Another really good Bayley novel -a Vancian, mildly SF flavored sword and sandal fantasy. As to be expected of such a novel, it's a tale of honor, treachery,love and valor.
A brief synopsis of this entertaining novel:
Thelassa, is a water world where the inhabited land is on hundreds of islands. A lone man is rescued floating at sea in the waters of the kingdom of Arelia. He claims to be the usurped king of Peldain. While his appearance and manner are foreign enough, Peldain is an island of an impenetrable forest containing murderous man eating vegetation. No Alerian has ever emerged alive from journeys into it, and no indigenous Peldain inhabitants have ever been known to exist. Still, he convinces the king of Aleria to send an army legion armed with flame throwing vehicles to follow what he claims is a less lethal pathway through the dreaded forest, to help recapture his crown, and in turn he pledges to be vassal to the Alerain king. The legion lands on Peldain, enters the forest, and soon enough, the dying begins...
To a degree the novel can be read as sort of a Deathworld-type book, and Bayley conjures an atmosphere of desperation, fear and weariness around the Alerian soldiers, as they try to survive their perilous journey through the forest.
The final part of the novel takes a turn into the kind of story one might expect penned by the likes of Abraham Merrit and proceeds towards a melancholy, yet effective conclusion. As far as SF and Fantasy readers are concerned ,this is an "all can play". Four stars. **** ( )