Gauntlet of Malice

Mages of Garillon #2

by Deborah Turner Harris

OUT OF THE FRYING PAN-
INTO THE FIRE

Not only is Caradoc Penluathe a failed mage, now he is also a fugitive accused of murder. Delsidor Whitfauconer was fatally stabbed in Ambrothen Cathedral, and all signs point to Caradoc, and a malevolent misuse of magepower.

Evelake Whitfauconer, son and heir to the murdered man, is in Caradoc's care Eve-lake's mind has been removed and "re-placed" by Borthen Berigeld, in a first move to take control of Garillon.

Caradoc, hunted and bereft of the mage-stone which is the source of his power and healing, must travel paths imbued with malignant hostility. With only his native talent and courage to keep him alive, Caradoc must bring young Evelake to sanity and safety.

Only then can he tackle the infinitely worse confrontation with the feral evil of Borthen Berigeld!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Deborah Turner Harris (born 1951 in Pennsylvania), is an American fantasy author, best known for her collaborations with Katherine Kurtz. She lives in Scotland and is married to Scottish author Robert J. Harris.

Reviews

[Lizzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars
It's been a while since I read book 1, so I really appreciated the prologue at the beginning summarising what had happened in book 1, and the character list too!
It took a bit for me to get into it, maybe the first 25% of the book, while I got to grips with who all the characters were again, and got used to the narrative style. It's omniscient and head hoppy in a way that modern books usually aren't these days, and that can feel a bit jarring when you're not used to it, but once I realised that reading it felt like watching a movie or TV show, I started really getting into it and the narrative didn't bother me at all. By the end of the book, I was really enjoying it and I'm going to continue straight into book 3.

At its core, this trilogy is about championing the underdogs, and when those underdogs begin to win, or at least stand up, it is so satisfying and I have a feeling book 3 is going to be quite exciting. Towards the end of this one, there were some really cool moments for our underdogs, and the friendships that develop are nice too. It's fast-paced and action-packed, plot-driven with political intrigue, as opposed to character-driven and introspective, but with an interesting and likeable cast of characters.

[Dylan Reay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel was much faster read, great when you know the characters and jump right into the cliff hanger action of the previous book. Need me more evil doing from Gwynmira Du Bord please. There were a lot of plot points and set pieces I liked about this, as far as a middle book in a trilogy goes it's really good.

[TheWearyWanderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 out 4. Nicely paced story. Decent and expanding cast of characters. Appreciated the inclusion of the Kherryn/Devon storyline. This nicely “fleshed out” the kingdom ramifications of the conflict between Caradoc and Borthen. This book, for me, this was a good way to extend my vocabulary. This is a plus and a minus as it takes away from the flow of the story. Also, found it somewhat distracting with the overly “creative” names for the locations and characters. Magic system is ok, though an explanation for Margoth and Caradoc’s abilities need to be explained. Holiday and life interfered with a continuous read and that may have lowered the impact of the story.

[Stuart Schneider · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe I would have enjoyed this book a lot more had I read it when it first came out, when I was a lot younger and books/series such as this were larger then they are to me now after 35 years. It is rather straightforward, somewhat predictable, but enjoyable nonetheless. It moves with the speed of a storyline well catered to the adolescent/early 20s reader and sets us up for an interesting finish to the series in the next installment. I am particularly looking forward to the descriptions of what should be the siege of Gand. Onwards!

[Solim · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 A slight step up from the first book. More conflicts, tension, and struggles with a great pace. Under-appreciated author.

[Aerine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stayed up way too late trying to finish this book, only to need the 3rd book immediately. Very engaging and rewarding. Don't start reading this series if you are going to have plans for the next week! You would swear that they couldn't get into any more trouble, and you would be very very wrong. Remember to breathe while you read, and stop holding your breath!

[LAURENCE O GORMAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this 2nd part of the Mages of Garrillon trilogy very much. Like another reviewer said it would be more suitable for a younger reader but I thought it is a great read anyway so I would say anyone of any age would enjoy it. I have just started the 3rd part Spiral of Fire and it's very good so far.

[Reforming · Rating 1 out of 5]

Abandoned. I am only reading books that I really enjoy at this point. Used to be I would finish just about everything, but I have realized that I am not going to be able to read every book now.