L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s Heritage of Cyador was published by Tor Books (UK website/US website) in November 2014.
Information about L. E. Modesitt, Jr.:
L. E. Modesitt, Jr. is the bestselling author of over sixty novels encompassing two science fiction series and four fantasy series, as well as several other novels in the science fiction genre.
Mr. Modesitt has been a delivery boy; a lifeguard; an unpaid radio disc jockey; a U.S. Navy pilot; a market research analyst; a real estate agent; a director of research for a political campaign; legislative assistant and staff director for a U.S. Congressman; Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues; and a college lecturer and writer in residence. In addition to his novels, Mr. Modesitt has published technical studies and articles, columns, poetry, and a number of science fiction stories. His first story was published in 1973. He lives in Cedar City, Utah.
Click here to visit the author's official website.
Information about Heritage of Cyador:
The sequel to Cyador's Heirs and the new novel in the New York Times bestselling Saga of Recluce
Scarcely a year after the events of Cyador's Heirs, Lerial uses his mastery of Order and Chaos, the competing natural forces that shape his world and define the magic that exists within it, to utterly destroy an Afritan military force crossing into Cigoerne.
Five years later, Lerial, now an overcaptain and a field commander of Cigoerne's Mirror Lancers, must lead three companies of troops into Afrit on a mission of mutual interest: neighboring Heldya is threatening to invade Afrit, and if that nation falls, Cigoerne is certain to be next.
The mission is both delicate and dangerous; Lerial's value in the effort to repelling Heldya is undeniable, but his troubled history against Afrit may reopen old wounds that will never truly heal.
A REVIEW OF L. E. MODESITT, JR.'S HERITAGE OF CYADOR
Heritage of Cyador is a continuation of Lerial's story that started in Cyador's Heirs. It will please fans of L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s Saga of Recluce, because it's an entertaining combination of adult fantasy, worldbuilding and complex issues ranging from diplomacy and politics to assassinations and military action.
Before I begin to analyze the contents of this novel, I'll briefly mention that L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s Saga of Recluce is almost like a guilty pleasure of mine, because I love Recluce novels. I've been a fan of this fantasy series for a few years now and I still find the new Recluce novels as intriguing as the earlier novels. In my opinion the Recluce novels are among the best fantasy novels available for readers who are interested in entertaining and well written fantasy for adults that focuses realistically - and also philosophically - on characterization, magic, worldbuilding, politics and military issues.
I think it's good to mention that it is advisable to read Cyador's Heirs before reading this novel. Because Cyador's Heirs and Heritage of Cyador form a duology, it's good to know about what has happened in the previous novel before reading this novel.
Although Heritage of Cyador is the 18th novel in the Saga of Recluce, it's a quality novel. It's an entertaining fantasy novel that deserves to be read by fans of the series and also by newcomers to the series. There are many fantasy series in which the newest novels are clearly weaker than the earlier novels, but not in this case, because Heritage of Cyador is good and well written fantasy for adult readers. It shares a few common elements with the previous Recluce novels and it offers good escapism for readers. In my opinion Heritage of Cyador is one of the best novels the author has written to date.
Cyador's Heirs was a set-up story for this sequel. It was Lerial's coming of age story, because the author concentrated on writing about Lerial's training and how he gained experience. Heritage of Cyador continues Lerial's story in a fascinating way, because in this novel the author concentrates of writing about how Lerial uses his power and what kind of political happenings take place (the author writes about how Lerial uses his magic, military skills, political skills and diplomacy in different ways).
Here's a bit of information about the story:
At the beginning of this novel Lerial uses his powers of Order and Chaos to fully destroy an Afritan military force that is crossing into Cigoerne. A few years later Lerial is still a bit shaken by what he had to do and wishes not to use the same kind of destructive power again. Lerial is promoted to an overcaptain. Soon Lerial has to go on a mission. This mission is both delicate and dangerous, because Lerial has to assist Cigoerne's neighbour and lesser foe, Afrit, against the threat coming from Heldya...
The characters in this novel are fully fleshed out and realistic. Lerial in particular is an exceptionally well portrayed, richly drawn and interesting character who has his own problems. I think that Lerial's character will appeal to many fantasy readers, because the author writes fascinatingly about his life, work and family (Lerial has to deal with Afritans, Heldyans, merchanters and officers etc, so he has a lot on his hands and doesn't really know who his enemies are). It was also interesting to read about the other characters, including Arms-Commander Rhamuel, because the author wrote well about them and their actions.
Character interaction works perfectly in this novel. The dialogues between the different characters are realistic and believable, because the author writes fluent dialogue. For example, when you take a look at how Lerial and Rhamuel communicate and how Lerial talks to Kyedra, you'll notice how easily the author writes about these scenes.
I admire the L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s way of writing about the happenings, because he pays lots of attention to details and the outcome of certain actions. One of the best things about this novel is that the author explores these things in a deeper and more intriguing way than many other authors. This novel can be seen as a good example of his writing skills, because he uses Lerial's character as a tool to explore power, politics and treachery in a rich and well created fantasy world.
One of the reasons why I find this novel and its predecessor so compelling is that in both novels the author takes his time to introduce the characters to the readers. He also carefully builds the background for the happenings, which adds plenty of realism to the storyline. This kind of storytelling is sure to win the hearts of readers who appreciate to read fantasy novels in which the author doesn't hurry into action, but slowly builds a believable world with its own laws and politics.
I like the way L. E. Modesitt, Jr. writes about politics and intrigue in this novel. Nothing feels forced, because political elements feel fresh and exciting. There are many authors who seem to struggle with these elements and tend to write either too heavily about politics or too lightly about it. Fortunately L. E. Modesitt, Jr. doesn't suffer from these problems, but writes about politics in an interesting - and surprisingly addictive - way (many authors could take a few lessons from him in this regard).
I think it's worth mentioning that L. E. Modesitt, Jr. fluently combines politics, economics, conflicts and philosophy in this novel. All these elements can be found in varying degrees in this story.
One of the best things about Heritage of Cyador and the previous novels in this saga is that many events relate to other times and places. This is one of the reasons why I appreciate this fantasy saga very much, because it's interesting to read about a fantasy world where past events have shaped the world to be what it is at the moment.
L. E. Modesitt, Jr. handles such issues as death, grief, love and sadness in a surprisingly realistic way. When Lerial hears that someone close to him has died, the matters are handled well and delicately. The author takes great care not to dwell on these happenings, but describes them in a realistic way.
The author is surprisingly observant and he makes excellent observations about the characters and their actions in this novel. He fluently describes what the characters do and how they feel about different things. In my opinion, the author writes perfectly about Lerial's feelings and actions concerning duty, honour and difficult choices.
Heritage of Cyador offers an interesting glimpse into Afritan culture. As Lerial travel to Afrit, he learns more about the Afritans and their way of life. I enjoyed reading about the Afritans and their culture, because the worldbuilding is excellent.
In my opinion L. E. Modesitt, Jr. is one of the best fantasy authors when it comes to writing about magic, because he writes about magic in a fascinating and realistic way. His vision of magic is original, captivating and memorable. There are many authors who have written about their own magic systems etc, but there's something about Modesitt, Jr.'s way of writing about magic that has always thrilled me.
There are probably many readers out there who have never read any Recluce novels, so it's good to write a few words about the magic system in this series. In this fantasy series all matter is made of two competing forces called Order and Chaos. Certain people are capable of manipulating one or both of these forces. Lerial is a gray magician who can use both of these forces.
If you're a fan of L. E. Modesitt, Jr.'s fantasy novels, you should read Heritage of Cyador as soon as possible, because it's a good fantasy novel. If you're a newcomer and know nothing about the world described in this series, you can easily get into the world by reading the previous novel (Cyador's Heirs) and this novel (you can easily find information about the fantasy world from the internet). These two novels form a duology that can be used as an excellent entry point to the Saga of Recluce. If you enjoy these two novels, I advise you to take a look at the other novels in this series, because they're good fantasy entertainment.
Heritage of Cyador will keep you turning pages and it may even cause you a bit of sleep deprivation, because you'll hardly notice the passing of time when you read it, but reading it is worth losing a few hours of sleep. It's a satisfying read for fans of L. E. Modesitt, Jr., and it's a must-read for all fans of the Saga of Recluce.
Good, enjoyable and well written fantasy entertainment and excellent escapism for adult readers!