Fortress of Dragons [Hardcover]

C. J. Cherryh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2000

Tristen Successfully Fought Back the tides of evil sorcery, and his victory brought his good friend Cefwyn both a kingdom and a true love. But the Lines that hold the world in place are shifting again. As a ruthless enemy prepares for battle, Tristen must once again take up the sword inscribed with "Truth" and "Illusion" on its blade. But the foe he faces is no mere pretender to Cefwyn's throne. For the Shadows Tristen sees are straight from Ruin -- a terrifying flow of darkness that covers the world like ink.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The fourth volume in Cherryh's Fortress cycle finds TristenAcreated by the wizard Mauryl to combat the power-crazed, undying spirit of the dark sorcerer Hasufin HeltainAsent back to Amefel as its duke, replacing the dishonored Orien Aswydd. Orien was cast into exile with her sister, Tarien, for betraying her oaths as duchess, and for colluding with Hasufin. But now Orien and Tarien, who is eight months pregnant with King Cefwyn's bastard child, are making their way through a supernatural storm to return to Amefel. Back in the capital, Cefwyn and his foreign bride, Ninevrise, are plotting a war, which is getting complicated by their many enemies and the kingdom's dual religious practices, as well as by the general populace's distrust of Ninevrise (because they believe she subscribes to the wrong religion and suspect that she may partake in heinous magical practices). Ninevrise, meanwhile, suspects she may be pregnant with Cefwyn's legitimate heir-but the child will be born after Tarien's illegitimate baby, who is already the subject of controversy, for the vile Hasufin plans to use the first-born as his conduit. As bitter winter winds blow throughout the kingdom, Tristen must battle for the souls of two royal children, while Cefwyn wages war to protect his inheritance and that of his wife against betrayal. The Fortress series (Fortress of Owls, etc.) generally devotes more attention to politics than plot twists, and this is true here. While Cherryh's understanding of character is subtle, the novel moves slowly and doesn't display this three-time Hugo winner at her best. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The fourth book of Cherryh's current megafantasy, each volume of which includes Fortress in its title, again shows off her folkloric and anthropological expertise in its setting in a world in which wizardry, magic, and sorcery are three discrete concepts. All the loving detail Cherryh develops makes for scenes of great power even as it slows narrative pace. The key element in this book is Cefwyn Marhanen's continuing efforts to be recognized as high king and thereby reclaim his wife Ninevrise's inheritance of Elwynor. Ninevrise hopes she is carrying Cefwyn's child, and another of his offspring is borne by Tarien Aswydd, whose desperately evil twin, Orien, tries to induce birth in time for evil wizard Hasufin Heltain to reincarnate in the newborn. Meanwhile, Cefwyn's closest comrade and ally, Tristen, who himself was conjured to life, is learning human desire, horror, ambition, and reluctance--and stumbling into a faction that hails him as high king. A climactic battle disposes of several traitors and other superfluities but doesn't end the succession crisis or the series. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Harper Voyager; 1st edition (May 2, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061050555
• ISBN-13: 978-0061050558
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I've written sf and fantasy for publication since 1975...but I've written a lot longer than that. I have a background in Mediterranean archaeology, Latin, Greek, that sort of thing; my hobbies are travel, photography, planetary geology, physics, pond-building for koi...I run a marine tank, can plumb most anything, and I figure-skate.

I believe in the future: I'm an optimist for good reason---I've studied a lot of history, in which, yes, there is climate change, and our species has been through it. We've never faced it fully armed with what we now know, and if we play our cards right, we'll use it as a technological springboard and carry on in very interesting ways.

I also believe a writer owes a reader a book that has more than general despair to spread about: I write about clever, determined people who don't put up with situations, not for long, anyway: people who find solutions inspire me.

My personal websites and blog: http://www.cherryh.com
http://www.cherryh.com/WaveWithoutAShore
http://www.closed-circle.net

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Could've been a great series, but...., May 21, 2000

By 

"mabro" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fortress of Dragons (Hardcover)

This series had the potential to be great but after finishing the concluding volume, 'Fortress of Dragons', I feel very frustrated. The concept of Tristen being a reborn Sihhe opened the door to a ton of possibly great storylines but instead Ms Cherryh chose to have him do basically the same thing in every book; that being Cefwyn struggles with mundane political machinations while Tristen fights a big Shadow. The end of the book is horrible. None of the interesting plot lines are even remotely resolved. Does Tristen become High King? Will he have to fight his best friend, Cefwyn, because of that? Will Tristen learn the origins of the Sihhe? What's the significance of Tarien's baby, Elfwyn? Is he the reborn last Sihhe King of the same name? If so will he fight Tristen for the Kingship? Who knows and I can think of a couple hundred more questions like those. The basic concept of the Fortress Series could've allowed it to rival the best that fantasy has to offer but now it's ended without living up to anything even near it's potential. It's just sad.

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fortress of Dragons well worth waiting for, May 5, 2000

By 

P. Vicenti (Albuquerque, NM) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fortress of Dragons (Hardcover)

I've waited a year for this book and was not disappointed. This is a wonderful conclusion to the series. It contains intrigue, adventure, romance, loyal friends. Many questions are answered, and we learn more about Tristram, Cefwyn, Ninevrese, and are introduced to new characters. Ms. Cherryh's strongest points as a writer are her ability to develop characters so well that I feel as though I know them. This, of course, means that I care about what happens to them. Along with her character development, she also keeps you in suspense about their fate. This book, like the previous 3 in the series is no exception. I kept having to resist the urge to turn to the back and read the end. Do resist that urge. Getting there is well worth it with this book.

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Speeding toward disappointment, May 11, 2000

By 

Jason Gitler "jaydot" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fortress of Dragons (Hardcover)

Having bought and read this entire series as it was published, I'd come to expect Cherryh's attention to trivial minutia and insignificant detail. What I didn't expect was that the conclusion of what has been hyped to be a Grand Fantasy would boil down to such unworthy things.

That this book would have been reduced to perhaps 20 pages if the main characters had ever decided to act with conviction against other characters whom they knew to be enemies and dangerous to entire nations and dynasties has become a cliche; that Cherryh has been reduced to using such artificial conflict to create drama is merely sad. Her characters are always conflicted; in previous books, they were at least conflicted about matters worth being conflicted by.

Cherryh's science fiction has always been superior (vastly superior, in this case) to her dabblings in fantasy; as a fan of this author, I can only recommend interested readers purchase "Cyteen" or "Rimrunners" to truly see how good a writer this woman can be.

"Fortress of Dragons" is a hurried, disappointing end to a series that showed greater promise than was delivered. Too many questions were left unanswered, and the answers that were supplied were more often smoke-and-mirrors hand-waving than substantive, thought-out (and thought-provoking) conclusions.

That these characters are able to go on to provide more stories is not in doubt; that they should is the real worry. Judging from "Fortress of Dragons", it's well past time to say goodbye to Tristen, Ylesuin, and Elwynor forever...and high time to wonder where the sequel to "Cyteen" might be.