Destiny (Gollancz S.F.) [Paperback]

In a book world awash in sword-slinging fantasy novels, each trying to out-Jordan the other, the arrival of yet another big new series on the scene is... no big deal. But much to the delight of readers bored to tears by doorstopper clones, Elizabeth Haydon's three-part tale is unique, thrilling, and utterly romantic from start to finish. The story of a magical singer of extraordinary power and her battle with a blood-soaked demon began in Rhapsody and continued in Prophecy. The trilogy's final volume, Destiny offers fantasy fans something they crave, but don't often see--a great ending.

When last we saw our lovely heroine Rhapsody and her two best friends Achmed and Grunthor, they had just rescued the Sleeping Child from the evil tendrils of the F'dor. But as they found out through the tragic loss of their young friend Jo, the three must follow the demon's trail of violence and blood, finding the children it has spawned across the land in order to track it down and destroy it once and for all. As in the previous two books, Rhapsody's love of her friends and desire to save children in danger drive her most reckless actions.

Elizabeth Haydon delivers us from the fantasy traps of never-ending plots, wooden characters and yawn-inducing battles. She takes much of her style from romance and suspense novels, rather than historical fiction, giving her books real depth of emotion and humanity. It's true that there are spots of sentimentality that may leave some hardened adventure fans groaning, but that very thing may help explain why Haydon's books have succeeded with crossover romance readers so admirably. We can only hope she'll set her sights on another swoony adventure as soon as possible.--Therese Littleton, Amazon.com --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The third part of the Rhapsody trilogy that introduced three of the strongest and best loved characters in fantasy of recent years. Haydon's books are also notable for her unusually strong plotting, world building and myth making. This is fantasy of the highest order and will appeal particularly to the strong female readership of such authors as Robin Hobb.

Having travelled the world extensively Elizabeth Haydon now lives on the East coast of America with her family. She is an editor in educational publishing. In her spare time she plays music.