"Truly a fantasy that walks the dark side"
A dark fantasy, THE DEADWALK takes place somewhere else and
in some other time. The king of Kanarek believes in a
prophecy that will destroy his kingdom, so when his
daughter is born with silver-colored hair like one of her
Shraal ancestors, he hides her away with the captain of his
guard, bidding the man to raise her to be a warrior capable
of leading the revenge against his enemies. Unfortunately, he is right. A neighboring kingdom with an
over-ambitious prince discovers a Shraal artifact, "amber."
When a shard of amber is driven through a corpse's eye into
the brain, it turns the dead into a slave to the one who
controls the amber core. Using an army of the dead,
including the fallen of the enemy, Prince Rau quickly
destroys Kanarek, thus unleashing its hidden princess,
Riordan, and her companion, Nhaille. Together the pair must
seek a crystal sword, another Shraal artifact and the only
thing that can combat the amber. A well-written book, THE DEADWALK is truly a fantasy that
walks the dark side. The hero isn't the handsome evil
prince, but instead a much older man, Riordan's guardian.
Nhaille is an honorable man with great feelings for his
princess, whose life has been driven by the prophecy.
Princess Riordan is a wonderful character, a young woman
who rises to the challenge of the situation, using her
brains as well as her training to fight the evil around
her. The evil Rau is just what is needed for a book like
this. He has a wicked sense of humor, a dedication to his
task, and is totally corrupt. Finally, there's one other
character I'd like to complement the writer on, a foot-
solder, Bevan, who dies early on to show us how the amber
works. Fortunately, given the nature of the book, Bevan
doesn't disappear from the scene and instead stays part of
the tale, showing us that even though you're dead, you can
still be a pivotal part of the story. PNR
Reviews © Copyright April 2002
Reviewed by Janet
Miller
Reviewed by Janet Miller
Posted April 13, 2002
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All her life Riordan has rebelled against the idea she is
the chosen one mentioned in Kanarek's ancient prophecy. As
thirteenth heir to the throne she doesn't believe herself
to be the savior foreseen long ago. But when Prince Rau of
neighboring Hael conquers Kanarek with his army of the
dead, she is forced to believe. The slivers of amber used
to reanimate the dead are mentioned in the same prophecy.
As one of the last remaining Kanarekii and the last of the
royal line it falls to Riordan to save her family, her
people and Kanarek.
Still harboring doubts about the ancient text, she sets off
with her guardian, Nhaille to find the mythical Sword of
Zal-Azaar, her only hope of stopping Rau's megalomaniac
expansion through the coastal cities. The situation turns
from bad to worse, when she is kidnapped by the very demon
she is seeking to vanquish: Prince Rau, who has decided he
wants both the Sword and the Princess. Genre: Paranormal Romance, Fantasy Note:A paperback version is scheduled for January 2003.
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