Ring of Destiny

Better, but still not quite capturing the wonder of the first book.

Mikyel is back in Rhomatom composed, calm and sure of his plans for guiding the entire Syndicate to a sensible future - there's just the minor matter of the collaped Khartonium rings, but agreements are in place. After resisting the lure of the mysteries of both Myrim and Dancer, eventually Mikyel feels he has created enough personnel space to investigate.

Much like the latter half of the 2nd book, this is really all about Mikyel, which is a shame. Niki - already the sidelined younger brother is almost comepletely ignored, and the entertaining interaction between the lovesick Krystin and Deymio also fades away. However Mikyel's more composed soul means that we also don't show more have the vast pages of concerns without action. Overall it is the shortest book of the series, probably because more of the whining has been cut out.

I didn't like the changed direction that the Ley has taken over the novels. I feel there is some contradiction between the first and this book, and such discontinuity always grates slightly. There is obviously much more to be told, of these characters and their children, but the final ending does well in drawing all the threads to a suitable holding pattern.

If you enjoy really deepseated character driven fantasy with on-explicit thoughts about gender and place in society, then this trilogy is defineity worth seeking out. show less

This is the third book in Fancher's second trilogy, Dance of the Rings. These books are fantasy, and are just the kind of book I like. They are well-written, which is of fundamental importantce. They are character-driven, focusing on the relationships among three brothers - all well-conceived, distinct individuals with strengths and weaknesses. They are tightly plotted, and well paced. Throw in a society powered by ley lines and people trying to discover electricity in competition with the ruling class, and you have enough conflict and dramatic tension for any purpose. These books are out of print and thus available only from used book sellers, sometimes at very high prices. Fancher is, however, in the process of making them available show more as ebooks at very reasonable prices through Closed Circle Publications, an internet site she runs with C.J. Cherryh and Lynn Abby to reintroduce their back list into the market. show less

A good conclusion finally emerges from too much extraneous information.