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Winter King's War #3
The Mountains of Channandran
Tristan, apprentice wizard and King of Calandra, should have found peace. His finding of the lost Sword of Calandra and his crowning should have ended the doom that held the land in its grip. But Nimir, Lord of Ice and Storm, still held Calandra fast. It was summer, but crops were dying under cold and snow, and starvation threatened all. Tristan and his beloved Elisena could only save the land by daring the fearful trip into the ice-clad Mountains of Channadran, to face and try to destroy Nimir at the seat of his power. It was an impossible feat--but they had no other choice. And in his bird-filled, mysterious tower, Royston Ambere awaited a hero, while his daughter Welslin, known as Fateweaver, held her stony heart for the one man who could claim it. Nimir gathered his forces and prepared his deceits.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1986
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About the author
Susan Dexter
22 books66 followersSusan Dexter’s favorite subject for her books is fantasy and throughout her life has worked as a librarian, teacher, and writer.
Susan received her first award, the Merit Award, in 1976 from the Lawrence County Open Arts Show. She also received the Distinguished Award from them in 1982 and 1983. The Wizard’s Shadow was listed among the “Books for the Teen Age” in 1993 by the New York Public Library.
She now lives in New Castle, Pennsylvania in the vintage house that her book sales enabled her to buy and restore.
Susan received her first award, the Merit Award, in 1976 from the Lawrence County Open Arts Show. She also received the Distinguished Award from them in 1982 and 1983. The Wizard’s Shadow was listed among the “Books for the Teen Age” in 1993 by the New York Public Library.
She now lives in New Castle, Pennsylvania in the vintage house that her book sales enabled her to buy and restore.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
November 22, 2017
It was kind of amazing reading the Wizard King’s War again after all these years. In many cases, a writer’s first book is the best, and the ones that follow are attempts to recapture the magic. But now and then there’s a writer like Susan Dexter, who gets better, and better, and better. Ring of Allaire was good, but flawed. The Sword of Callandra was good – better. And The Mountains of Channadran? Wonderful.
Once again the story is pretty simple, and once again the book is not.
Almost all of Ms. Dexter’s main characters are in some way broken. Elisena has scars I won’t Spoil, but they’re such that would have long since destroyed a lesser woman. Crewzel had a husband once, and his loss is not only a grief but a danger to her and her young son. Tristan is, superficially, all right: he had no major traumas in his youth, before this year at least, apart from the scar of having been abandoned very young (how young?) in Blais’s orchard. But the last year has been both the best and the very worst; he gained Elisena in his life, but the loss of Blais is still terrible, and the kingship is not something he expected or desired.
The animal characters should be used as teaching tools for fantasy writers. Thomas, Minstrel, and Valadan are beautiful. Thomas is all cat. He may be able to speak fluently with Tristan – and, later, Elisena – but that’s because he’s grown from kittenhood in a wizard’s household. Well, Tristan was always able to hear him, but the wizard’s household doesn’t hurt. He’s no soppy slavish pet, any more than most cats are – if he doesn’t want to do something, damned if he will, and he uses his claws and teeth as necessary. Minstrel is not the featherhead ( ) most writers resort to when trying to give a bird personality ... not that there are so many of those; I’m actually trying, and failing, to think of any. So perhaps it’s better to say he’s not the featherhead one would expect of a sentient canary. (Yes, I’m using sentient in the way Star Trek taught me, and I really don’t care that that’s not the primary definition, thanks all the same – not that it’s anything pedants have picked on before, no precious… It’s the word I want. Sue me.) And Valadan … He’s magnificent. I love that Ms. Dexter chose to make him smaller than might be desired – he is not what most men think of when they say “war horse”. But he is in all other ways nearly perfect. Not utterly, but nearly: he has his limits, some of them the limits of being in horse form, some the expanded limits of a magical being able to perform near-miracles: he just can’t perform actual miracles. Even with his abilities and his sire and his sentience (there it is again), he is still a horse, and is painted as one, and he’s wonderful.
Once again the story is pretty simple, and once again the book is not.
Almost all of Ms. Dexter’s main characters are in some way broken. Elisena has scars I won’t Spoil, but they’re such that would have long since destroyed a lesser woman. Crewzel had a husband once, and his loss is not only a grief but a danger to her and her young son. Tristan is, superficially, all right: he had no major traumas in his youth, before this year at least, apart from the scar of having been abandoned very young (how young?) in Blais’s orchard. But the last year has been both the best and the very worst; he gained Elisena in his life, but the loss of Blais is still terrible, and the kingship is not something he expected or desired.
The animal characters should be used as teaching tools for fantasy writers. Thomas, Minstrel, and Valadan are beautiful. Thomas is all cat. He may be able to speak fluently with Tristan – and, later, Elisena – but that’s because he’s grown from kittenhood in a wizard’s household. Well, Tristan was always able to hear him, but the wizard’s household doesn’t hurt. He’s no soppy slavish pet, any more than most cats are – if he doesn’t want to do something, damned if he will, and he uses his claws and teeth as necessary. Minstrel is not the featherhead ( ) most writers resort to when trying to give a bird personality ... not that there are so many of those; I’m actually trying, and failing, to think of any. So perhaps it’s better to say he’s not the featherhead one would expect of a sentient canary. (Yes, I’m using sentient in the way Star Trek taught me, and I really don’t care that that’s not the primary definition, thanks all the same – not that it’s anything pedants have picked on before, no precious… It’s the word I want. Sue me.) And Valadan … He’s magnificent. I love that Ms. Dexter chose to make him smaller than might be desired – he is not what most men think of when they say “war horse”. But he is in all other ways nearly perfect. Not utterly, but nearly: he has his limits, some of them the limits of being in horse form, some the expanded limits of a magical being able to perform near-miracles: he just can’t perform actual miracles. Even with his abilities and his sire and his sentience (there it is again), he is still a horse, and is painted as one, and he’s wonderful.
February 19, 2015
This is more a review of the series as a whole than on this book in particular.
Highly recommend, the entire series. Not extraordinarily original, not like Tolkien or some of Peter Benchley's stuff were entirely different in their day, but while the plot includes many standard tropes, particularly in the first book, the plot twists on some of those tropes surprised me more than once. This third book has fewer surprises, but it is a satisfying conclusion to the series and includes some interesting imagery, and while there are few new characters, and you don't get to know them well, you get some key information on characters who've been around a while, so it's all good.
I enjoy this series very much, however the Greg Hildebrandt cover on this last volume annoys me. The cat is clunky, the lady should be standing at a loom, not sitting before a woven picture on a frame, and my other complaints would be spoilers, but I really dislike it. Perhaps it is because the first covers are so good (or at least not obviously bad -- the cat on the first one is just a shadow), but I so wish they could have gotten Rowena again for this one; unlike many artists, she "gets" cats.
So does Susan Dexter -- surely one of the reasons I so love this trilogy is the animals within it, in particular the magical trio who love Tristan; Thomas the cat, Minstrel the canary, and Valadan the horse. Unlike many similar critters who talk or communicate with the hero in other series, which often seem more like humans in fur or feathers, Thomas always feels like a cat, Minstrel like a canary, and Valadan like a horse (although he's unusually brave and rather disinterested in fellow horsie company, both of which can be excused by his magicalness).
The main human characters are well done and complex, as well. The book is in third person, but we see most of the events from Tristan's perspective, much as the Harry Potter books are from Harry's, although Dexter gets out of Tristan's head more than Rowling gets out of Harry's; and Tristan, like Harry, is not always particularly perceptive, which Dexter, like Rowling, uses to keep info from the reader that a more perceptive witness might pick up. So even some characters who initially appear simple and cliched in the first book are much more interesting by the trilogy's end.
A great series to read when you're tired of winter.
Highly recommend, the entire series. Not extraordinarily original, not like Tolkien or some of Peter Benchley's stuff were entirely different in their day, but while the plot includes many standard tropes, particularly in the first book, the plot twists on some of those tropes surprised me more than once. This third book has fewer surprises, but it is a satisfying conclusion to the series and includes some interesting imagery, and while there are few new characters, and you don't get to know them well, you get some key information on characters who've been around a while, so it's all good.
I enjoy this series very much, however the Greg Hildebrandt cover on this last volume annoys me. The cat is clunky, the lady should be standing at a loom, not sitting before a woven picture on a frame, and my other complaints would be spoilers, but I really dislike it. Perhaps it is because the first covers are so good (or at least not obviously bad -- the cat on the first one is just a shadow), but I so wish they could have gotten Rowena again for this one; unlike many artists, she "gets" cats.
So does Susan Dexter -- surely one of the reasons I so love this trilogy is the animals within it, in particular the magical trio who love Tristan; Thomas the cat, Minstrel the canary, and Valadan the horse. Unlike many similar critters who talk or communicate with the hero in other series, which often seem more like humans in fur or feathers, Thomas always feels like a cat, Minstrel like a canary, and Valadan like a horse (although he's unusually brave and rather disinterested in fellow horsie company, both of which can be excused by his magicalness).
The main human characters are well done and complex, as well. The book is in third person, but we see most of the events from Tristan's perspective, much as the Harry Potter books are from Harry's, although Dexter gets out of Tristan's head more than Rowling gets out of Harry's; and Tristan, like Harry, is not always particularly perceptive, which Dexter, like Rowling, uses to keep info from the reader that a more perceptive witness might pick up. So even some characters who initially appear simple and cliched in the first book are much more interesting by the trilogy's end.
A great series to read when you're tired of winter.
February 22, 2009
The final book which ended in a lovely way. As with only the best of series, you really want it to go on and on and on, because leaving the friends you made within the pages of the books are so very hard to leave behind.
December 12, 2015
For goodness' sake. Tristan is like a depressed Inspector Clouseau in this one. If he can walk into it, trip over it, or misunderstand it, he does. I still like the characters though!
February 24, 2018
Having now read the whole of this surprisingly great fantasy series, I have to say it was worth it! Although not a 5-star series (as I have rated each book 4 stars), it was highly enjoyable and wasn't a waste.
In this book we see Tristan, Polassar, Elisena, Thomas and Reynaud all off on their final quest to defeat Nimir the Winter King. It is a LONG journey that takes up most of the book, with a wonderful amount of peril happening regularly through this book. Just when you think they are finally going to get a break, something horrible happens like Tristan being buried under several feet of snow, or someone being stabbed etc etc. But it all works, and although it seems like nothing good can ever happen to our heroes, there is always a little glimmmer of hope.
Tristan remains just about the most useless wizard ever (yes, even Rincewind from terry pratchett's discworld books may be a better wizard than our lovely Tristan), he is backed up by Elisena, who always seems to be able to perform just the right kind of magic at the drop of a hat.
There are sections of this book that, too my delight, were from Thomas's point of view (for those unaware by now, Thomas is Tristan's black cat). As a big fan of Thomas this was great!
So it's over! I'm rather sad to leave these characters behind, as I enjoyed them while it lasted. But I think I will return to these books again!
I recommend this series to fantasy fans and those trying to get into fantasy (they are relitively short and to the point, and not overly complicated!).
In this book we see Tristan, Polassar, Elisena, Thomas and Reynaud all off on their final quest to defeat Nimir the Winter King. It is a LONG journey that takes up most of the book, with a wonderful amount of peril happening regularly through this book. Just when you think they are finally going to get a break, something horrible happens like Tristan being buried under several feet of snow, or someone being stabbed etc etc. But it all works, and although it seems like nothing good can ever happen to our heroes, there is always a little glimmmer of hope.
Tristan remains just about the most useless wizard ever (yes, even Rincewind from terry pratchett's discworld books may be a better wizard than our lovely Tristan), he is backed up by Elisena, who always seems to be able to perform just the right kind of magic at the drop of a hat.
There are sections of this book that, too my delight, were from Thomas's point of view (for those unaware by now, Thomas is Tristan's black cat). As a big fan of Thomas this was great!
So it's over! I'm rather sad to leave these characters behind, as I enjoyed them while it lasted. But I think I will return to these books again!
I recommend this series to fantasy fans and those trying to get into fantasy (they are relitively short and to the point, and not overly complicated!).
January 27, 2024
This is the last book in this series, culminating with the ultimate struggle/battle that the whole series has been leading up to. I really wanted to like it more than I do. The book started decently well, with the characters mostly acting more sensibly than the previous two books. However, the main part of the book paints this struggle of the main character, partially with the evil they are fighting and mostly with himself. Another character makes a note of something deep and dark that prevents him from being a good wizard. This struggle is fraught and difficult and occupies a significant portion of the novel. So it is incredibly unfortunate, and distracts from the end, when his memory returns and it is an incident so minor. Now I get that this is an older book and it does read as if it is from a more innocent time such that such a childhood incident would be seen as being a bigger thing. All this being said, maybe it is a better book for younger people.
December 14, 2016
This book seemed too long. The journey to the final fight was perilous and too long. Still, my children enjoyed the story quite a bit. I think they are more patient than me.
April 10, 2024
Least favorite of the three. Poor guy had about 7 concussions.
November 17, 2014
Final book in the Winterwaste series. Now Tristan, apprentice wizard & King of Calandra, has to go on yet another quest so that Calandra can be saved. With him are his queen, Elisena; his friend & knight, Polassar; and the seemingly untrustworthy wizard Reynard, plus Thomas the cat and Minstrel, the canary. They have lots of narrow escapes on their way to the Mountains of Channadran to vanquish the evil Nimir. Then they get to trek through the mountains for the last confrontation with Nimir. This one is a tad happier than he previous two books. Evil is vanquished, at least for a while.
December 15, 2016
Decades later, I barely remember this book (although I do remember reading it on a flight somewhere... don't ask me why I remember that).
However, given the fond memories I have of the previous two books, the fact that I don't remember this book says something itself.
However, given the fond memories I have of the previous two books, the fact that I don't remember this book says something itself.
July 25, 2015
3rd in series.
November 13, 2010
read it as a kid and loved it
February 2, 2011
Not as good as the first two in the series.
February 16, 2015
Not as good as the first two, but a great walk down memory lane for me back to my teenage years. Did Dexter change the ending? I remember it differently.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews