Customer Reviews

A Flame in Hali: The Clingfire Trilogy, Volume III [3] -- A Novel of Darkover (DAW Books Collectors No. 1299)

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Truly conflicted characters are somewhat rare in the world of science fiction and fantasy. Eduin Deslucido is such a character, the centerpiece of this trilogy. Saddled with an impossible compulsion by his father to revenge his family by killing all the Hasturs, Eduin, whose basic nature is actually that of a responsible, caring, and loving man, finds himself allied with a wild laran talent in the body of Saravio, both for the surcease from the agony his compulsion causes and as a tool to further his plans for eliminating Carolin Hastur and Varzil Ridenow, whom Eduin sees as the man responsible for keeping Carolin in power.

Eduin concocts a couple of schemes to bring Varzil into an undefended position, but when it comes to actually accomplishing his goal, Eduin is shown to be a man of extreme determination and, somewhat as a surprise even to himself, a man of ideals that are diametrically opposed to the mindless revenge desired by his father. His one and only former love, Dyannis, Varzil's sister, in training as a Keeper (at a time when female Keepers were thought impossible - a nice irony to modern Darkover when the exact reverse is thought to be true), becomes an intriguing character in her own right as she struggles to discipline her own talents and, after seeing the consequences of unrestricted laran warfare, a strong supporter of Varzil's Compact to ban the use of such weapons.

The characterization of Eduin and Dyannis is excellent and is the major driver of this book. These characters have more depth than is typical for most fantasy, and their inner turmoil is believable and leads directly to much of the action. However, the plot is, compared to other Darkover books, perhaps a little weak and certain elements of the end situation feel like they were pulled out of the hat, not fully melded with the rest of the story. Although this detracts from the overall power of the book, this failing is not major.

Thematically, this book continues those themes that have shown up in many of the Darkover stories: the right to self-determination, especially for women; personal integrity; the madness of war; sacrifice of the individual to further a larger goal for all. The final scene of this book does much to make the reader understand just how the Compact came to be accepted and adhered to throughout the centuries between this book's time and modern Darkover, and closes the Clingfire trilogy nicely. The nations of today could do far worse than subscribe to a similar Compact; perhaps if they did everyone could have a sounder sleep.

---Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

King Carolin Hastur is revolutionizing Darkover through his compact--the agreement that every weapon be banned if it does not put its user at equal risk. The magical weapons that have dominated Darkover for generations, since the times of chaos at least, would be banned and magic would become limited to healing, to communications. Together with his friend and ally, Varzil Ridenow, he has spread the message and gotten agreement, but much of Darkover sees only what they lose by signing the compact.

A generation before, the Hastur king had destroyed the Deslucido family leaving only one man--and his sons alive. Now, Eduin Deslucido, who has already done so much to destroy Carolin's dreams, has an ally--a man trained in magic but now blessed or burdened with a goddess. Using this tool, Eduin hopes to destroy Varzil and then the last of the Hasturs, finally freeing himself of the curse that his father laid upon him.

Author Deborah J. Ross continues the Darkover world of Marion Zimmer Bradley in a story that feels very true to the original. In this tale of powerful magic, ancient hatreds, strong egos, and great emotion, Bradley and Ross trace out Eduin's evolving plan as well as the life-journey of the one woman Eduin has ever loved--Dyannis Ridenow, sister of Varzil.

Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover series is a powerful set of tales (I found THE FORBIDDEN TOWER to be among the best fantasy books ever). Although A FLAME IN HALI isn't up there with the very best of Darkover, it's a welcome addition to the hundred kingdom era of that troubled planet's history.

I am glad that Deborah Ross is continuing to write in the world of Darkover, and I think that overall she is doing a fine job. I am excited to see that she is going to release a new trilogy continuing the story of "modern" Darkover, which should tie up the many loose ends from "Traitor's Sun" (the last Darkover novel Marion Zimmer Bradley wrote before her death). If you are a fan of Darkover/MZB, "A Flame in Hali" is a must-read, and a solid effort from Ross. However, it is certainly not the place to begin the series, and does not rank among the best Darkover tales.
This novel mostly suffers from an unlikeable protagonist, Eduin Deslucido. Yes, we pity him because of the compulsion to kill that his father placed upon him. However, he is a self-serving character who goes through life manipulating others as he chooses, completely violating the moral code of Darkover. It is impossible to like him or want him to succeed in his goal of killing King Carolin and Varzil Ridenow, who we grew to love in the second volume of this trilogy. Unfortunately, they only have cameo roles in this book.
More interesting than Eduin is the heroine of the book, Dyannis, Varzil's sister. While she has a tendency to blame herself for everything, she at least has a strong personality and strong values, and we are rooting for her the whole time. Varzil is a wonderful character whenever we see him.
The story progressed slowly, but it never quite dragged. Not as good as the first two books of the trilogy, or Marion Zimmer Bradley's last Darkovers novels, but "A Flame in Hali" was an entertaining read, and the ending was heartbreaking.

The World of Darkover enhances psychic (laran) powers and wars are fought over long distances using special laran weapons created for that purpose. At the end of the age of the Hundred Kingdoms, King Carolin Hastur and keeper Varzil Ridenow pressure the various realms to sign the Compact that would ban long distance weapons of mass destruction.

King Carolin doesn't know it but he has a very powerful enemy who wants him dead as his former friend Edwin Deslucido is under a compulsion spell laid upon him by his father to kill the entire Hastur Clan. The spell controls Edwin forcing him to turn one kingdom against another in the hopes that Varzil will die so he can finally destroy Hastur. The keep under attack houses Varzil's sister, a woman who Edwin once loved and realizes he still loves. Is his love stronger than his father's hate spell because Edwin feels compelled to save her yet is also obsessed with his sire's mission.

Mindful of Hamlet, Edwin is one of the most tragic figures ever to grace the pages of a fantasy novel. He is not an evil man but a person driven to the point of madness because of a spell put upon him by his malevolent father. A FLAME IN HALI takes the reader into the mind of Edwin, a man who can't control his actions yet in the end, good can come out of the tragedy if the Compact Carolin and Varzil forge is signed by the kingdoms to prevent what happened in Hali from ever happening again. Marion Zimmer Bradley and Deborah J. Ross have written a brilliant finale to an exciting mini-series

Harriet Klausner

Some may like this book even more than "Zandru's Forge", if they didn't care for the fact that much of the plot of that book was a rehash of the story told in "Hawkmistress"; there is nothing in the plot of this book that has previously been told, and it's a story that has been hinted at and which many may be curious to see: the story of how "The Compact" (in which no psychic weapons, or any sort of weapons other than melee weapons,are used or created on Darkover) came to be. Personally, I love the story told in "Hawkmistress" enough that I was happy to see a retelling of it from a different perspective, and found this story, which was told alternately from the perspectives of Dyannis Ridenow (Varzil's sister) and Eduin Deslucido to be slightly less interesting, and I felt that Eduin's character (which had been established in the previous book as significantly less than admirable, but which the author/s worked very hard at redefining as "troubled" in this book) to have been insufficiently rehabilitated to make his attempted heroism at the end plausible. Still, the book was extremely well-written in spite of those quibbles, and an enjoyable read. It is a worthy addition to the Darkover "canon".

In the concluding volume of the Clingfire Trilogy, the focus is on Varzil Ridenow, his sister Dyannis, and Eduin Deslucido, the gifted laranzu who has been molded by his embittered father into a dagger aimed at their hearts. With a psychic compulsion battening on his mind and conflicting with the emotions of genuine love he once felt for the Ridenows and King Carolin Hastur, Eduin has become a nameless alcoholic living on the streets of Thendara when he encounters Saravio, a partially-trained laranzu with an unusual gift who has become convinced that he is the tool and prophet of the mortal-turned-goddess Naotalba. The possibility that he can use Saravio's abilities to discharge the obligation his father has laid on him gives Eduin hope, yet he remains tormented by his own past attachments. Meanwhile, Carolin and Varzil campaign to persuade the Towers and scores of small kingdoms to agree to their "Compact" outlawing all distance weapons, whether psychic or physical, while Varzil nurses the possibility of other reforms (such as training women to be Keepers) and Dyannis stoutly refuses to believe that Eduin, whom she once loved, could be evil. This complex story with its tragic yet redemptive ending sets the stage for the development of the Darkover that will be rediscovered by the Terran Empire several centuries hence. Its best aspect is the character of Eduin, who desperately wants to live his life on his own terms but is trapped by his father's compulsion; he plots and plans most effectively, yet is haunted by his memory of Dyannis's love (which ultimately proves to be the deciding factor in his actions) and Carolin's early friendship. Like most of the later Darkover books, the plot is a complicated braid of several storylines, but Ross manages to keep everything straight and bring it all to a well-crafted ending.

I always enjoy the Darkover books - this one was no exception.
Good story, consistent with the other books and short stories.
Made me wish I could go there...

I have fallen in Love with MZB a while ago and have enjoyed reading her books

I now have the whole darkover series by her and will never give these books away! Personally I think they are the best sci fi books out there! You can read one and still know whats going on or you can read them all and get a sense of the whole Darkover World and how it all plays out!

I have not felt so close to characters in a long time and feel I am right there with them as I read about their adventures, troubles, pains, and loves!

Now all I have to do is buy the anthologies to give me more stories and insights on the characters and about the whole world of Darkover!

Her Avalon Series is one of the best too! She has added more truth than fiction to these stories so you feel that you are a part of the past as you read them

I found the book very disappointing. It did not at all feel like a culminating book of a trilogy; instead, it seemed to meander forward, from chapter to chapter. I have rarely before in the Darkover series felt a book that was not well plotted and developed. There was little driving force through the book, and by around 1/3 of the way through, I began to really feel like I was just slogging to the end.
While the second book in the trilogy focused largely on Varzil and Carolin, the two major actors of the time period in question, this book focuses on two other characters. Their stories had a "and then this happened....and then that happened....etc" feel. Secondary character development was also lacking.
Overall, this felt like too much treading water as the pages went by, followed by an unexpected (and unconvincing, given the 400 pages that had gone before) resolution.

It definitely suffers from mzb being gone, but the characters are good, and the ending is wonderful, and very unexpected. Not in the first rank of darkover books, but will get you interested enough to read the rest