Prince Dar of the Westlands calls the new fortress of Zakh Gral "a dagger laid against our throat." It was built by the Horsekin, ancient enemies of his people. To destroy the threat, the elven prince has called upon his dwarven and human allies. Their leaders know that if the Westlands fall, their own throats will feel the dagger next. Joining them are two powerful dragons, who have their own bitter reasons to hate the Horsekin.
But the fanatical Horsekin have a powerful ally as well, a new goddess. Alshandra's priestesses have announced that She has given Prince Dar's lands to the Horsekin-and that his people must be utterly destroyed.
From Publishers Weekly
After the disappointment of Kerr's first entry in her Silver Wyrm series, The Gold Falcon (2006), part of her popular Deverry cycle, fans will welcome the author's usual intricate plotting and convoluted relationships in this second volume. Horsekin raiders, fired up by a bloodthirsty new goddess named Alshandra, are harrying the borders along the Westlands, forcing Prince Daralanteriel of the Westfolk to prepare for war. As Dar sends envoys to dwarven and human allies seeking assistance, the bard-mage Salamander frets over the fate of new-made wizards, husband and wife Neb and Branna, whose magical talents from their previous lives are now finally being realized in their current incarnations. In a lengthy flashback, Kerr lays out details of Neb and Branna's former incarnations and Salamander's history as a half-breed raised by elves before returning to the conflict with the Horsekin. Though not a good entry point for new readers, those already familiar with the Deverry setting and its complicated time lines and relationships should be satisfied. (June)
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From Booklist
The horsekin invasion of human and elven lands continues from The Gold Falcon(2006), as the cult of Alshandra, goddess of conquest, flourishes. Elves and humans, who have been faithful to the treaties made with the horsekin in The Fire Dragon (2001)^B, must develop new military and magical tactics because the horsekin have spent the past half-century catching up with the ones possessed by those they would conquer--elves and humans. Most of the characters Kerr has developed throughout the Deverry saga appear in one incarnation or another, so Deverry fans will welcome this book. Frieda Murray
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