Beneath the Vaulted Hills : The River into Darkness [Paperback]

Sean Russell (Author)

Book Description

Series: The River Into Darkness | Publication Date: August 1, 1998

The last of the world's great mages, the enigmatic Lord Eldrich has dedicated his life to eradicating all remaining vestiges of magic in the world. But the fanatical Tellerites--followers of a long-dead mage-apprentice--oppose Eldrich, desiring the hidden knowledge of the magical arts and with it the coveted key to immortality. Drawn into this conflict against his will is Erasmus Flattery, who as a boy dwelt with Eldrich, and is still haunted by the memories of what transpired during his stay with the mage. Now Erasmus must lead as expedition to search for a secret taht has remained hidden since the time of the first Mages!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Sean Russell writes for people who prefer books to movies. No snappy dialogue or nonstop action sequences, just a mesmerizing tale, multifaceted characters, and lyrical descriptive prose. Beneath the Vaulted Hills is the first part of Russel's River Into Darkness series, which is itself a two-part prequel to Russell's Moontide and Magic Rise series. Each series stands alone, despite some characters in common.

Both series are set in the first half of an alternative 19th century. In Beneath the Vaulted Hills, Lord Eldrich, the last Mage, seeks to suppress all knowledge of magical powers. Two young men, Hayes and Kehler, and the beautiful Countess of Chilton have discovered clues to a possible trove of magical lore. It's concealed in a labyrinthine cave system behind a mysterious "crypt" linked to Teller, a renegade mage apprentice who founded a society to preserve magic. Erasmus Flattery, once a student in Eldrich's household, knows how dangerous the Mage can be, but finds himself joining the investigation. Both the Tellerites and Lord Eldrich follow, determined to control their discoveries.

Russell has the rare ability to immerse his readers so completely in his tale that reaching the end feels like waking from a particularly vivid dream. Fortunately the second volume of the series, The Compass of the Soul, continues it. --Nona Vero

Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: DAW (August 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0886777941
• ISBN-13: 978-0886777944
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #646,944 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good find., February 17, 2000

By 

P. Ortman (Midwest) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beneath the Vaulted Hills : The River into Darkness (Paperback)

This was the first series by Sean Russell where the back page description and the cover artwork didn't discourage me from investing money in it. To my chagrin Sean Russell is an excellent character developer, I found myself relating with Erasmus many times during the reading. When they went underground, I was scared that it would be a weak imitation of Jules Verne. This is where Sean Russell began to really interest me. Because he created a very vivid image in my mind of a place shrouded in darkness, and I had no problem seeing the setting as his characters did. This is due to a rare occurance, the level of imagery/descriptive writing and the character development worked vey well together, and so through understanding of the character, I was able to see their surroundings through their eyes, and not solely through narrative description. I think that Sean Russell's ability to keep their situation from getting to monotonous from a readers perspective really stood out in this book. Read this if you like Guy Gavriel Kay.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it enough to buy the sequel in hardback!, January 11, 1999

By 

Anne M. Marble "Anne" (MD, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beneath the Vaulted Hills (Moontide Magic Rise) (Hardcover)

Boy, was I glad I brought this book to the beach. Out of a whole bag of books in several genres, this was the best one I read during that time. I loved the setting, which might be called "drawing room fantasy." The novel started out slowly, but the writing was so good that I didn't care. And once the characters entered the caverns, there was no turning back.

Most of all, I love the way Sean Russell doesn't fall into the old cliche of the noble heroes fighting an evil dark wizard. The characters in this book are ALL flawed. While probably you'll find yourself rooting for Erasmus, you're never quite sure who the villain is. If there is a villain

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars uniquely satisfying, May 8, 2003

By 

M. D. Carson (Seattle) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beneath the Vaulted Hills : The River into Darkness (Paperback)

This was my first Sean Russell book and, like most of my favorite books, just came out of left field.
Rather than give details of the story, let me describe the reading experience.
Fantasy is so often placed in 'mud and thatch' medieval settings, which in reality leaves little to work with. Swords, fire, magic, horse-riding and running from the enemy are all one can play with. Ok, maybe elves and castles. Groveling beggars populate the masses.
Russell picks the perfect setting here. Elegance, style, pre-industrial but post-literate, old enough to have a shadowy history but young enough to be just awakening to the excitement of the 'renaissance'. I would place the culture as somewhere between 1700 and 1800, though there are obvious deviations.
As a sub-genre this might be called Alternate History Fantasy, as the environment is very 'real', almost contemporary, and magic is very, well, magical, and rare.
The energy of the characters following the 'magi' reminds me of contemporaries studying the Sphinx, though in fantasy something real can actually develop. This story is probably 80% academic mystery, and the depth of the plot and the mostly standout characters swirling around the unknown make for uncomparable fun.
The book diverges halfway through, and this is what really captures me.
I use to be a spelunker and Russell seems to have actually done some himself, because the second half of his book is so intense and real that he fully captures the sheer rigurousness and challenge of negotioting a real cave system. The combined sense of isolation, claustophobia and mystery that is unique to caving is captured perfectly, and really makes you feel like you've journeyed somewhere, rather than the few miles that in reality one has moved. (one does not journey lightly underground for long: bone-sucking chill, nowhere to go to the bathroom that somebody might not crawl through later, one must pack extremely light, you can't build a fire, its almost impossible to adequately respond to an medical emergency, etc)
Lots of good, intellectually-paced dialogue and very atmospheric.
All four are worth reading, but 'Vaulted' was my favorite. Hardly a cliche in the whole series.