Trudi Canavan, Priestess of the White Review

Priestess of the White

Trudi Canavan

Eos, Jan 2006, $7.99

ISBN: 0060815701



Teenager Auraya's reward for saving the village of Oraylyn from Dunwayan invaders is being named a priestess to the ruling godlike White, heads of the Circlian religion. A decade later, Auraya is one of the chosen five White guardians to the people of Ithania.



Auraya and her White peers pray they can bring the various races, not all human, together in northern Ithania. However hate and distrust runs deep between the groups that have fought one another seemingly forever. A Circlian cult has formed, led by the powerful sorcerer Kuar the Pendatrian and the disbanded Sorcerer's Guild, insisting they are the chosen ones and outsiders must die. This sect attacks the others especially targeting the pagan worshipping Dreamweavers to include Auraya's best friend before she entered the priesthood, Leiard. The objective is to sow hatred until Kuar and his followers kill the White and replace them with singular rule. Though feeling somewhat like a novice and not a high lord, Auraya knows she and her peers must confront Kuar and his followers.



The first Age of Five fantasy is a fabulous thriller that combines a coming of age tale with a religious battle for control of the minds and souls of the people of Ithania. The story line is fast-paced as the audience learns about the White who serve as the Gods' guardians to all races and their adversary who uses the tools of bigotry and hatred to sow a powerful religious based insurgency. Genre fans will want to read this epic tale and look forward to the next saga LAST OF THE WILDS.