Sara Douglass, Darkwitch Rising

Darkwitch Rising By Sara Douglas

The Troy Game continues with reincarnations in seventeenth century England. English King Charles II was once the Celtic Stagking of folklore. Former King of Troy Brutus has become the English monarch's companion and his Trojan spouse Cornelia is a young commoner Noah. The sorceress Genvissa is currently the sex slave Kate controlled by her master Asterion the first Minotaur while his sister Ariadne the Darkwitch seems unchanged.

The Labyrinth exists in the Faerie universe while the Troy Game remains dangerous with its plans to win at all costs. Even deadlier is the aspirations of Asterion who schemes to win over the Game and to defeat her Ancient battle weary foes. His sibling abets his efforts to triumph over the regal band as well as The Game while Genvissa as Kate finds her master not as evil as she once thought. Soon plague devastates London forcing Charles to react with a fiery response to save the many at the cost of the lesser.

The third Troy Game is exciting but complex as the players switch roles from the previous books (see GOD'S CONCUBINE and HADES' DAUGHTER). The story line is loaded with twists that play out in a finely detailed seventeenth century English stage. The ensemble cast is put through the ringer by the Game with the two camps still far apart yet beginning to understand the "enemy". Fans of Sara Douglas will appreciate this complicated some what convoluted spin, but newcomers would be better suited starting with Game One as the reincarnations are clever but difficult to follow.

Harriet Klausner