Mistress of the Catacombs

Lord of the Isles #4

by David Drake

Return to the the epic tale of the Lord of the Isles, David Drake's saga of magic and might.

For the first time in a thousand years, the Kingdom of the Isles has a government and a real ruler: Prince Garric of Haft. The enemies joining against him intend to destroy not only the kingdom but humankind as well.

The rebels gathering in the West outnumber the royal army and the magic they wield can strike into the heart of the palace itself, but far greater dangers lie behind those. On the far fringes of the Isles, ancient powers ready themselves for a titanic struggle in which human beings are mere pawns--or fodder!

Reptilian and insect monsters from out of the ages march on the kingdom, commanded by wizards no longer human or never human at all. If unchecked, their ravening slaughter will sweep over the Isles as destructively as a flood of lava. Garric, ripped from his time and body, must make new allies if he and his kingdom are to survive.

Watching them all from the blackness of a tomb walled off in time and space, the Mistress waits...

And her fangs drip poison!

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Speculative Fiction, Audiobook

672 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

David Drake is an American author of science fiction and fantasy literature. A Vietnam War veteran who has worked as a lawyer, he is now one of the major authors of the military science fiction genre.

Reviews

[Beth N · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the writing.

There are so many reasons to like these books - there's a good fantasy setting that is well grounded in history, there are adventures in other worlds with all sorts of crazy imaginative creatures and landscapes, most of the characters are pretty likeable and do the sorts of heroic things you want in fantasy.

I just can't get past three things: the constant interrupting of dialogue with action tags and speech tags; the fact that everyone has exactly the same morbid sense of humour and is always "grinning" about it; and the incessant need for characters to remind us of their main attributes. It's ok, David Drake, I haven't forgotten in the last 20 pages that people often think Cashel is stupid (although very few on-page characters have ever intimated as much). I know Tenoctris isn't a very powerful wizard (despite the fact that she always seems to be able to do whatever is needed at the time) without her having to say it in every conversation. I know Ilna is beating herself up about what she did when she was demon-controlled without her having to remind me every five minutes that she doesn't think she's a good person (even though she has by now saved the world about four times). It's the same quibble i had before: trust your audience. Credit us with some intelligence. We are reading these books, we are paying attention, believe that we will remember something you have told us.

That aside, this is definitely the most competent book of the series so far. Some of the minor characters are really coming into their own and I was particularly pleased to see more of Carus. His interactions with Chalcus were perhaps the best-written character interplay of this entire series. The four main characters have had some development, even if it has come in sudden fits and starts rather than developing gradually. Sharina especially seems to have risen to her responsibilities and now holds her own both in a government council and a sneaky night-time abduction. I did feel the ending felt a bit messy but now that I have relaxed into the episodic adventure format and am not expecting an overarching plot, I quite enjoyed the world-imperilling set-up, conflict and resolution, and there was a level of satisfaction to the characters (having been sent through their respective portals again) all coming back together at just the right moment and playing their respective parts in averting calamity.

This is not a series I will rush to finish, but I probably will finish it in due course, and I look forward to seeing Drake's writing improve still further.

[Dark-Draco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like the previous books in the series, the story begins with Garric, Liane, Sharina, Cashel, Ilna and Tenoctris all together, comtemplating their next moves to unite the Isles. But they are soon whirled apart. Garric is tricked by a wizard and wakes up in the body of a young idiot man, many years in the future, where he is part of a outlaw band searching for a mysterious ring. When Chashel tries to follow him, he is sent to another place, where he rescues a young girl from an angry sea monster. Meanwhile, Garric's body arises, but with the long dead Carus in control. Liane, Sharina and Tenoctris must keep his anger in check as he wages war on the rebel leaders of the outlying Iles. Ilna is sent to the dreamworld to find Garric too, but is pulled in by a young mage who has no knowledge of the powers she wields. All of them end up fighting the Mistress of the Moon, a secretive priesthood dedicated to bringing about their Mistresses return, using a plan that spans centuries.

Another great adventure, although I've now come to expect the sudden splitting up of the group for them to suddenly be thrown together again in time for the big victory. There were a couple of points that weren't quite explained - who were 'the Pack' and why the 'Archai' were so caught up in events. But I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading the next one.

[Jim Pike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing to work it's way into my favorites category. Gripping storytelling, and interesting characters keep me wanting more.

[tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book

I like the way the author separates the main characters, they all are a separate piece of the puzzle and it keeps you guessing of what the outcome may be. And it isn’t always what you figured it would be. A very good series by an excellent author

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

4 All the time ‘shifting’ in this one strained my ability to cope with the various paradoxes that I always think about when dealing with the concept of time travel. Also, I felt this was a little bloated but I had to read it so that I could read the next one in the series.

[Michael Nalbone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betrayal, Wizards, Gore, Nudity, Violence. This would a N-17 Movie

[Glenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent fantasy adventure novel.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m loving this series

[Isca Silurum · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much filler, not enough story progression!

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been reading a book series by David Drake collectively called Lord of the Isles (the title of the first book). I have read Queen of Demons and Servant of the Dragon in the series.

Currently I am on book four, Mistress of the Catacombs. It is a fantasy series taking place in the fictional defunct kingdom of the isles. A kingdom once under one rule before wizardry destroyed the last king’s forces and sunk several of the island nations reducing the kingdom to a series of petty kingdoms.

The series rotates around a small central group of characters who work collectively (usually through independent means) towards restoring the kingdom of the isles.

This book and the series thus far make for entertaining reading

[Dee W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mold of heroes set to the wind only to end up together is being worn thin. Still he is a master at this; his imagination never falters in the situations he places all the characters in.

I'd like to point out, once again, how sick I am of the 'weaver' theme in fantasy novels. It was cute the first time I encountered it in Exiles: Ruins of Ambrai by Melanie Rawn. Now that I know it's a genre staple it gets on my nerves.

I can honestly say I am going to miss some of these characters. None of the messy sex relationships, but still relationships I rather liked. Ilna certainly was my favorite character, the pattern weave thing didn't bother me with her. She was not overly girly, score.

[Becca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these characters. There is so much depth and uniqueness in each of the characters the story follows. I feel like I know them, yet they constantly surprise me. And the magic, as always in Drake's books, is brutal, yet essential. Another good time-hopping, rage-inducing, action-packed stage of this series. Can't hardly wait to pick up the next one.

[Jacob Aitken · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. His take on Babylonian religion actually lines up with what some say about torsion physics. We also see why God urged his people to deal with Babylonian-Middle Eastern paganism in so violent a manner. It wasn't a pleasant religion.

The only problem is that Drake started creating way too many worm holes.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 4 out of 5]

At this point it became abundantly clear that these books would follow the same formula over and over. They get broken up into roughly the same groups, fight a bunch of seemingly unrelated stuff that ends up all connected to the same source.

[Andy Butturini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow the fourth book in the series and I loved it. Wasn't too sure about starting them because they are about the biggest books I have read so far but I was not disappointed. Have since learned that there is at least 2 more books in the series so I must have them

[colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read 06.18.06

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book follows the roadmap that each of the others has... it has an ending that is somewhat surprising but can be guessed if you pay enough attention...

[JG (Introverted Reader) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish I could remember what drove me crazy about these books and made me finally stop reading them. I know I ended up pretty much hating the main guy, but I can't remember why.

[tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm back to this series, again. I've been lucky enough to find each of these books, cheaply. I'm happy to be among these ever-familiar characters again :)

[Howard]

16, mac-ebooks

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun enough, but felt like more of the same - the characters stuck to their well-worn paths and acted as we'd expect them to.

[Heather Rogers · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book more than the previous.I love mister Drake's imagination! He had a penchant for creating new and interesting worlds.