Crimson Fire

Dreamer's Cycle #2

by Holly Taylor

Havgan of Corania knows he is different from others, but he does not know why. He does know, however, that he adamantly hates the witches of Kymru. When he becomes Warleader of Corania, he sets the might of his empire against them and their country. Gwydion the Dreamer and his friend Rhiannon travel to Corania to spy on Havgan after Gwydion’s dream reveals Havgan’s imperialistic desires. In their frantic attempt to save Kymru, they risk everything. But when a thoughtless action threatens to doom them all, Gwydion and Rhiannon must fight not only to discover Havgan’s secret but also to understand why Havgan seems so hauntingly familiar.

Genres: Fantasy, Arthurian

576 pages, Paperback

First published June 6, 2007

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF: I forced myself to read at least half the book. It was a slog. The story started off with a lot of promise. That intriguing beginning made me ask the all-important, “And what happens next?” Sadly, that ended soon after the prologue.

Imagine a mish-mash of Arthurian legend, Norse mythology, early Anglo-Christian history, and strong anti-Christian bias. Then, tell the story using “stylized” misspelling of common words in an attempt to make everything sound more archaic, fantastic, and exotic.

The distraction created by made-up word jumbles and use of too many sources fails to hide flat characters and poorly mimicked plots.

[Wayland Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I try hard not to do this, but came in on book two of a series. I missed that before I started reading, although I think I have an idea about what I missed.

This appears to be a melding of various myths into a new story. There are many names from the Arthur stories, and I think that Arthur's birth and prophecies and such were book one. In addition, there are Norse gods slightly renamed, and a fanatical war that has hints of the Inquisition.

I liked this overall. The writing is good, the story flows well, the characters are well fleshed out. There's a lot of rich detail, and the myths all combine decently. The fight scenes are good, and the various motivations for the characters all make sense.

My only complaint per se is that there is some repetition I think could have been avoided. Four kingdoms fall, and the end of each battle is very similar. The survivors all find themselves in similar straights, and receive a sign, and all those scenes are nearly identical. Even a powerful mystical warning happens almost the same way each time.

This was a good read, and leaves off in a great cliffhanger. I may go back and find book one, and the others.

[MK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent continuation from the first book Night Bird's Reign! It actually begins before the first book ends but if you pay attention to the dates at the beginning of the chapters its not really confusing and after about the third chapter you're back to the right time-line. Again it ends with a bit of a cliffy but I think the third will wrapp it all up! Can't wait!

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked the first half of the novel, when they were in Corania, better than the second half, which, while I understand where the author was going with it, felt a little bit choppy to me. Still, I love this version of the Arthur legend.

[Sophie]

This is an amazing book. Just like the Night Birds Reign, you will want to see what will happen next. Great book. Great story even do it is sad .... :( Will miss you Uthyr.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally cried at the end of this one.