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Epic fantasy found an exhilarating new voice in Robert Newcomb, whose monumental debut novel, The Fifth Sorceress, was hailed by readers and critics alike. And now, for all those spellbound by the tale of Prince Tristan, heir to the throne of Eutracia, his twin sister Princess Shailiha, the ancient wizard Wigg, and the fate of their enchanted land, there is indeed more--much more--to be told. . . . For three centuries, Eutracia was a kingdom at peace, ruled by a benevolent monarchy and show more guided by a council of wizards. But a horror from the past, long believed vanquished, returned with devastating fury. And when the battle against the bloodthirsty Sorceresses of the Coven was finally won, victory was not without its price. Now, the royal palace lies in ruins; the king and queen, the royal guard, and the Directorate of Wizards are dead; the land is lawless; and Prince Tristan-- forced by the Coven to murder his father, the King--is a wanted man. In a cavernous underground labyrinth, once headquarters of the wizards' council, Tristan has taken refuge with his sister, Shailiha, her infant daughter, the wizard Wigg--the lone surviving member of the Directorate--and the crippled wizard Faegan, returned from self-imposed exile in the forest of Shadowood. Together they face the daunting task of restoring order to Eutracia and winning back the allegiance of her subjects. But suddenly, even these challenges pale beside a truly terrifying turn of events. The sacred jewel that is the source of all magic has inexplicably begun to lose its power. Without its age-old enchantment to sustain their spells, the immortal wizards will perish . . . and magic will vanish from Eutracia forever. At the same time, a mysterious and ruthless mercenary has declared a bounty upon the head of Prince Tristan. And an army of wizards on a mission to rid Eutracia of monsters created by the Coven has fallen prey to an insidious breed of creatures--beings that can only have sprung from forbidden use of malevolent magic. With time and their powers dwindling, Wigg and Faegan desperately seek to discover who, or what, has succeeded the dead Sorceresses in laying siege to Eutracia. But when the shocking truth is revealed, and an evil that transcends life itself is made known, it is Tristan, more than any other, who will be stunned to his very soul. And it is Tristan who will be thrust into the ultimate battle--for his life, his land, and the course of his destiny. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Blood. People with special blood. Endowed blood. Plot point. Endowed blood. Endowed blood. Endowed blood. Endowed blood. Endowed blood. Similar plot point. Endowed blood. Endowed blood. You get the idea.
It was promising at first, but it started running into the same problems the author's first novel runs into and unfortunately, this novel doesn't overcome them either. The ideas and setting are interesting, the characters have potential. But it gets all too repetitive all too soon, and the author manages to beat the phrase "endowed blood" well into the dead horse stage and beyond. It gets literally painful to read when the same phrase pops up for the 65th time in *one* *single* *chapter*. In the end, I just stopped reading because of show more this. I wanted to go on, but... Simplistic plot and narrative structure plus "Endowed blood" repeated to nausea - I just couldn't keep reading. show less
It was promising at first, but it started running into the same problems the author's first novel runs into and unfortunately, this novel doesn't overcome them either. The ideas and setting are interesting, the characters have potential. But it gets all too repetitive all too soon, and the author manages to beat the phrase "endowed blood" well into the dead horse stage and beyond. It gets literally painful to read when the same phrase pops up for the 65th time in *one* *single* *chapter*. In the end, I just stopped reading because of show more this. I wanted to go on, but... Simplistic plot and narrative structure plus "Endowed blood" repeated to nausea - I just couldn't keep reading. show less
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Author Information
13 Works 1,319 Members
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Gates of Dawn
- Original publication date
- 2003
- Dedication
- For my parents, Harry and Muriel
- First words
- He reached up slowly to feel the thick, warm fluid at the side of his head, the fluid he both loved and hated so intensely.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Still holding the single scroll, he grasped her with his free arm and glided back out over the steaming, hissing rubble.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 319
- Popularity
- 98,515
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.25)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 11
- ASINs
- 3
