The Spirit Stone: The Silver Wyrm, Book Two [Hardcover]

Katharine Kerr (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Silver Wyrm | Publication Date: May 29, 2007

Prince Dar of the Westlands calls the new fortress of Zakh Gral "a dagger laid against our throat." It was built by the Horsekin, ancient enemies of his people. To destroy the threat, the elven prince has called upon his dwarven and human allies. Their leaders know that if the Westlands fall, their own throats will feel the dagger next. Joining them are two powerful dragons, who have their own bitter reasons to hate the Horsekin.

But the fanatical Horsekin have a powerful ally as well, a new goddess. Alshandra's priestesses have announced that She has given Prince Dar's lands to the Horsekin-and that his people must be utterly destroyed.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After the disappointment of Kerr's first entry in her Silver Wyrm series, The Gold Falcon (2006), part of her popular Deverry cycle, fans will welcome the author's usual intricate plotting and convoluted relationships in this second volume. Horsekin raiders, fired up by a bloodthirsty new goddess named Alshandra, are harrying the borders along the Westlands, forcing Prince Daralanteriel of the Westfolk to prepare for war. As Dar sends envoys to dwarven and human allies seeking assistance, the bard-mage Salamander frets over the fate of new-made wizards, husband and wife Neb and Branna, whose magical talents from their previous lives are now finally being realized in their current incarnations. In a lengthy flashback, Kerr lays out details of Neb and Branna's former incarnations and Salamander's history as a half-breed raised by elves before returning to the conflict with the Horsekin. Though not a good entry point for new readers, those already familiar with the Deverry setting and its complicated time lines and relationships should be satisfied. (June)
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From Booklist

The horsekin invasion of human and elven lands continues from The Gold Falcon (2006), as the cult of Alshandra, goddess of conquest, flourishes. Elves and humans, who have been faithful to the treaties made with the horsekin in The Fire Dragon (2001)^B, must develop new military and magical tactics because the horsekin have spent the past half-century catching up with the ones possessed by those they would conquer--elves and humans. Most of the characters Kerr has developed throughout the Deverry saga appear in one incarnation or another, so Deverry fans will welcome this book. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: DAW Hardcover (May 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756404339
• ISBN-13: 978-0756404338
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,122,577 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This won't disappoint, May 31, 2007

By 

Claire de Trafford - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spirit Stone: The Silver Wyrm, Book Two (Hardcover)

Although I enjoyed Gold Falcon, I was disappointed at its lack of a past life section. Spirit Stone suffers no such lack, and indeed fills in a missing section most satisfactorily. Without wishing to give anything away, this book also expands the action to include the perspective of two unanticipated characters, and arrives at its planned destination with many engrossing detours. Some may gripe at the relative lack of Neb and Branna in this book, but I found it heartening that they don't simply suddenly turn into super magicians over night and solve all the problems, and their story is charmingly told. Can't wait for the final volume in this saga.

4.0 out of 5 stars A great epic series coming close to conclusion, April 23, 2010

By 

Andrea S. Bishop "ASB" (Canberra, Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spirit Stone: The Silver Wyrm, Book Two (Hardcover)

The author has had the ability to keep me spellbound and wanting more through the whole of this massive series and this book is no different.

5.0 out of 5 stars It gladdens my heart, June 12, 2008

By 

Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Spirit Stone: The Silver Wyrm, Book Two (Hardcover)

I've loved Katherine Kerr's Deverrey universe for many years, and I was particularly heartened with what she began in this latest series. The second book can often be the weakest in a trilogy, but this one manages to avoid all the traps. In fact, it's better than The Gold Falcon, in part because Kerr includes a long past-life flashback that really illuminates the current story. I've always liked how Kerr's characters have to work out their wyrd over time... and how the decisions they make in this lifetime affect the ones to follow.

If you haven't read the series before, don't try to start with this one. But if you've read even the first trilogy, you'll want to get into this Silver Wyrm collection.