Customer Reviews

Requiem for the Sun (Gollancz Sf S.)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I was so sad to see the Rhapsody trilogy end, and have been checking constantly to see when Requiem would be out. I was nervous that this one would not be able to match the magic of the previous three, but thankfully that fear was not realized. Requiem for the Sun is a fast paced, fascinating sequel, beginning a new part of the history of Haydon's amazing world.

Achmed the Snake is in his glory here, though showing a vulnerability and obsession that was not evident before. My favorite character, Gruthor the Bolg sargeant, brings even funnier lines and Rhapsody has evolved into a more complex, more real woman. The threads of the past, present and future, as laid out in the first three chapters of the book, form an intricate story with great depth. Elizabeth Haydon has once again shone herself to be one of the best writers of epic fantasy out there.

I read this book in one VERY long sitting. I am happy. Now I can go back to agonizing wait for the next one.

"Requiem for the Sun" is Elizabeth Haydon's sequel to the best selling "Rhapsody" Trilogy. From the very beginning of the book she takes a tangled skein of plot threads, from the ancient past and the present, and weaves them into a richly colored and very satisfying novel.

We begin three years after the almost cataclysmic conclusion of "Destiny: Child of the Sky." King Achmed and Sergeant-Major Grunthor are overseeing the Bolg restoration of Ylorc. A severe drought is crippling Yarim and their normal water supply has dried up. Only the monstrous Firbolg have the skill and the muscle to restore the water supply. But the nobles of Yarim aren't exactly happy to have the savages in their lands. The Lord and Lady Cymrian, Ashe and Rhapsody, decide it is time to have a child. To the south, the death of the Dowager Empress, and her heir, leaves Sorbold in chaos while they select a new leader. Meanwhile an ancient evil, bent on torture and destruction, looms just over the horizon.

We learn even more about the characters we've come to know and love over the course of the "Rhapsody" trilogy and are introduced to other equally enjoyable characters never seen in the series until now. There are plenty Haydonesque plot twists and dialog quips. Readers will be delighted. It was a joy to read.

"Requiem for the Sun" is another outstanding movement in Elizabeth Haydon's The Symphony of Ages.

Requiem for the Sun picks up a few years after the end of the Rhapsody trilogy in a new era of history, where peace reigns and rebuilding is taking place after the battles that culminated in Destiny. Within this era of calm, however, evil is brewing in many different places--a political coup to the south in Sorbold, the bloody plans of a murderous assassin queen bent on revenge, and the long-denied lust of a demonic monster. Haydon is such a master of suspense that I found myself physically anxious as I read, turning pages and being afraid to stop reading.

While the focus is more on the male protagonists in this book--the uneasy relationships between Achmed, Gruntor and Ashe, as well as some older-generation characters--it is amazing to see how firmly entrenched these "people" are in my mind, and how much I care about them. The loss of one who has been with the series from the beginning was heartbreaking, but Haydon writes with a brutal honesty that reflects life in all its glory and horror. Sometimes there are no second chances.

I don't have flowery words for why I like this series. the characters are now like old friends to me and I look forward to seeing them each time a new Haydon book comes out. The action scenes are not dragged out, overdramatic or boring. As a Vietnam veteran I think Haydon has a better grip of fighting than many of the male authors out there writing so-called action. This book tore along, making it hard to put down. Further character development of some of my favorites, Sargeant Major Grunthor, Anborn and young Guydion made me even more eager to read whatever else this talent ed author writes.

I eagerly awaited each of the later books in Elizabeth Haydon's trilogy after being totally capitivated by Rhapsody. She is one of the finest writers working in the genre today, and by far the best female epic fantisist out there. The loss I felt when the trilogy was over is now comforted by the knowledge that she intends to continue the series.

Requiem for the Sun is a different sort of book than the Rhapsody trilogy. It is faster, funnier, more of a page turner and less of a historical opus. Instead, it has the benefit of more of the same great characters [Rhapsody, Achmed, Grunthor, Ashe and Anborn] with a more gripping, intense tale. Ms. Haydon upholds her reputation as an unparalleled wordsmith, proving she's got the right stuff for the long haul.

Highly recommended.

In Requiem for the Sun, Mrs. Haydon has composed another excellent fantasy tale. In it, we see the return of Rhapsody's ancient nemesis, Michael, the Waste of Breath, as well as development of all the characters that we have come to love: Ashe, Rhapsody's husband, Achmed, King of Ylorc, Grunthor, the giant Sergant-Major, Anborn, Gwydion, and others. I couldn't put the book down, and read it all in one day. A gread read for all fantasy lovers!

After all the battles, adventures and trials Rhapsody the singer, Achmed the Firbolg king, and Grunthor his Sergeant-Major have gone through, they are now at peace with themselves and the world around them. Achmed and Grunthor are rebuilding the once mighty civilization in the ruins of Ylorc. Rhapsody and her husband Ashe, who is part human and part dragon, are the titular rulers of the loosely federated Cymrian Alliance. None of them see trouble coming but it is out there waiting to ambush them.

In a time long ago in a place that no longer exists, Rhapsody pledged her love to the seneschal Michael to prevent him from harming innocents. Now he has come back for her and has taken her against her will, leaving it up to her husband and her two friends to rescue her, if they can.

This sequel to the Rhapsody trilogy is epic fantasy in the tradition of Tolkien and Terry Brooks. It also sets the stage for future works set in this fantasy world dealing with the Cymrian Alliance and the disintegration of the Sorbold Empire. REQUIEM FOR THE SUN is filled with romance, sword and sorcery battles, and political upheaval in a world that briefly knew peace. Elizabeth Haydon is a master storyteller who has cross-genre appeal.

Harriet Klausner

The initial summary of the book is far superior to the actual story. In reading "Requiem", I get the impression that the author isn't sure what story she wants to tell until the half-way portion of the book.

The opening portions deal primarily with a political battle over water rights and whether new allies can overcome past prejudices. That in itself could become a quite an entertaining story if handled properly. However, once the water starts to flow from the ancient fountain, (which is somehow able to funnel water washed in by the high tides only once a month from "a thousand miles away", yet Rhapsody experiences daily tidal flucuations later in the book) the assorted friends disperse to their various kingdoms and a new story begins; the capture and escape and search for Rhapsody.

Here begin the major flaws I have with this story. The author seems to have great difficulty managing time and distance. Everything seems to be a thousand miles away from everything else and everything takes a thousand years. All the principal characters we come to know any true detail of have all been alive for a thousand years. We're repeatedly told that Rhapsody, Achmed, and Grunthor spent "a thousand years" traveling through the center of the earth. Yet, when they haven't seen each other for what appears to be a year or two, they behave as if eons have passed since they last shared each others' company.

The first time Ashe travels to the Basilica he is traveling with a full entourage and it takes rougly a week. Once Rhapsody has been kidnapped by the evil Michael, he and Achmed ride off alone, traveling day and night non-stop, and can only better the travel time by a single day. This makes no sense.

Then we have Rhapsody's physical condition. She is presented as being so violently ill she can barely stand after becoming pregnant that we're to believe she is on death's door. Yet she is able to maintain her spirits and good health and there is no mention of her illness at all after having spent "weeks and weeks" floating in an underwater cave?

There are entirely too many inconsistencies in character, place, and tempo for this to be considered a quality story. Again, we are told that Achmed is the most feared assassin in the world, yet we never see any indication of his abilities. In fact, he is nearly drowned in the only combat confrontation he has in the entire book. Esten appears to be quite lethal, but only in one instance against an unarmed pregnant woman. Grunthor is little more than terribly stereotyped comic relief.

I enjoyed the settings and the varied landscape, but there are simply too many loose ends and inconsistencies in the execution of the idea.

Somehow, without sacrificing character development, Haydon manages to break out enough action for a thriller. I thought she masterfully balanced the cast of new characters with the central people of the story and those who came roaring in from small cameos earlier in her work. She does an excellent job of making characters consistent while developing and showing their growth.There isn't a throwaway in the lot.
It is an interesting choice to people a world sparsely, and give more attention to a smaller cast, than rapidly introduce scores of spear carriers. That may be what I like best.

One other vicarious thrill is the intensity with which the characters pursue their motives. Achmed is temporarily blinded by his ambitions; the Seneschal would burn a whole continent, and a long-retired warrior lives only to finish a job.

Stunning

Haydon does not disappoint in this excellent sequel to the Rhapsody trilogy. All the great and fascinating characters are there, plus a few surprising ones from the past. This book is brilliantly paced and plotted, and reminds me very much of the Strunk & White writing primer dictum: "Make every word tell." There are some splendid twists to this story, and every one of them is foreshadowed if you read carefully enough.

Of course, the wry humor (especially Grunthor's) was enough to make me laugh out loud in more than a few places, which coupled with the satisfying action and further character development, make this a book you simply can't put down.

While this novel stands on its own, it is much richer if the reader has read the trilogy first. I was very pleased to note that Haydon left some threads on which to start her next novel in this series, which can't come soon enough for me!

BRAVO!!