Elegy for a Lost Star (The Symphony of Ages) (Hardcover)

by Elizabeth Haydon (Author) "When the mountain peak of Gurgus exploded, the vibrations coursed through the foundations of the earth..." (more)
Key Phrases: guild scion, emperor presumptive, primordial magic, Living Stone, Lord Marshal, Duckfoot Sally (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Unlike most middle books of fantasy trilogies, Haydon's dazzling second volume of the second trio of her bestselling Symphony of the Ages series (Rhapsody: Child of Blood, etc.) inspires and thrills all on its own. The story focuses on the beautiful Rhapsody and her half-dragon husband, Ashe, in what seems to be the calm following the storm of Requiem for the Sun (2003). Their ward Gwydion comes of age with merry ceremony, their friends Achmed and Grunthor continue to rebuild the kingdom of Ylorc, and Rhapsody's pregnancy progresses as well as can be expected given her child's odd heritage. But others are also coming into power, including Anwyn, a malevolent seer, and Talquist, the depraved emperor of Sorbold. The ominous rumble of their scheming intensifies in a crescendo of fear and tragedy that leaves the reader breathless and not a little teary-eyed. Those who eagerly anticipated this volume will be even more desperate for the next, and if the author's stunning rate of improvement is anything to go by, it will be well worth the wait.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
A compelling fifth book continues the richly detailed, complex Symphony of Ages saga, begun in Rhapsody: Child of Blood (1999), by taking up where Requiem for the Sun (2002) left off to relate events presaging a devastating war. The dragon Anwyn, thought dead for three years, arouses, bent on destruction and the death of Rhapsody, who had so sorely wounded her. A rift develops between Achmed and Rhapsody. Sixteen-year-old orphan Gwydion Navarne, ward of Rhapsody and her draconic husband, Ashe, is invested as duke in his father's place. Talquist, a despotic emperor presumptive, brings to life a gigantic earthen statue that has its own reasons for creating mayhem and murder. And Rhapsody, under the care of the dragon Elnsynos, Ashe's grandmother, gives birth to a son. The forces on each side assemble for the portended debacle. Haydon masterfully maintains characters, the world they inhabit, and the flux of epic adventure and turmoil to make this book worthy of the series and leave readers yearning for the rest of the story. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1 edition (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312878834
• ISBN-13: 978-0312878832
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #677,883 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read, August 22, 2004

By	Gayle Greene (CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have to admit that I toyed very briefly with giving this book 4 stars instead of 5, because it lacked the breadth and depth of previous Haydon novels, and I think a little more background and interaction with the characters was in order for those unfamiliar with earlier books. However, considering its much shorter length -- a little over 300 pages, compared to nearly twice that size for Requiem for the Sun, the first installment of this trilogy, and nowhere near the 850+ pages for Destiny, the last installment of the first trilogy -- you still get a lot of bang for the buck.

It is hard to top the cunning menace of the F'dor, yet Haydon still manages breathtaking suspense and action with the awakened Anwyn and the transformed Faron. I was delighted to see the emphasis on dragons in this book, and those who are fond of Haydon's beasts will be very satisfied. I would have liked to have seen more of Grunthor (my very favorite character, with Achmed a close second). And we at last have the birth of Meridion, the time manipulator; I'm hoping at some point in this series we get to see the time line that Meridion changed, which Haydon has tantalizingly hinted at on a few occasions.

If you are as entranced with these characters and Haydon's writing as I am, you will enjoy this book. If you are expecting another long, complex novel like the previous ones, you may be slightly disappointed and simply have to wait for the next installment, which Elegy has set up beautifully.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dirge for a Rushed Tale, June 17, 2006

By	J. Jones "wayward muse" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Elegy for a Lost Star (The Symphony of Ages, Book 2) (Hardcover)

Fair warning: I will discuss some events in reasonable detail. If you dislike reviews that provide relative descriptive about events that take place in a book, please kindly scroll down.

Elegy for a Lost Star is the fifth book in Elizabeth Haydon's "Symphony of the Ages" series, which began with a core trilogy (Prophecy, Rhapsody and Destiny), then added on Requiem for the Sun, Elegy and forthcoming Assassin King (due in 2007, and that can't get here soon enough!). If you haven't previously read the first books, I cannot stress the importance of doing so. Some series you can jump into at any central point and pick up the thread; this is definitely not one of those. While Ms. Haydon goes over the basic sketch of history that brings the reader to the present through the chronicles of the three main characters, Rhapsody, Achmed and Grunthor, you owe it to yourself to immerse in the world.

I finished Elegy for a Lost Star after reading Requiem for a Lost Sun and revisiting the core trilogy the day or two before. Therefore, all the events sparkled fresh in my mind as I transitioned from one book to the next. While I found the core trilogy engrossing and impossible to put down, the speed slowed slightly through Requiem as I appreciated the detail more than anything else. However, the vagaries of Rhapsody being trapped in a sea cave became a bit wearing. Elegy's slim size, especially compared to the 800-plus pages of its predecessors, worried me a bit.

My initial judgment on Elegy is that it is a condensed novel, and while keeping the high standard of Ms. Haydon's writing skills, it lacks a certain sparkle. The plot wandered at points, picking up different story threads and weaving them in for a time, then discarding them again. Case in point: the hodgepodge use of Anwyn, the oracle of the past and now wholly a dragon, and Llauron, Rhapsody's father-in-law and also a dragon whose transformation completed three years earlier. From the cover, an informed reader clearly discerns Anwyn and Llauron looming over Rhapsody and her baby, Meridion. It should come as no surprise the dragon finally enter the limelight of the story. Unfortunately, they don't enjoy centerstage quite so fully as they should.

Anwyn's awakening jerks into the machinations of Talquisst, the highly unsavory regent for the troubled, divided nation of Sorbold (incidentally Ylorc and Tyrian's uneasy neighbour). The transition comes roughly and left me rather in the lurch, trying to figure out what happened with Anwyn's current struggles to regain her memory and exact her revenge on Rhapsody. Usually Ms. Haydon executes these different shifts in the storyline with a deft touch, but Elegy's movements lacked that particular elegance.

Another concern that dropped my initial rating from four stars to three lies in her treatment of the dragons. While we get background information through Elynsynos about how wyrmkin interact with their parents, and the sacrifice of the eldest dragon to seal the vault of Living Earth that keep the F'dor imprisoned in the heart of the earth, we lack more important details... Notably, Llauron's involvement with protecting Rhapsody, newborn Meridion, and her friends against his rampaging, furious mother. It feels as though Llauron suddenly manifests (no pun intended) in the story at some point, flits out of existence, then shows up when it matters most again. This form of deus ex machina disappoints me because Llauron's uneasy relationship with Rhapsody, Ashe, Anborn, and Achmed certainly changed after becoming a dragon and the first Cymrian Council meeting. The story covers very little of this in Elegy, beyond exchanging annoyed words with Ashe and Achmed's wry, superb brand of blunt-spoken displeasure.

Instead, we wander along between Sorbold's decline spiced up with scenes with Constantin, the Patriarch (and a new appreciation for the Chain of Prayer), the ongoing despair of Faron after washing ashore and ending up with a carnival of monstrosities, a sort of fantasy horror show (bearded lady, duck-footed performers, and other misfits apply here!). Faron makes for an interesting enemy because you have to feel some sense of compassion for the offspring of a tortured ancient Seren and a F'dor host, a lost soul tormented from the very beginning. Against Anwyn, the foil provides an entertaining level of comparison but it doesn't reach its fullest flowering.

The scattered state of the story comes as a surprise given Elegy's overall short length. I'm not sure if it's just me, but I felt rushed in places and hopelessly without direction in others. Major milestones such as Meridion's birth came as an anticlimax and the distinct lack of Grunthor was a real shame. We at least see a good deal of Achmed, a truly excellent character in fantasy for the realism in his flawed person (versus Rhapsody's near divine perfection).

On the whole, this isn't up to the standard of Ms. Haydon's other books but I hope it will redeem itself by the segue into The Assassin King and a re-reading. The apparent shadow of doom and destruction layered over the continent by Anwyn's bloody campaign of vindiction and Talquisst's use of the deck of Sharra lacks the treatment it really deserved, but hopefully things will pan out well in the forthcoming sequel.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a decent read, but..., August 31, 2004

By	suzie "sztownsend81" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

As the fifth book in the Symphony of Ages series, ELEGY FOR A LOST STAR falls short.

There are three basic plotlines and all of which are creative and I think have lots of potential: Rhapsody and her soul mate Ashe are Lord and Lady Cymrian and expecting their first child, only since Ashe is part dragon, Rhapsody and the baby could be in danger. Danger is also rising in Sorbold, where we find that the new emperor is not only the one responsible for the deaths of the former empress and her son, but he has also used a few strange ancient artifacts in order to secure his position on the throne. He is planning to attacks the kingdom's of his friends and enemies and proposes a huge threat to Rhapsody and friends. And of course, the big plot centers around the awakening of Anywyn who is out for revenge on Rhapsody who ruined her life.

The problem with plot 1 is that we don't see enough of Rhapsody and Ashe, and when we do see them, the emotion seems to fall short. Plot 2 is done when, and the new emperor of Sorbold is definitely as evil and heartless as to be expected from a former slave trader, but there is no conclusion to the plot, so I assume there is another book coming. Plot 3 suffers because Anywyn is suffering from some sort of amnesia throughout the entire book until near the end. The chapters that were describing her were simply so boring, I wanted to skip them. All she can remember is anger and then anger at Rhapsody and wanting to kill her and then she doesn't know why.

Unlike the first three books of the series (RHAPSODY, PROPHECY, and DESTINY), the characters along with the plot action seem very strained. In this book, Haydon spends so much time reminding readers of what happened in the previous books that the characters, their conversations, their emotions, and their actions are limited. The four main characters (Rhapsody, Ashe, Grunthor, and Achmed) are not nearly in enough of the action. What saved the book for me was the further development of the two minor characters (Gwydion of Navarne and Anborn).

As far as fantasy novels go, it is still a decent read, better than some. However, if you are expecting a book worthy of the previous Symphony of Ages books, you are bound to be disappointed.