L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s Cyador's Heirs was published by Tor Books (UK website/US website) in May 2014.
Information about L. E. Modesitt, Jr.:
L. E. Modesitt, Jr., is the bestselling author of more than sixty novels encompassing two science fiction series and three fantasy series, including the Saga of Recluce. He lives in Cedar City, Utah.
Click here to visit the author's official website.
Information about Cyador's Heirs:
Decades after the fall of Cyador, its survivors have reestablished themselves in Cigoerne, a fertile country coveted by hostile neighbors in less hospitable lands. Young Lerial, the second son of Duke Kiedron, lives in the shadow of his older brother Lephi, the heir to their father's realm. Lerial's future seems preordained: He will one day command his brother's forces in defense of Cigoerne, serving at his older sibling's pleasure, and no more.
But when Lerial is sent abroad to be fostered by Major Altyrn to learn the skills and wisdom he will need to fulfill his future duties, he begins a journey into a much larger world that brings out his true potential. Lerial has talents that few, as yet, suspect: He is one of those rare beings who can harness both Order and Chaos, the competing natural forces that shape the world and define the magic that exists within it. And as war finally engulfs the fringes of Cigoerne, Lerial's growing mastery of Order and Chaos is tested to its limits, and his own.
A REVIEW OF L. E. MODESITT JR.'S CYADOR'S HEIRS
I have to confess that L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s Saga of Recluce has been a "guilty pleasure" of mine for a long time. I've enjoyed reading this saga ever since the first novel (The Magic of Recluce) was published, and I still enjoy reading new Recluce novels.
Although Cyador's Heirs is the 17th novel of the Saga of Recluce, this series hasn't lost its freshness and hasn't gone stale like many other long-running fantasy series. It has stayed as interesting and original as it was when the first novel was published. This is quite an achievement, because it's difficult to maintain quality in a long-running fantasy series. In my opinion L. E. Modesitt Jr. is one of the few authors who genuinely seems to love his fantasy world and doesn't let the quality of the saga drop into meaningless mediocrity that many other authors are guilty of accomplishing with their long-running series.
Cyador's Heirs is proof of the fact that L. E. Modesitt Jr. is capable of writing new novels about his fantasy world without losing sight of how to entertain his readers. I'm aware that the author has been criticized for recycling certain plot elements in this series, but it has never bothered me, because this fantasy series is good entertainment on many levels. In my opinion recycling certain plot elements isn't a bad thing when it's done right (in this series it's definitely done right). I think it's nice that the author still manages to keep this series entertaining and doesn't dish new novels out for the sake of making money, but actually concentrates on writing them properly. (This is a good enough reason alone to read this fantasy novel.)
Cyador's Heirs addresses what happens to the heirs of a fallen empire in an intriguing way. It's a continuation of the storyline that was previously introduced to the readers in the Saga of Recluce. This novel is a continuation of the Cyador storyline and it brings more depth to the already well-realized fantasy world by revealing what happens to the heirs of Cyador.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
The events take place after the destruction of Cyador. The survivors fled from Cyador to Hamor and established the dukedom of Cigoerne. Lerial lives in Cigoerne with his family. Lerial's aunt, Emerya, teaches him healing (Emerya also tells him to sense order and chaos patterns in other people). Soon Lerial's father sends him to spend time with Majer Altyrn in Teilyn, because Lerial needs to learn certain things... When time passes, Lerial begins to develop his powers...
Cyador's Heirs is as much as a coming of age story as it is an epic fantasy novel. The author concentrates nicely on writing about Lerial and things around him. As Lerial grows up and learns to manipulate power in different forms (magic, political skills and military skills), things gradually begin to move forward.
Characterization is good in this novel, because L. E. Modesitt, Jr. has a talent for creating believable and three-dimensional characters. I appreciate good characterization, because it brings depth to the story.
The protagonist in Cyador's Heirs is Lerial, the second son of Duke Kiedron. He has an older brother called Lephi. Lerial is an intelligent young man who questions what happens around him and why something is possible and other things aren't. He is an interesting and likeable character that readers can easily relate to and care about.
The other characters are also interesting and well created characters, but not as three-dimensional as Lerial. I enjoyed reading about Lerial's father, Majer Altyrn, Lephi and other characters, because the author wrote about them and their actions in a realistic and compelling way.
In my opinion the author writes realistically about the relationship between brothers and family members. In my opinion he manages to highlight the tension and differences between Lerial and Lephi surprisingly well. Although they're brothers, they're different from each other and pay attention to different things. Lerial's difference from his brother is reflected by the way he acts around his brother.
What I like perhaps most about this novel is that everything that's connected to Lerial and his growing up feels natural and realistic. I've read many coming of age fantasy stories, so I can say that this novel is one of the few novels in which you can actually see how the protagonist grows up and what he feels as he grows up and begins to understand new things.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr. has written well about magic in his previous Recluce novels, and he also writes well about it in this novel. I enjoyed reading about how Lerial studied magic and how he learned to control it. The author writes believably about Lerial's attempts to understand how magic works and what he can do with order and chaos.
The author writes fluently about life in the countryside and what it means to be part of a family and what kind of responsibilities a person has when he's part of a community. When Lerian comes to stay at Majer Altyrn's house, he learns to do many new things and also gets to know Majer Altyrn's family. It was genuinely interesting to read how Lerial learned to do things and how he grew up as a person when he stayed at Majer Altyrn's house.
Such things as love and infatuation are explored realistically and without underlining in this novel. What happens between Lerial and Rojana is handled skillfully.
As readers of the Saga of Recluce know, this saga hasn't been written in chronological order. This is one of the strengths of this saga. Another strength of this series is the author's ability to add philosophical elements to the storyline. He manages to infuse his stories with philosophy without being too condescending or overbearing. There are philosophical elements in this novel and they're all handled well.
The author writes fluently about conflicts, potential enemies and threats that the survivors of the fallen empire face. The author also has a talent for writing about economical and political elements, because he writes admirably about them. He has infused his story with these elements, but never lets the story drown in them. He also writes fluently about military life and what people do to defend themselves.
One of the best things about this novel (and the other novels in this saga) is the fact that events often relate to other times and places just like in real life. I like this kind of storytelling, because it adds a touch of realism to the storyline and separates this saga from several other fantasy sagas.
It's worth mentioning that the Saga of Recluce is a surprisingly accessible fantasy series to new readers. Although it may be good to know certain things about the fantasy world, it isn't actually necessary to know anything about the world in order to enjoy the story. It's quite easy to jump into this series almost at any point. I consider this novel to be such an entry point for new readers, because it's an accessible and well written novel. (If you're a newcomer to this saga and need more information about this series, information can be easily found on the internet.)
I think it's good to mention that Cyador's Heirs is the first part of a duology. The story will continue in Heritage of Cyador, which will be published in November 2014. I look forward to reading it, because it'll be interesting to see what happens next.
Cyador's Heirs is a well written, fascinating and enjoyable fantasy novel. It can be recommended to both newcomers to the series and to readers who have been reading the Saga of Recluce for many years. It will appeal to both readerships, because it offers perfect escapism to fantasy readers. If you're looking for an entertaining epic fantasy novel that has a bit more depth in it than other fantasy novels have, you can't go wrong by buying and reading this novel.
Good and well written fantasy entertainment!