Customer Reviews

The Crown of Silence (Magravandias Chronicles)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

First off, if you haven't read Sea Dragon Heir yet, what are you waiting for? Go, read it. I'll wait.

Back? Good. The Crown of Silence continues the story begun in SDH. The first half of the novel overlaps the events of the first book, revealing what was going on in other areas of the world. The second half is a true mythic Quest with all that that entails.

The characters are well developed and for the most part sympathetic, but as with all of Storm's characters these are not perfect people. You will find yourself at times wanting to reach your hand into the book to thwap them on their collective heads for being idiots... but when you think about it, how would you handle the situation they find themselves in?

Another area where Storm excels (and sadly many other fantasists do not) is in the depth and resonance of her magical system. It is not some "point/zap/you're dead/you're a frog" amalgamation of fantasy cliches grafted on to the story, rather it is the story. What these characters are doing, how they are growing and evolving, is a direct result of the self-discovery involved in learning. As several characters state: "Learning is better than knowing."

I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but I feel I must state that a portion of the book does deal with the consequences of surviving a traumatic rape and that two of the major characters are involved in a same-sex relationship. To me, these things add to the weight and reality of the book, but I realize that for some such subject matter is a determinant factor in what you read. I still recommend the book even to those people, though, as the handling of both subjects is superb for the genre, but if you're looking for another Harry Potter this is not the book for you.

As to the book itself, Tor did a great job on this one. Everything from the jacket art to the binding is top-notch. This is definately not one to wait for paperback on.

Shan was living an idyllic life, until the arrival of the conquering Magravandians, who destroy his town and shatter his innocence about men of war. Broken in spirit and body, Shan is taken by the wizard Taropat to be his apprentice, but soon Shan learns that his path encompasses more. He learns the story of Khaster Leckery and his lover Tayven Hirantel, and the tragic events leading to both of their disappearances. Both men have survived and since changed, and Shan feels compelled to bring them back together, if for nothing but closure. Soon fate brings these men together in a quest to claim the crown of silence, which can only be worn by the true king of the land, who it is hoped will overcome the evils of the Magravandian Empire. The story does drag in places, and seems to be filler for the trilogy. Yes, a lot happens to the characters, but in the grand scheme of the story, the book slows the momentum and I found it a struggle to get through sometimes. I was most fascinated when Constantine was telling about the court intrigues and the interconnections between the rival factions. I only wish the book was better, because "Sea Dragon Heir" was so enthralling, and I am looking forward to the next in the series nonetheless.

This book is so frustrating -- there are moments that are really very good. It's a classic journey of self-discovery (individual and group) and Constantine is a good writer at the sentence level. But, as has been mentioned here, the plot and character development is very uneven. All in all, it feels like it needed another few hours of baking.

At fifteen, Shan lives a relatively contented life working along side his father gathering crops in the isolated village of Holme. However, everything changes when the ferocious invading Magravandas ravage the village. The atrocities are numerous as men are viciously murdered and women brutally raped. They kill Shan's family and brutalize him leaving him for dead.

Taropat the wizard arrives after the soldiers leave and informs the survivors that "the demon of death" marches the land. He takes Shan with him and trains the lad into focusing his hatred and using magic as a weapon of retaliation against the Magravanda Empire. Taropat seeks a hero while Shan seeks vengeance, thus a marriage of convenience is forged between the tutor and the student. As he starts to learn more about Taropat, Shan joins a quest seeking the Crown of Silence with each member of the alliance planning to take control of the artifact.

THE CROWN OF SILENCE, the second tale in Storm Constantine's Magravandias Chronicles, is a well-written epic fantasy that will thrill genre diehards. The story line has exciting moments that bring alive an engaging plot, but at other times the tale seems bogged down with too much explanation of the mythos behind the legends. Shan is an interesting character fueled by loathing to become all he can be and more as he converts from peasant to mage. Taropat is also a captivating player, but no more on him because his background is pivotal to the novel. Although not quite as entertainingly smooth as SEA DRAGON HEIR, Ms. Constantine adds depth to her mythical realm with an overall strong entry.

Harriet Klausner

This book rocked my world the first time I read it. I was in high school, and its protrayal of decadence and broken innocence shocked me. The characters were incredibly realistic to me. The behavior of Khaster and Tayven throughout the entire book reminded me of somewhat similar situations between people in real life. A dissolute man who turns to night life for solace is a very sympathetic character to me. So too is the experienced man, who is forced into ruin by bad choices. However be aware, the decadence of the Magravands is protrayed strongly through the use of gay relationships. If a person is upset about such things, The Crown of Silence would perhaps not be the best read. As I said, I first read this a few years ago in high school, then ended up giving the hardback edition to someone else. Several months after that, I was struck with a longing to read this incredibly compelling work again. So I thought about getting another copy. I had already read the book at least a couple times, but I wanted to read it again so bad, I went ahead and bought it. I have read it several times since. It is a simply awesome book.

Storm Constantine is rapidly becoming one of my very favourite authors. This book is the sequel to Sea Dragon Heir, which you should read first, although I didn't, and it didn't affect my reading pleasure.
In this novel a young boy living a happy if impoverished rural life is changed forever by the brutal events of one day, when soldiers serving the forces of evil invade his village.
What follows is a personal quest with vast ramifications for his homeland. There is an enclave of magicians, there is a mystical journey through lakes with arcane qualities, there are prizes to attain and lessons to be learnt for every member of the company, not just its youngest.
But the crowning glory (if you'll pardon the pun) of this work is the story told by the boy's magician mentor of events in the recent past which have helped to shape the coming conflict. Political intrigue, imprudent desires, very sexy prose and a deft narrative hand render this story compelling and engrossing. I had to put it down occasionally, but I couldn't wait to pick it back up again. It's one of those books that you want to go on forever: and the ending is cruelly designed to leave you howling for more. I can't wait to get my hands on the next masterpiece.

I really wanted to like this book more. There were some good ideas but whenever it started to get interesting it would digress into petulant sulky inner dialogs or catty exchanges between the characters. It has a strong self-discovery theme but sadly that seems wasted as the characters never really seem to evolve, only switch who is their new best-friend.

Constantine's writing flows beautifully and there are some wonderful images but any connection I felt to the characters was tenuous at best. By the end of the book the only character I cared to know more about was the indirect antagonist, Valraven Palindrake, and even he comes off as the bad boy in the clique that everyone either secretly loves or openly loves to hate.

If you are into soap operas then you may find some enjoyment in the characters and story but for my taste everyone was just a bit of a drama queen.

The first book was great. I thought I had found another great book series and then came book number 2. The book was worthless and it took the entire book to deveop characters that are secondary. The story comes to a standstill. The book could have been written in 2-4 chapters and left more time to the good stuff. You need to go to the library and get this so you don't miss some little facts you might want, but don't buy it. I am half way through book three and it seems like the excitement from book one is back, and I want to read it.

The Crown of Silence was a real disappointment after reading Sea Dragon Heir. Although there are a few fine moments, in general the plot and character development seem haphazard and uneven. The plot mostly seemed to consist of characters wandering around the forest or lakes looking for some ill-defined inner awakening and spewing half-baked philosophy. The compelling characters and eerie atmosphere from the first book are gone. I slogged through this one to get the third book.

This is a great sequel to the first of this Trilogy. Constantine has a talent for painting the landscapes of Magravandias in your head with precision and detail. I really enjoyed how Constantine told the Story of Shane and tied it into the big picture. Excellent book go out and buy all three, its worth the money.