![]() Suraklin was planning to gain immortality by placing his mind in a computer that would get its power by draining the life-force from all on both worlds, dooming everyone to eternal misery and hopelessness. But guilty or innocent, Antryg was separated from her by the awesome Void between the worlds, far from any hope of rescue. Then she had believed his brain was possessed by the Dark Mage Suraklin, though now she knew that Suraklin had chosen Gary Fairchild. When she betrayed her lover Antryg Windrose to the Council, he had been sentenced to death. The problem is a tool cannot make choices, and Caris is faced with many sticky situations and has to become human again. He was trained to be no more than a tool, a sword for the wizards. Stonne Caris, raised with some magic, and committed as a ninja-type warrior is faced with the problem of his own humanity. The one problem, besides having been trained by the most evil magician of all time, is that he is mad. He is particularly adept at sensing the Void and can travel through to other parallel universes. Every woman could use a purse like that!Īntryg Windrose, a wizard, is considered dangerous by his peers and has been locked up in a tower that suppresses his magic. She always has her purse with her, though non-magical, it reminds me of a bag of requirements – it always has just what she needs. Once she is faced with a new reality she plucks up and gets to work on solving problems. She has let life happen to her instead of determining her own destiny, until she is confronted by magic. Joanna Sheraton gets befuddled in social circumstances, she’s very intelligent and a scatter-brain. I liked this series because of the characters: I know I didn’t absorb all the technical details surrounding the computers, programs and geeky-tech stuff, but I could gloss over it to the main plot and enjoy the story. I was surprised by the complexity of Hambly’s plot and had to pay attention to keep up with the parallel universes, the computer jargon and magic. As with all the books I like from this decade, the female protagonist is strong, but she still has weaknesses. The Silent Tower was originally published in 1986. As far as they know Hambly was Austen’s best friend (but I digress.) I can’t believe that books from the ’80’s are now considered “old”, but my kids inform me they are positively ancient. When summer hits I like to read an older book, it might be one that I remember reading as a teen, or something fun, light and magical. With intricate world-building and complex plot twists, The Silent Tower is a compelling introduction to one of this generation’s greatest female fantasy writers. But when the power that is crossing between dimensions draws her through the Void, she finds herself battling to save a world she never even knew existed. She has spent her life in cubicles, staring into computer terminals, as far from heroism as she can get. On the other side of the Void is Joanna, a programmer as mild as Caris is deadly. The Archmage sends him in search of Antryg Windrose-a half-mad mage who understands the nature of these passages between dimensions. But for Stonne Caris, a young warrior monk who sees the killing and gives chase to the culprit, there is nothing ordinary about seeing a murderer disappear into a black, inky portal. In a world where wizards are relegated to ghettos, it is no surprise to see one murdered in the street. ![]()
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