To Light A Candle (The Obsidian Trilogy, Book 2) [Hardcover]

Mercedes Lackey (Author), James Mallory (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 7, 2004 | Series: Obsidian Trilogy (Book 2)

In The Outstretched Shadow, which was named by VOYA as Best Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror book for 2003, Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory introduced readers to a complex new fantasy world populated by humans, centaurs, elves, talking unicorns, and demons. The Golden City of the Bells, where only humans live, is ruled by the Mage Council, practitioners of High Magic---a powerful magic that is stable and reliable, though rigidly controlled and performed only by men. Outside the City's walls, humans and magical beings mix freely and call upon Wild Magic---a system sometimes erratic, always driven by desire and need, and performed by both men and women.

Now, in To Light a Candle, the Demon Queen sends her forces against her human and elven enemies, sowing distraction and death. In the human City, the Queen's agents work to divide the Council and foment rebellion among the City's citizens. In the countryside, they target the most vulnerable and valuable---the young Elf Prince and the Wild Mages who might be the Demons' most dangerous enemies.

To his own surprise, young Kellen, once the disappointing son of the great Mage who leads the City's Mage Council, has become a powerful Knight-Mage. Valued for his bravery and his skills as both wizard and warrior, Kellen joins the Elves' war councils. Yet he cannot convince the City of his birth that it is in terrible danger.

Kellen's sister Idalia, a Wild Mage with great healing ability, has pledged her heart to Jermayan, a proud Elven warrior. Someday Idalia will pay a tragic Price for a world-saving work of Wild Magic, but until then, she will claim any joy life can offer her. Jermayan, who has learned much while fighting at Kellen's side and loving the human Idalia, finds that everything changes when he Bonds with a dragon while rescuing the Elf Prince and becomes the first Elven Mage in a thousand years.

Furious at her enemies' success with the dragon, the Demon Queen attacks in force. Light struggles against Dark, like flickering candleflames buried deep in the shadow of Obsidian f0 Mountain.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In the captivating world conjured by veteran Lackey and classical scholar Mallory in this first of a high fantasy trilogy, there are three types of magic, each of which has its own rules, limits and variables. Kellen sets down a road he never expected to take, on a journey of dire importance to both humans and nonhumans (the latter including elves, unicorns, and other enchanting creatures). The narrative speeds to the end, avoiding a jarring halt while leaving the reader satisfied and wanting to know more."
--Publishers Weekly on The Outstretched Shadow

"Once Kellen realizes there is a world full of wonders, diversity, and people who think and live differently, he cannot return to the oppressive sameness of City life. When he refuses to give up the books, his father banishes him forever from the City and to a horrific death prearranged by the mages. The Wild Magic has another agenda for him, however, involving an acerbic unicorn and a woman-heavens!-to learn the Wild (but not sex) Magic from. Delightful."
--Booklist on The Outstretched Shadow


"Lackey and Mallory join forcers to create an epic fantasy filled with sorcery and swordplay set in a world on the verge of a Demon war. For most fantasy collections."
--Library Journal on The Outstretched Shadow

About the Author

Mercedes Lackey is the author of the Valdemar series, including Take a Thief and Exile's Honor. She is the coauthor, with Andre Norton, of the Halfblood Chronicles, including Elvenborn. Some of her other novels include The Gates of Sleep, Sacred Ground, The Firebird, The Black Swan, and The Serpent's Shadow. She lives in Oklahoma.

James Mallory is the author of the Merlin trilogy (Merlin: The Old Magic; Merlin: The King's Wizard; Merlin: The End of Magic). He lives in upstate New York.

Together, Lackey and Mallory have written The Outstretched Shadow, the first volume in the Obsidian Trilogy.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 656 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (October 7, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765302209
• ISBN-13: 978-0765302205
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,043 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This 'middle child' is not one to be forgotten!, December 27, 2004

By 

Andrea Acailawen (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: To Light A Candle (The Obsidian Trilogy, Book 2) (Hardcover)

The middle book in many trilogies often seems to lack *something* in comparison to the first and last installments, but that is not the case with this second installment of the Obsidian Trilogy.

It took me much of the first book, "The Outstretched Shadow," to really get to know the characters, and it wasn't until the latter half of the book that I really became invested in the story. But Lackey and Mallory have managed to keep that investment from waning even a bit with this book. It starts out where the last left off, and doesn't slow down for a moment. It kept me glued to the story from cover to cover and left me wanting for more. I'm ready for the third book, now!

In "To Light a Candle," the characters I've come to know and care about in the fist book of this trilogy evolve a great deal, as does the overall plot. Kellen finally comes into his own, his sister and best-friend unite, and the Endarkened's plot to destroy human-kind continues to fester at a rapid pace, aided by Armathelia's continued blindness. Add to this some new intriguing characters and well-timed surprises along the way, and I found this book more difficult to put down the first.

Along with "The Outstretched Shadow," "To Light a Candle" makes the Obsidian trilogy a must-read series for anyone who enjoys a solid fantasy epic. I definitely recommend it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning middle book in the trilogy, November 2, 2004

By 

Grant Stephenson "Grant" (Ames, IA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Light A Candle (The Obsidian Trilogy, Book 2) (Hardcover)

A lot of times the middle book in a series will be considered lame, i.e. horrible. With this one, I was much surprised as the somewhat dull parts of the first book (i.e. overly long/verbose descriptions) were kept to a minimum, as the authors assumed we remembered the locales and didn't need to rehash it for us. I really appreciated that, as I hate when authors regurgitate a lot of previous materials to get the reader up to speed.

Kellen's personal development has come a long ways from where he started. In these books the authors portray the elves as having slightly different mannerisms than humans, which causes a lot of awkward social circumstances. What is neat, however, is that while Kellen causes what seems to be a lot of mishaps, when he is finally confronted with a situation in which he knows more of elvish customs than another, he has suddenly gone from knowing nothing to being uncannily like an elf himself in some aspects.

The plot of the book didn't seem like it was dragging or there were a lot of things that happened in the 2nd book that we wouldn't see resolved until the end. The crises in the 2nd book served to advance the plot without making it seem like it was just filler material for the last book. There was also a lot more combat, and the combat sequences were artfully written.

I enjoyed the character of Kellen the most, but I would have to say that compared to the first book Jermayan & Edalia (the first an elf & the second his sister) seem to have taken on a one-dimensional aspect. Previously, they each seemed to have their own strong personalities, while in this one Jermayan has more or less become a love-besotted fool and Edalia has turned into the stereotypical woman/sister. It largely seems like her independence, which was what made her so appealing and strong, has been taken away since her love of Jermayan has been realized.

Basically, this was really a good book. Even if the women characters were weak (including that half demon girl), the rest of the plot & the other characters really balanced it out. All in all, this book is a great read, I suggest if it has been a while since you read #1, you get a refresher and read it again so you can recall the City of Bells, etc. Enjoy!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than the first, April 12, 2005

By 

Pedram Agharokh (Laguna Hills, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: To Light A Candle (The Obsidian Trilogy, Book 2) (Hardcover)

I would say that if you read the first book of the Obsidian Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory and thought it was an ok read, you will like this book much more. I found the first book to be a really good read and I absolutely could not put down this book. In the first book there was a bit of a learning curve in which you had to really get used to the world that the authors were portraying. You have to get to know how the characters interact, the systems of magic, what the social structures are and all of the fun little details that bring the world to life. Towards the end of the first book, the pace increases and the book really captures your attention.

This book does that from the very beginning. I immediately began reading this book after completing the first and was done with it in under five days. This is not becuase I am a speed reader, just becuase I honestly didn't want to stop reading.

In this book the development of the main characters grows and the plot really thickens, there are a lot of twists and turns that are very cool and unique. I found myself really drawn into the story, at times feeling like I was reading a well done account of events presented by master storytellers.

To Light A Candle is engaging, thought provoking and really overall a wonderful highly recommended read. The only thing that makes me sad is waiting for the next installment...

So to those who have read the first book of the Obsidian Trilogy, I am sure you will like this one, those who have not... pick up the two books read them through but get ready for a great adventure! Cheers!