Customer Reviews

The White Mists Of Power

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

The White Mists of Power (1991) is a standalone fantasy novel. It is set in the island kingdom of Kilot, where turmoils and troubles have run rampant. Then King Gerusha made a pact with the Enos to guard the land from bloodshed and civil war. His dynasty has kept the peace through the powers within the Cache near the Palace.

In this novel, Alric is the King's son and heir. He consults the Cache Enos and asks for a prophecy about his future. He will be wise and feared, but threatened with death.

Byron is a bard. He is serving Lord Dakin when another noble mentions that he is a murderer of the Ladylee of Kerry. Dakin releases him for the hounds to follow.

Seymour is a magician on the Dakin estate. His father was Dysik the Great, a powerful wizard, but he can only set fires and do other minor magic. He too has been chased by the hounds.

Afeno is a young thief. His partner Magic has disappeared with their last money. and he is starving in Nadaluci.

Colin is a young boy who is also starving in Nadaluci.

Lady Almathea Jelwra is a noble who covets Lord Dakin's lands.

Nica was a herbwitch on the estate of Lord Dakin. Byron helped her escape after Dakin decided to go after her. When she disappeared, Dakin chased her brother Rury with his hounds. Now she is training to become a magician in Coventon.

In this story, Alric has been trying to learn how to be a king. His father is angered by his questioning of the nobles and he is told to just let things go their own way. He has been promised a ride into the city by Lord Boton, but Lord Ewehl shows up instead in a black carriage.

Alric is taken into the city of Anda, but gets out to walk when the carriage is blocked. He is soon robbed and beaten and crawls into a stable to hide and rest. He is discovered by the stableboy -- Milo -- who fetches Rogren, the owner of the stable.

Cassie treats his hurts, but then Rogren works him too hard and whips him for not finishing his tasks. So Milo and Cassie help him to escape from the stable. Milo takes Alric to his home village.

Milo's mother washes and treats Alric's wounds again. Rogren had rubbed salt in them and Cassie's treatments were ineffective. Then Milo takes Alric to the Palace.

Elsewhere, Byron and Seymour have escaped from Lord Dakin's lands. Byron intervenes in a fight between Afeno and Colin over a dropped sausage and then takes them into his retinue. Nica and her master save Byron and Colin from bounty hunters. Now they have reached the Palace and gain admission as entertainers.

The king is interested in Byron, but his advisors -- Lord Boton and Lord Ewehl -- try to have the bard and his troupe dismissed. The King retains Byron as his bard, but provides other jobs for the rest of the troupe. Byron alternately infuriates and amuses the king.

Lady Jelwra believes that Byron is Sir Geoffry -- the last Lord of Kinsmail -- due to their first encounter. But Vonda -- a magician of Kerry -- recognizes Byron as Dasvid, a bard involved with the Kerry Ladylee. Seymour is not really sure just whom Byron really is.

This tale evolves on two paths throughout the first part of the book. Then these paths merge into a single storyline. And the plot gets even more intriguing.

The prime focus is the bard known as Byron. Others are drawn to him. An assassin is stalking him. The Enos are wary of the white mists of power that lurk within him. Read and enjoy!

Recommended for Rusch fans and for others who enjoy tales of ancient kingdoms, political intrigue, and strange magic.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Excellent book that I found years ago and have always remembered - simply and elegantly told, with a big huge "ah hah!" moment payoff that's just so much fun that I'm dismayed by a review below that gives it away. The review was written with all good intentions, I know, but trust me:

If you intend to read this book, don't read the review below entitled "One of My Favorite Books"!!

I love fantasy but I loathe derivative fantasy that reads like a reworking of Lord of the Rings. Thankfully this book is nothing like a reworking of Lord of the Rings. This is a fresh and original novel, with a delicious twist.

The world is rich and intersting, the characters are well drawn and intriguing. The adventure is fast paced and draws the reader into the book. I loved it - one of my favourite fantasy books.

It is hard to accurately detail the story without giving away some of the plot twist. Nevertheless ithis was an original story. Elves get a small mention but not Tolkien elves. there is a prophecy and some political intrigue and a power struggle, but mostly this is a book about the characters you find - and those are interesting characters. I wish this book was more widely known.

This was a spectacular find. I loved this novel and found it very hard to put down. There was no way for the reader to know which direction the novel was going to next as there was a new twist around every turn. The characters are very real, and never stray from the form the author has constructed for them.

The story line was also one of the most original I have read to date. Yes, this is set in the time of castles and magic, but you will be amazed at how different the story is from others in its genre. I wasn't dissapointed.

This is one of my faves... anyone into fantasy should check it out... has some great plot twists.

First of all, let me start off by saying that I agree with the reviewer who states that if you mean to read this book, don't read the review titled "One of My Favorite Books!" The plot device is one of the only good things this book has going for it, and giving it away turns the book into a complete waste of time.
Now, I would give the book more than one star if I wasn't trying to drag down the overall rating a bit. I'd give it two stars, maybe. It wasn't the worst book I've ever read. . . but it was close. The writing was almost amateur in style. Believe me, I've read writing by college freshmen better than this.
The ideas behind the book aren't bad, but the presentation is. Also, there was at least one scene that served no real purpose in plot or character development. At least the author doesn't use it this way, as far as THIS reader can tell. And there are some scenes that seem thrown into the story at random, like the one revealing that Lord Kensington is the guilty one. (people who haven't read the book shouldn't learn too much from that comment, I hope.) And it is so difficult to fit the different pieces together that you can't prove or disprove the way the author makes them fit together. I find it very hard to like most of the primary characters; the bard Byron is cold and it is hard to like the man, whose name recalls the Romantic poet, George Gordon, Lord Byron, and the name makes it just that much harder to like him.
Prince Adric is spoiled and naive, and he can't understand the world outside of the palace any better than he understood the world inside the palace.
In fact, there are very few characters in this book that I really like very much. I liked Seymour. . . most of the time.
So, you can read this book if you like, but there are many, many books out there that are more worthwhile.

With this book, Kurtz become one of my favorite writers. She was able to blend the past and present so well together that the reader wasn't even able to recognize that that was what she was doing. The plot itself was stunning with the idea of a lost prince coming back as a grown man to claim that which is rightfully his.