20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
More Like Hobson's Choice, April 12, 2006
This review is from: Cadmian's Choice (Corean Chronicles, Book 5) (Hardcover)
I'm not sure what to make of Modesitt. On the one hand, he invents brilliantly imagined worlds. Corus, the setting for this tale, is his best yet. His battle scenes are very well written. But in his trilogies, the second volume has consistently been the weakest. He really only has one plot, although his variations on that basic plot can be interesting. And he remains purely incapable of writing a love scene.
"Cadmian's Choice" is the second novel in this extended prequel to the previously written Corean Trilogy ("Legacies," "Darknesses" and "Scepters"). It's mostly a political story. Modesitt is great at inventing complex political situations, and concealing the true motives of the characters, but he's not so hot at keeping it all interesting. The story drags until the final third, when Dainyl - the alien Alector - and Mykel - the human but Talented Cadmian soldier - finally get into battle. Fantasy writers need to understand that any time they devote more than a sentence to characters' clothing the inevitable comparisons to Robert Jordan will start. We already know Alectors wear shimmersilk. And I don't think the first thing Mykel noticed on regaining consciousness was the color of his girl's outfit.
The second volume of a trilogy is always hard to make compelling. It's a transition between the introduction in the first volume and the conclusion in the third. In a prequel, where you know how it is eventually going to turn out, it's even harder. There's a certain amount of interest in watching characters develop, but that can be thin across 768 pages.
A Cadmian's Choice, if I understand the story, is getting an apparent enemy to voluntarily accept a curse. Mykel, who may or may not be a Dagger of the Ancients, confronts such a choice. You, as the reader, face a Hobson's Choice. Modesitt's third volumes in his trilogies are usually his best. If you want to understand the events in that future third book, you'll have to make your way through this one. This middle volume isn't bad; it's just not very good. It's not up to Modesitt's usual standards and it is considerably below his best work.
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Stalking Horse, February 10, 2007
This review is from: Cadmian's Choice (Corean Chronicles, Book 5) (Hardcover)
Cadmian's Choice (2006) is the fifth Fantasy novel of the Corean Chronicles and the second in the prequel trilogy, following Alector's Choice. In the previous volume, Dainyl returns to Elcien to find that his wife is pregnant with a girl child. The next day, Dainyl arrives at headquarters only to be told that more pteridons have been lost while he was gone. Later, Dainyl briefs the Duarch of Elcien on the professed reasons for the rebellion, but both remain puzzled.
As Mykel delivers Rachyla to her father's estate, she tries once again to persuade him to rebel against the alectors. He refuses, but does accept the invitation to have his men stay on the estate overnight. When Mykel returns to Elcien, he is confirmed as Majer of the Third Cadmian Battalion.
In this novel, Colonel Herolt assigns the battalion to duty in Hyalt to suppress armed groups in the hills to the west of the town. The Third Battalion will be shipped by sea to Southgate. There the battalion will take over training of two locally recruited companies and will accompany them to Hyalt. Mykel is also charged with rebuilding the Cadmian compound outside Hyalt for the local companies.
When the Third Cadmian and the local companies arrive in Hyalt, Mykel has them camp on the site of the old compound. After talking to the local townsmen, Mykel begins to suspect that there are not any local bandits. He learns that the regional administrator has new weapons and uniformed troops to operate them. He suspects that the massacred Cadmian troops had been murdered by these uniformed alectors.
Submarshall Dainyl is sent on an inspection tour of the Eastern region. He meets Submarshall Alcyna and High Elector Brekylt and is convinced that they are plotting against Duarch Khelaryt. As Dainyl travels via the Tables, various Recorder try to kill him within the system or at his destination; everyone underestimates the strength of his shields. With all the deaths following his travels, Dainyl is getting a reputation, but the murder attempts keep coming his way.
In this story, both Mykel and Dainyl have further contacts with the Ancients. Both are told to try harder to accommodate themselves to Acorus. Dainyl is told to start drawing his power from Acorus, but he hasn't yet learned how. Mykel, of course, is already gaining power from the planet, but he discovers how to draw power locally rather than from his birthplace. Both are becoming much more powerful than their enemies believe possible.
The Ancients -- or Soarers -- do not seem to be particularly interested in either Dainyl or Mykel. They provide specific advice, but in a vague manner. Mykel seems to understand the point better than Dainyl, but then the Submarshall started with more power than Mykel.
Since Dainyl knows that Mykel is a rogue talent, at various times he considers turning in the Cadmian, but always sees reasons to protect the lander. Indeed, Majer Mykel is a good leader of men, often accomplishing things that were thought to be impossible. With all the enemies that he has acquired, Dainyl sees the value of having a talented Cadmian officer indebted to him.
This story builds momentum slowly, but erupts in open warfare in the last third of the novel. The author has a habit of starting slowly and increasing the pace until violence flares. Then he tapers down for the epilogue. He leaves plenty of unattached threads for the sequel: Soarer's Choice. Don't miss it.
Highly recommended for Modesitt fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of close combat, political intrigue and creative use of talents.
-Arthur W. Jordin
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not his best work, July 6, 2007
I love all books by L.E. Modesitt.
However, this book is very slow.
Not much happens for the first 250pages. Just a lot of setup and slow character development. The only major action happens at the very end and the entire plot of the series is only slightly advanced.
I would still buy it because I like the series but you may be a bit dissapointed.
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