddler and that is especially true here. With dissention among his Stepsons, traitors in the camp, silence from his god and civil war brewing this is a rollercoaster ride of emotion, mayhem and, of course, exceptional fantasy.

Some new characters are introduced, namely Kama, a feisty female warrior who is not all she seems. Better still there is a lot of character development here, particularly for Niko and Randall; at times heartbreaking and at times enlightening the story d ...more

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