Master of the Cauldron (Lord of the Isles) [Mass Market Paperback]

David Drake (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 7, 2006 | Series: Lord of the Isles

Garric or-Reise was born the son of an innkeeper in Barca's Hamlet on the Isle of Haft, but through valor and determination became first a prince and then the Regent and successor to the feeble Valence III, King of the Isles. But the Kingdom is weak, its rule barely extending past the island of Ornifal.
The Isles need a strong king to bring unity, because danger is coming. Magic is stronger now than at any time since the fall of the Old Kingdom in a cataclysm of uncontrolled magic. Evil is growing in the spaces beyond the world, waiting to complete the destruction begun a millennium before. Only if the Isles are united into a strong New Kingdom can humanity survive.
Garric has sworn to become a true Lord of the Isles. Standing with him are his sister, Sharina; his friend and Sharina's lover, the shepherd Cashel; and Cashel's sister, the weaver-witch Ilsa. They have been to Hell and back together in their quest.
The four friends and the armies of the Kingdom have undertaken a Royal Progress to renew the bonds of fealty among the Isles. Now they come to Sandrakkan, which fought a long and bloody war with Haft less than a generation ago.
On Sandrakkan, Wilduf's Countess, Balila, schemes with her court wizard to destroy the boy king from the hated isle of Haft. Strange evils lurk on demon-haunted Volita, and she will wake them all if necessary to make her husband the new King of the Isles.
Rich with action, guile, and heroism in the face of dangers both physical and moral, Master of the Cauldron stands alone or as part of a ground-breaking fantasy epic.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The sixth volume of the imposing Lord of the Isles saga involves a royal progress by Garric, aspiring ruler of the Isles. Travel with him involves an army and a fleet, both of which Drake renders with his usual skill at depicting warriors. Also with Garric are his sister, Sharina; her lover, Cashel; and the witch Ilna, who is Cashel's sister. Ilna isn't particularly sympathetic but seems almost saintly compared with Countess Balila of Sandrakkan, an island that has a long-standing feud with Garric's home island, Haft. Moreover, Balila unscrupulously commands considerable and uncontrolled magic with which to fight Sandrakkan's battles. These Drake draws with great, gritty realism on both material and magical planes, and Hell quite literally breaks loose on occasion. The audience for this kind of fantasy saga should prove large and ongoing, and for this volume, at least, it will be well deserved. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for Master of the Cauldron

"Great, gritty realism on both material and magical planes, and Hell quite literally breaks loose on occasion. The audience for this kind of fantasy saga should prove large and ongoing, and for this volume, at least, it will be well deserved." --Booklist

"Drake's grasp of large-scale action, as well as small dramas, makes him a superb storyteller. The sixth addition to his "Lord of the Isles" series belongs in most fantasy collections."
--Library Journal

"Drake writes this kind of fantasy adventure as well as anyone active in the field, and has a real gift for the intricacies of court intrigues."
--Chronicle

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy; First Thus edition (March 7, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812561708
• ISBN-13: 978-0812561708
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > ( D ) > Drake, David

More About the Author

The Army took David Drake from Duke Law School and sent him on a motorized tour of Viet Nam and Cambodia with the 11th Cav, the Blackhorse. He learned new skills, saw interesting sights, and met exotic people who hadn't run fast enough to get away.

Dave returned to become Chapel Hill's Assistant Town Attorney and to try to put his life back together through fiction making sense of his Army experiences.

Dave describes war from where he saw it: the loader's hatch of a tank in Cambodia. His military experience, combined with his formal education in history and Latin, has made him one of the foremost writers of realistic action SF and fantasy. His bestselling Hammer's Slammers series is credited with creating the genre of modern Military SF. He often wishes he had a less interesting background.

Dave lives with his family in rural North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Deja vu all over again ..., March 18, 2005

By 

N. Dodson "wheatpuppy" (South Dakota) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Master of the Cauldron (Lord of the Isles) (Hardcover)

All the Isles books follow the same basic pattern, and Master of the Cauldron is no exception. Anyone familiar with the series would be able to predict several major plot points before ever cracking the spine.

You think I'm kidding? Check this out: The group of friends gets separated by magical means almost immediately. (Gasp!) Cashiel wanders off on a quest to help a (magical) damsel in distress. (Shocking!) Sharina ends up sucked through space and time to face villains. (Unheard of!) Ilna is abrasive, Tenoctris foils powerful wizards whilst being self-effacing, and Garric spends a lot of time laughing and grinning at comments made by the voices in his head. (Say it ain't so!)

That said, and sarcasm aside, the author as always has provided a pleasant read. There's nothing new here, but it's a good story nonetheless, and the book is eminently readable. Unlike some other "fantasy" authors, Drake clearly has a fine appreciation for craftsmanship. He has done his homework, and the world of the Isles is rich in history and detail. Battle scenes show a sense of realism in heroes who get tired and show fear and sometimes even retreat to fight another day. If the individual strands of the plot follow familiar themes, well, if it ain't broke why fix it?

I think this book could safely be recommended to readers unfamiliar with the series; it stands alone fairly well without falling into the all-too-common trap of overwhelming the reader with backstory. If you're not quite sure who all these people are, there's still a rousing blood-and-guts adventure to keep you occupied.

For long-time readers, however, I might recommend waiting for the paperback (or check out the publisher's website for the cheaper e-version) rather than spending hardcover money on a book that, for all intents and purposes, you've seen before. But if you know what you're getting into, and if you've enjoyed Drake's work (and the Isle series in particular) in the past, you will almost certainly like this book as well.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Havne't I read this before??, April 24, 2006

By 

Karl Wieman "kwieman" (Locust Valley, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Master of the Cauldron (Lord of the Isles) (Hardcover)

Drake has fallen into the same trap as Jordan and Goodkind.... "If I write it, they will read it." This book achieved nothing, and we learned precious little about the chracaters that we didn't know already. And on top of all that, we've read this plot before: Everyone together; Everyone separated; Everyone triumphs; Everyone back together again for final, apocalyptic, finale.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fair, March 15, 2006

By 

Karl (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Master of the Cauldron (Lord of the Isles) (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm sorry, but this is beginning to drag on a bit. There are moments to it, but as a series progresses so must the ideals and strengths/weaknesses of the characters. When they never learn from their mistakes, continually doing the same rote things time and again, I tend to lose interest.

True, there are great moments, but over all it just doesn't do it for me.

If you like books like this one, might I suggest another I've recently come across. The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. It's another fantasy adventure sure to please. I highly recommend it.