The Griffin or the Agate

Nowadays it seems like you can't walk into (or log onto) a bookstore without encountering another Thick-Book Fantasy Trilogy in release. Far too many follow the same pattern - the Big Bad is coming; only one person/a small band can stop the evil; they must make a journey to find their inner strength/recover the only item that can save the world; love emerges between the two most improbable characters; someone dies making a heroic sacrifice; and in the end the threat is vanquished in an epic struggle that see-saws back and forth. Often the writing is trite and cliched, forcing the reader to ponder why the book ever saw print in the first place. Examples can be found in the back reviews of this very site.
     Not all fall into this trap. Fortress Draconis, the first book of Michael A. Stackpole's Dragonwar Trilogy, avoids the usual pitfalls in its telling of an interesting and engrossing tale. In The Dark Glory War, the prequel to the series, the looming evil of Chrytrine is revealed during the travels of Tarrant Hawkins, a young, noble warrior embarking on his adventures. His exploits end in disaster as his entire cadre of friends not only fall in combat, but are made into evil Dark Lancers, becoming foes. Despite his miraculous escape, Hawkin's is branded a traitor by the scheming Prince Scrainwood and disowned by his family. It's definitely not all sugar and sunshine in Stackpole's world.
     Fortress Draconis picks up some twenty-five years later. Stackpole switches from the first-person narrative of Tarrant Hawkins in The Dark Glory War to a multi-protagonist third-person approach. Since he had success in the prequel Stackpole was taking a bit of a risk, but his writing proves more than worthy for the task. A new group of heroes, each armed with different motives for opposing Chytrine, band together to make the trek to the titular location, long a bulwark against the Dark Queen's aggressions. Included in the party is Will, a young thief who may or may not be the salvation spoken of in prophecy. Is he a member of the Norrington family, once a proud name but now numbering two members under the sway of Chytrine? Will Kerrigan, the gifted but overly coddled mage from the island of Vilwan prove his mettle or become unhinged in the fury of battle? Can Resolute, the Vorquelf determined to free his long-lost homeland from under the rule of Chytrine, be trusted if the needs of others conflict with his personal agenda? And just who is Kedyn's Crow, the scarred human warrior? Okay, the last one is pretty easy if you read the prequel, but Stackpole does a deft job evoking tension and mystery throughout the text. Appearances are often deceiving, and even those who are on your side may well be the worst of your enemies.
     So many authors, facing a trilogy, stumble right out of the blocks. Stackpole jumps right into his material, allowing the reader to form bonds with each of the protagonists. He makes very clever usage of a small village that is repeated tromped through by various forces - sometimes, the peasant's eye view of someone can be the most honest. -Fortress Draconis may be travelling over somewhat familiar territory, but it does so with a flair and style that far too many of its contemporaries lack. It's a very promising begiining for the Dragonwar Trilogy.   §

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