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Windrose Chronicles #1-2
Darkmage
Includes The Silent Tower and The Silicon Mage
Worlds of magic and technology collide . . .
It had been a sleepless night for Caris, a sasennan warrior pledged to the Council of Wizards. Alone in the darkness, feeling oddly dazed, he was shocked back to reality by a senseless murder . . . and the killer's escape into a blackness deeper than the night.
Never before had he heard of the Gate of the Void and the other worlds to which it led. The mages avoided such subjects, for the magic involved was perilous; each use of the Gate weakened the fabric of reality. No one had ventured through that portal since the time of Suraklin—Suraklin, the Dark Mage destroyed by the Council of Wizards 25 years earlier.
But plainly someone was using the Void now. It explained the assassin's presence and escape, and the recent reports of abominations terrorizing the countryside as well.
The Archmage of the Council knew there was only one living man who understood the Void: Antryg Windrose, Suraklin's former student—a wizard who had been locked away in a prison that nullified his magic, the Silent Tower. With Caris as his guard, the Archmage set off to see Antryg, not at all sure whether he would be able to trust the man or his knowledge.
* * *
Joanna Sheraton was frightened. Working in the vast, empty San Serano Corp. offices after hours had never bothered her before, But since being attacked a few nights earlier she'd been understandably jumpy, and the fact that Security had found no trace of an intruder was small comfort. Her assailant had simply vanished, like magic. Yet Joanna had vague, crazy memories of those terrible moments just before she passed out—a candle set incongruously on a computer monitor desk . . . the sight of a shimmering rune or symbol on the wall. Somehow, against all logic, she knew the awful truth: her familiar California world had been invaded by evil—and the invader was after her!
* * *
Antryg Windrose was quite mad, as only a wizard cut off from his powers can be, and his enemies were still not content. If they found a way to link him with abominations entering the empire—or any other crime—they'd execute him.
Oh yes, he knew about the Void, but he wasn't about to confess to opening it. Insane he might be; stupid he definitely was not. And the Archmage could not be sure whether the info Antryg shared reflected knowledge, insanity, or some hidden purpose.
Worlds of magic and technology collide . . .
It had been a sleepless night for Caris, a sasennan warrior pledged to the Council of Wizards. Alone in the darkness, feeling oddly dazed, he was shocked back to reality by a senseless murder . . . and the killer's escape into a blackness deeper than the night.
Never before had he heard of the Gate of the Void and the other worlds to which it led. The mages avoided such subjects, for the magic involved was perilous; each use of the Gate weakened the fabric of reality. No one had ventured through that portal since the time of Suraklin—Suraklin, the Dark Mage destroyed by the Council of Wizards 25 years earlier.
But plainly someone was using the Void now. It explained the assassin's presence and escape, and the recent reports of abominations terrorizing the countryside as well.
The Archmage of the Council knew there was only one living man who understood the Void: Antryg Windrose, Suraklin's former student—a wizard who had been locked away in a prison that nullified his magic, the Silent Tower. With Caris as his guard, the Archmage set off to see Antryg, not at all sure whether he would be able to trust the man or his knowledge.
* * *
Joanna Sheraton was frightened. Working in the vast, empty San Serano Corp. offices after hours had never bothered her before, But since being attacked a few nights earlier she'd been understandably jumpy, and the fact that Security had found no trace of an intruder was small comfort. Her assailant had simply vanished, like magic. Yet Joanna had vague, crazy memories of those terrible moments just before she passed out—a candle set incongruously on a computer monitor desk . . . the sight of a shimmering rune or symbol on the wall. Somehow, against all logic, she knew the awful truth: her familiar California world had been invaded by evil—and the invader was after her!
* * *
Antryg Windrose was quite mad, as only a wizard cut off from his powers can be, and his enemies were still not content. If they found a way to link him with abominations entering the empire—or any other crime—they'd execute him.
Oh yes, he knew about the Void, but he wasn't about to confess to opening it. Insane he might be; stupid he definitely was not. And the Archmage could not be sure whether the info Antryg shared reflected knowledge, insanity, or some hidden purpose.
533 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 1988
3 people are currently reading
203 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Hambly
205 books1,607 followersaka Barbara Hamilton
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.
"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone kept telling me it was impossible to break into the field or make money. I've proven them wrong on both counts."
-Barbara Hambly
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
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August 25, 2017I remember this as something out of the ordinary as far as fantasy books go. A woman from later 20th century California travels through a 'void' into a fantasy world much like late 17th or 18th century Europe in which magic exists but which has come to be viewed as a slightly old-fashioned curiosity since the defeat of evil dark villain wizard approximately twenty to thirty years previously.
Readers of fantasy books will not be surprised to learn that the evil dark villain wizard is still on the scene and has evil dark villainous plans for further evil dark wizarding villainy since he was thwarted in his earlier evil dark villainy and he is now resolved to be eviler and darker and yet more villainous in his wizardry in future. This involve computers, damaging the fabric of space-time and for light relief, backing the younger brother against his elder brother, the highly sprung Crown Prince and regent for their incapacitated father and causing outraged headlines in the local press. The idea of powerful person seeking to cheat death by uploading themselves on to a computer seems prescient for a book written in the 80s, but perhaps I was even then behind the times.
The religion and society of this world are a treat, a well deserved rest for the reader weary of mock-medieval or semi-dark age settings with instead a baroque perhaps rococo pre-industrial world with a properly organised church, regular services and something like an inquisition and church prisons,as well as casinos, this helps suggest a well rounded and functional setting. Some recognizably human female characters too.
Though it is questionable if this is a fantasy adventure with a double romance subplot, or a fantastical romance with adventurous backdrop, or simply a self aware melodrama - at one stage the heroine resolves to rescue her love interest in the traditional manner of dressing up as a boy until the mirror convinces her this isn't a viable plan despite the well known fact that prison guards are well known for freely allowing rosy cheeked youths to visit high security prisoners.
I'm mildly amused that twenty to thirty years on I have forgotten many things but still remembers bits of reading this.
Readers of fantasy books will not be surprised to learn that the evil dark villain wizard is still on the scene and has evil dark villainous plans for further evil dark wizarding villainy since he was thwarted in his earlier evil dark villainy and he is now resolved to be eviler and darker and yet more villainous in his wizardry in future. This involve computers, damaging the fabric of space-time and for light relief, backing the younger brother against his elder brother, the highly sprung Crown Prince and regent for their incapacitated father and causing outraged headlines in the local press. The idea of powerful person seeking to cheat death by uploading themselves on to a computer seems prescient for a book written in the 80s, but perhaps I was even then behind the times.
The religion and society of this world are a treat, a well deserved rest for the reader weary of mock-medieval or semi-dark age settings with instead a baroque perhaps rococo pre-industrial world with a properly organised church, regular services and something like an inquisition and church prisons,as well as casinos, this helps suggest a well rounded and functional setting. Some recognizably human female characters too.
Though it is questionable if this is a fantasy adventure with a double romance subplot, or a fantastical romance with adventurous backdrop, or simply a self aware melodrama - at one stage the heroine resolves to rescue her love interest in the traditional manner of dressing up as a boy until the mirror convinces her this isn't a viable plan despite the well known fact that prison guards are well known for freely allowing rosy cheeked youths to visit high security prisoners.
I'm mildly amused that twenty to thirty years on I have forgotten many things but still remembers bits of reading this.
duplicates
June 27, 2013This is a hardbound compilation, which I own, of two other books, The Silent Tower and The Silicon Mage, both of which I read in paperback originally.
August 13, 2020
This was obviously written by a person who reads and loves fantasy novels! Expect to encounter vocabulary words - phaeton, foetor, ormolu - typical of such settings. The heroine, however, is pure modern engineer, prepared for everything possible and ready to problem-solve!
Both volumes, I would say, feature a lot of running away from or toward something, costume changes and disguises, and massive uncertainty about who can be trusted. The cast of characters gets pretty well-developed by the end, with nobody purely good or bad, regardless of how they act towards our protagonists. Suralkin might be an exception to that, as he seems to have no one's interests at heart except his own; he manipulates others at will to further his schemes.
Both volumes, I would say, feature a lot of running away from or toward something, costume changes and disguises, and massive uncertainty about who can be trusted. The cast of characters gets pretty well-developed by the end, with nobody purely good or bad, regardless of how they act towards our protagonists. Suralkin might be an exception to that, as he seems to have no one's interests at heart except his own; he manipulates others at will to further his schemes.
May 13, 2020
A person of "present day" of the early giant computer era programmer is pulled into a land of magic. Together, she and several others save the worlds.
I like the way the world is put together, with the connections of modern day and past magical lands. There's a feeling of sort of celtic faerie to the magic. But the flow of the words feels not smooth (like my words feel right now, with 4 days poor sleep). Definitely a fun read though, that picks up halfway through the first book and makes you want to carry on. The start of the second book slows a bit, and momentum picks up halfway again.
I like the way the world is put together, with the connections of modern day and past magical lands. There's a feeling of sort of celtic faerie to the magic. But the flow of the words feels not smooth (like my words feel right now, with 4 days poor sleep). Definitely a fun read though, that picks up halfway through the first book and makes you want to carry on. The start of the second book slows a bit, and momentum picks up halfway again.
September 25, 2018
"If you like fantasy (which I’m still on the fence about, despite being a Tolkien fan) and science fiction (which I enjoy), you’ll want to pick up Barbara Hambly’s Darkmage. Technically, Darkmage is a collection of The Silent Tower and The Silicon Mage, two of the books in a series (a series which the internet tells me is apparently ongoing?). I can’t speak for the rest of the books in the series, but I can say that you’ll want the first two if you don’t want to be left with a cliffhanger. Hence my recommending the Darkmage omnibus."
Read the rest here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/schaeffe...
Read the rest here: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/schaeffe...
June 8, 2011
This is a 2 in 1 volume by Barbara Hambly about Antryg Windrose. I think he is one of the best characters and a unique take on being a wizard. The two stories are fun reads with plenty of action and intrique in the plot but Antryg is the reason that this is a 5 star book for me. He is idiosyncratic, loveable, and still able to kick some butt when needed. The other thing I enjoyed is the mixing of technology and magic which is always fun and the ability of the main characters to travel from our world to Antryg's world. This is Hambly doing the stuff I like and she is the only author I know that can use squamous in a story repeated times and it makes sense. A fun ride with one of my favorite characters written by one of my favorite authors.
April 25, 2015
It took me a while to get into this book, mostly because although I was intrigued by the computer programmer Joanna, I didn't care much for Caris (until much later on), who abides by a rigid set of rules and believes that he is nothing more than a tool to be used. I got hooked once the two worlds--ours and Caris's-crossed over. Antryg was a delightful, quirky character and a great foil to Caris. The story had plenty of twists and turns, and I loved the description and the detail that the author put into the world. (For example, Joanna cannot simply understand their language when she arrives--she needs a translation spell cast on her--as it would be unrealistic to assume that the inhabitants of this other world would speak English and use the same alphabet). A solid 4 stars.
December 23, 2010
This is a combination of two of Barbara Hambly's books that I read many many years ago. It was fun to revisit the characters and join them on their adventure. Reading through, it was fun to see how much technology has advanced from when this book was written.
JoAnn, a computer programmer, gets kidnapped into an alternate reality where magic is commonplace and the people live pre-industrial type lives. A mad wizard and an assasin-warrier are her kidnappers/companions as they seek to solve the mystery of what has thrown this world magically out of balance.
JoAnn, a computer programmer, gets kidnapped into an alternate reality where magic is commonplace and the people live pre-industrial type lives. A mad wizard and an assasin-warrier are her kidnappers/companions as they seek to solve the mystery of what has thrown this world magically out of balance.
January 18, 2016
This is a complex book. This'll be the third time I've read it: the first time I had to put it down, as it was too hard to understand, the second time I got through it but still don't have a good idea of the plot, so I'm reading it again to understand it. It's really complex, but really good. I love the characters, and the plotline is fantastic. It's one of those books you read, like, can't quite remember why later, and so decide you have to read again. ^_^
March 29, 2012
Loved this series!
May 8, 2012
An omnibus of Silicone Mage and The Silent Tower
September 11, 2016
This was my second time reading the book. Still as good as I remember!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews