Title:
The Snowfields of Fala

Author:
Frances Evlin

Published By:
Amber Quill Press

ISBN #:
1-59279-099-2

Release Date:
Available Now

Format:
Electronic

Second Loyal Kelber and his love, Megedehn, wish to marry but she desires to find her parents and people before that can happen. The Second Loyals of Prand and Orland decide to travel with her to the mythical island of Fala, a place of snow and ice, unaware of the centuries old strife between the warring tribes of Tarns and Nahlauk. The voyage will be harsh but they are determined to see the young woman returned to her homeland and people. The youngest prince of Cleve, Prince Gehris, joins them in their search, wanting only to be close to Second Loyal Princess Haehli of Cleve, whom he discovers is not his half-sister after all. Will he win the heart that belongs to Kelber’s brother Trendarmon?

While gathering eggs for their village, Braeth and his young grandson Vachel are attacked by two Tarn warriors. Healed by their First Loyal of Fala, King Jessep, they are told that magical visitors will be coming to their island home. Upon the arrival of the mysterious magical visitors, from the faraway lands of Prand and Orland, they welcome them into their village with some trepidation. Vachel, wanting to prove himself a great warrior in the eyes of his father, captures Alaric of Tarn and, as the two boys learn about each other’s traditions and people, they discover they are not all that different. Becoming unlikely allies, they work with the Loyals to promote unity between their people, bringing tentative peace to the island of Fala. But can there ever be peace between these two warring factions?

Braeth’s old dreams come back to haunt him with the arrival of their visitors and, as the First Loyal of Fala clears his foggy memories, he discovers he is the rightful heir of the kingdom of Cleve. Returning with the Loyals to Prand, Braeth is willing to take his rightful place but this, however, does not prove to be a simple matter. As they arrive in the port of Cleve they are attacked from all sides, from the battling guardsmen of the would-be king Bax to the powerful, magic of the destroying Non, who continues to rip apart the world of Prand with his evil. Will the Loyals be able to once again push back this dreaded entity, intent on destroying that which he cannot control?

The intricacies of Frances Evlin’s stories draws us seamlessly into her world of magical fantasy in this third saga of her series of Prand, The Snowfields of Fala. She transports us to the island continent of Fala, where we are introduced to new lands and people battling for control of its treasures, while bringing us current on the events in the lives of her characters from her previous books. Second Loyal Chaff, from the first and second novels, finds out he is about to become a father. Princess Haehli resolves her differences with Prince Trendarmon. Second Loyal Kelber finds out what has happened to Megedehn’s family, as well as her brother. The new characters in these books begin with Braeth the Visitor, who is not originally of Nahlauk but rather is the lost prince of Cleve, a providence of Prand. His grandson, Vachel, who desires to be a stalwart warrior, learns to accept the differences of others and finds a new brother in Alaric of Tarn, who should be his sworn enemy. The Icewinks, the Falan equivalent of a Prandian Brushbung, have a direct link to the First Loyal of Fala, King Jessep.

Ms. Evlin continues to delight and amaze us with the spectrum of her descriptions of magical vistas and the complicated interaction of her characters as they stumble through their lives, making decisions that test their fortitude and loyalties. We see new alliances made, new loves found, and new friendships formed in this delightful fantasy series brimming with wonderful lands full of color, strange creatures, and magic. The evil presence of the Non returns to twist the elements and hearts of the inhabitants of this world, causing destruction where peace and love should reside.

I have enjoyed this series from beginning to…well, I’m not sure this is the END. I guess we will all just have to wait and see.


Reviewed by: Gayle