Lord of Snow and Shadows (The tears of Artamon) (Hardcover)

Young hero Gavril is working as portrait-painter to the lords and ladies of Muscobar, a dukedom with a Renaissance flavour. Little does he know that his true father is Lord Volkh, the "Drakhaon" of a far more grim realm in wintry Azhkendir. Volkh's murder brings Gavril not only the throne--forced on him by dourly loyal henchmen--but demonic powers which exact a terrible price. Physical transformation is only the beginning. Yet it seems these powers must be used, because Ashkendir is threatened by spies, traitors, the vengeful spirit of Volkh himself, and external invasion.

High magic mixes with devious politics in Tielen, a princedom whose dreams of empire are supported by technomagical weaponry, "shadowsilk" invisibility cloaks for commandos, and men debased into werewolves. The southern mountains of Ashkendir lie between Tielen and its next goal Muscobar: too bad for Gavril's people. Except that Gavril himself is becoming something close to a nuclear deterrent--dangerous not only to foes.

Further complications involve blood feuds within Ashkendir, and Gavril's unwilling friendship with the man he's fated to kill; a servant girl who has unknowingly inherited the talent of Ghost Singer, able to sing the dead back from the afterworld; Gavril's mother, who becomes a political pawn; and a curse that "crops will fail, winters never end" until Volkh's raging ghost is satisfied.

Well written and smoothly readable, The Lord of Snow and Shadows offers an original flavour of fantasy that will have readers holding their breath for the sequels. Book one ends satisfyingly, but this respite is only a pause in the war, which will soon enter a new phase. --David Langford

Review
Cutting through today's legions of fantasy dross, Ash combines the best of fantasy traditions with her own vision, bringing to life a new saga filled with epic adventure. Far-reaching in scope, Lord of Snow and Shadows marks the first step on a journey into a world teeming with political intrigue and magic. All Gavril Andar has ever known of life is the sunny clime of his southern home, his beautiful mother, and his love of painting, until his peace is shattered - and his destiny decreed - by the arrival of a group of fierce clan warriors from the north. Soon, he must ascend to the throne of Azhkendir, changing into a being of extraordinary power. It's more and more difficult to make a mark in this jostling field, but the auguries are good for Ash.

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