Changer of Days

There’s a great deal of exceptional fantasy and science fiction being written Down Under, and we only get to see a tiny fraction of it here in the United States. Even then, much of it is available only in limited editions that can only be obtained by special order, or it isn’t reviewed anywhere of importance and escapes our attention, or it simply can’t be found in the local Barnes & Noble because someone else picked up the only copy the store had. For example: how many of you have read – or even seen – Stephen Dedman’s The Lady of Situations? Right – that’s what I thought. That means you’ve missed this talented writer’s best work, a book that Locus called “amongst the best short story collections of the year” in show more 1999. It never even saw publication in the U.S.

Apparently the way for an Australian or New Zealander to get his or her work published in the States is to move here. That’s what Alma Alexander did, and that, presumably, is why we can treat ourselves to The Hidden Queen (Eos, $6.99, May 2005) and its sequel, Changer of Days (Eos, $6.99, June 2005). These lovely little books detail the early life of Anghara Kir Hama following her ascension to the throne of Roisinan upon the death in battle of her father, Red Dynan – and her swift deposition by her illegitimate older brother, Sif Kir Hama. We follow this extraordinary child for nine years, watching her grow from a brave, inherently royal girl into an accomplished mystic, especially due to the development of her extraordinary gift of Sight, a sort of witchcraft, a sort of extra-sensory perception, a sort of communication with the gods. We travel with her to a foster family, to something like a nunnery, on a long trip down river. We arrive with her in a desert, where a different race lives in harmony with a harsh environment, one where magic is integral to life, and religion and the Sight merge.

This is not cutting edge fantasy, but neither is it fantasy to be relegated to the pile of Lord of the Rings clones. You won’t find elves or dragons, and the villains here are much more frightening than orcs, because they’re human. What you will find is very good value for the price: a strong story beautifully written, characters skillfully and fully drawn. The transparent style and the smooth flow of the story are mesmerizing. These are excellent books to tuck into the beach bag, to loll with in a hammock on a sunny Sunday, to curl up with on a rainy day. show less

Unfortunately, my expectations were too high for this book. I greatly enjoyed the previous book in this series. Anghara had such amazing adventures in the previous book running from her half-brother who usurped her throne away from her. She started out young and inexperienced and grew in understanding, power and self-determination in that book.

Now in the sequel, Anghara is still on the run from Sif, but the first half of the book she is disabled in mind and body and can barely walk, talk and think. Everything to save her has to be done by the men and others around her. It is quite an odd first half of the book.

The last 100 pages of the book redeemed my expectations. Anghara was again the strong Queen who had to struggle to gain her show more kingdom back from the usurper. The book did a good job of bringing the story to a close and tying up all the loose ends. show less

This book was not quite as good as the hidden queen. I felt like it went way too fast. Not that this is always a bad thing, but there didn't seem to be much traveling, just boom they were in a new location. No descriptions of the journey, nothing. Maybe I'm just used to longer more drawn out descriptions. The story was still very good. although i kinda missed the viewpoint of Anghara. Kieran is nice and all, but just isn't Anghara, the person we suffered through in the Hidden Queen. Again, not a bad thing, just something different that kinda threw me a bit. Still a great read! went quickly and was hard to put down. recommended!

I really enjoyed this - as much as the first one. Spent yesterday floored by the flu and read this in pretty much one sitting. I'd be interested to find out what happens now. I'll certainly be seeking out more by this author.

Great read.

Very good - but not as good as the Hidden Queen.