Pamela Freeman, Ember and Ash

Ember and Ash

Pamela Freeman

Orbit, May 1 2011, $7.99

ISBN: 9780316053754

For over a millennium, two races have battled over the Eleven Domains. Ember, the daughter of the Last Domain warlord Arvid and his wife Martine, is to marry another domain's heir to bind these two clans in peace. Only the elemental Fire God is irate with the affront of seeking peace by his followers with another God's followers. Ember's new husband dies in flames and all fires in the land are vanquished unless the new widow agrees to be the deity's lover.

Ember and a seer's offspring Ash begin a quest to travel to Fire Mountain in the land of another warlord the Ice King. There they plan to capture the elemental fire and to bring him home to relight the land. Both know the Ice King will kill them and that the Fire God will do likewise. Failure means the ancient wars will reignite while other dormant elementals begin awakening with a fury.

Taking place in the realm of the Castings, Ember and Ash is a terrific quest fantasy as the hunt for fire awakens the dormant Gods who demand obedience from their subjects, which includes war not peace with other clans in the Eleven Domains. The story line is complicated by following the escapades of other key characters like visits to the Last Domain and the awakening elemental Gods, while Ember and Ash are on their trek. Fans will enjoy returning to the Castings as the "Gods must be angry".

Harriet Klausner