Scion's Blood

The Chronicles of Firma #2

by Pat Nelson Childs

Trouble is brewing all over Firma. Three years have passed since Rokey and his companions saved the Brotherhood of the Noble Contemplative from infiltration by the evil Order of the Bone. In the kingdom of Duncileer, palace unrest and the threat of war rattle the peace of mind of the gentle giant, Lorq, his wife Kyzee and their two-year-old son, Broq. Fia, feeling restless, has arrived from the distant pleasure realm of Respite. When a plot to murder King Hobar unfolds, Kyzee, now captain of the King's Guard, is caught up in a web of betrayal and intrigue that will ripple throughout the land. Meanwhile, in the elf forest where they've settled, Rokey and Flaskamper are encountering some serious bumps in the road to marital bliss. Flaskamper is battling feelings of despondency and suffocation, and Rokey, unable to communicate with him, has buried himself in his studies with the High Elf Mage, Ellispon. The two finally decide to give up on their relationship and separate, giving Rokey's enemies in the Order of the Bone the opportunity they've been waiting for. They abduct him from Elfwood and whisk him away to their stronghold in the north, intent on sacrificing him in order to achieve the goal for which they've worked so long - the return of their living god, Cyure. Now Flaskamper, joined once again by his old friends, as well as some new companions, must embark on a journey to rescue Rokey, as well as see if the two of them can recover the love that first brought the two of them together. Once again the journey takes them to the east, this time to the dark and danger-filled kingdom of Ulgiarrah, then north through the haunted forest of Gloomsveldt, to Moribar, their enemy's seat of power. But time is against them. The sacrifice is to take place at the rising of the next new moon. As they battle to overcome one hindrance after another, Flaskamper becomes more and more desperate to reach his true love before it is too late to save his life, their love . perhaps even Firma itself.

Genres: Fantasy, M M Romance, Gay, Gay Fiction

388 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

I am a fantasy and sci-fi writer whose books feature gay, lesbian and bisexual heroes. I also mentor GLBT youth.

Reviews

[J'aime · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sequel to “Orphan’s Quest” took me longer to get into, but it was well worth it. It was slow for me not because it isn’t a great story, but because I knew our happy couple was going to separate. I was happy when Flash and Rokey decided to marry. I liked them together. That’s not to say I don’t understand that the first few years of a marriage can be difficult, with doubts and insecurities. And certainly a clever enemy would take advantage of such an opportunity. But, I didn’t want it to happen! Yet, overcoming separation is something of a theme here. The first third of the novel shows us the original companions spread across the world, living new lives. The reader must follow a few different story threads. Yet, those stories have an underlying connection. The Order of the Bone has reached into every land. While the first novel had quest in the title, it was more a journey of self discovery and finding one’s destiny. This book is a quest! When Rokey and Flash are betrayed, Rokey is kidnapped by the Order and Flash must gather his friends to rescue his true love, and the possible savior of all Firma. The hunt is on!

“Scions’ Blood” gives more depth to the mythology of Firma as well as advancing the plot from book one. Since our heroes are settled at the beginning, we can get more information on the world without interrupting the action. One especially good bit is the revelation of “No-When,” another dimension that sits alongside this one. Rokey has been training with the Elf mages to harness his powers. He accidentally travels through No-When while trying to test the limits of his power. It is something akin to Anne McCaffrey’s “Between,” only things live in it. And a malevolent mind is asleep there. Oh, and did I mention it happens to be the source of magic? A clever bit of storytelling that is at once familiar and brand new. The reader is also introduced to new species who live in Firma, not the least of which are Firecats and Dragons. Childs is very skilled at pulling themes from classic fantasy and making them his own. The Order is trying to resurrect a god, Cyure, who believes in bringing peace to Firma through absolute dictatorship. Only Cyure’s brother opposes this. Certainly, this borrows a bit from Eddings, but the idea reaches back to ancient Greek myths as well. Yet, Childs manages to take it down a new path. One that gives some explanation to Rokey’s destiny (and which I will not spoil here). What we are left with is a richer world that these characters exist in and we now have a stake in.

One weakness of this installment is the lack of the main character – Rokey. After he is kidnapped, we do not see him again until near the end (though we do get some answers – woohoo!). This is something of a disappointment because he is such a dynamic character. What are his powers; what is he destined for? However, into this void the author gives us more development of Alrontin, Flash’s elder brother. The Elf Prince is noble, brave and seriously flawed, just like everyone else. His interaction gives more dimension to Flash, as well as Elven society. A worthy hero to replace Stamford for the companions. Though the quest does get bogged down occasionally in descriptions of “where we are, and where we are going” (just like every other quest story I have read) the book remains fast paced, and exciting. Just as with the first novel, there is enough conclusion to keep me from gritting my teeth in frustration, but the story is far from over. Overall, an excellent sequel to Orphan’s Quest that manages to bridge into “Numen’s Trust” without being just a middle book. I can hardly wait for the next installment. Highly recommended!

[Estarianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book epitomizes my main pet peeve with romance books: contrived relationship strife and trying to create a happily ever after out of an irretrievably broken couple. This book starts out focused on Rokey and Flash and their marriage trouble.

So both of them are unhappy,thinking the other doesn't love them and feeling conflicted. Normal stuff. They don't bother to mention this to each other,though. Nor do they go to trusted people with relationship experience for advice. They stew and get passive aggressive and make each other miserable for several chapters.

Then an "old friend" comes into the picture and THAT is the person they get advice from. Because of course her motives are pure, right? Still, they never talk to each other about it.

When finally Flash talks to his brother, his brother says "the thing I find most helpful in these situations is..." and I am thinking finally we'll have a voice of reason. "... A child!" WHAT?? A relationship in which people can't talk to each other is doomed, who would suggest bringing a child into it?

Listen, good romances are based on realistic situations. This situation isn't unrealistic, it is why 50% of marriages end in divorce. What is unrealistic is that any couple who would split up without discussing their feelings based on the advice of someone they barely know has much chance of a happily ever after. Maybe the author does split them up permanently, but I doubt it because he talks a lot about love. Love doesn't make a marriage last.

If this was one thread in a complex plot in an otherwise good book, I would have kept reading. But the plot has been predictable and the romance was the main theme in this book.

And still with the POV switching. I am not a POV switch hater but this book takes it to extremes. In one chapter you might switch between 4 or 5 characters, sometimes switching to minor characters. There is no follow through and it makes the characters all feel undeveloped.

[Inara · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the second book of the Chronicles of Firma three years have passed since the events in book one and we find Rokey and Flash living as a married couple at Elfwood. Rokey tries under the tutelage of the Elfmages to master his great magical abilities and starts to neglect his husband over this task. Flash feels abandoned,useless and confined and thinks Rokey doesn´t love him as much as he thought. Their problems increase and heeding the advice of a not so well meaning friend Rokey finally decides it´s for the best to break their marriage. Deeply hurt Flash leaves Elfwood and goes to Oraque on a diplomatic mission his father has appointed him to. When Flash has left Rokey finally can see his own faults why it came to their breakup and he´s devastated about his own behaviour. Flash starts to live the way he did before he met Rokey – that means with many liaisons but nobody can replace the love of his life in his heart. When Rokey gets kidnapped by the Order of the Bone Flash and his old and some new companions set immediately out for a rescue mission...
Again the book met my expectations and I couldn´t put it down till I was through. Rokey and Flash and their relationship problems have been brazenly taken advantage of by the Order of the Bone to get their hands on Rokey. In this book we learn finally much more about the background of this Order and why Rokey is so important to them. A new ally was a small Bronze Dragon I at once grew very fond of and the two Firecats where an interesting new addition to the rescue party. This novel is also a very enjoyable fantasy adventure with action and battles and of course romance. I´m really looking forward to the last installment and the conclusion of this Trilogy "Numen´s Trust".

Website of the author:
Website of the author:
www.patnelsenchilds.com
www.samersguild.com

[Kiki · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really liked the first one, but I wish I'd stopped there. The nice romantic glow is utterly destroyed for me (I get little if any satisfaction from the lovers reunited at the end) and the plot felt like a lot of boring running around to me.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in the Chronicles of Firma trilogy leaves this reader eager for the final chapter. http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/...

[Alexander Draganov · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book has a very slow beginning, but once the adventure begins it is very interesting.