This was another intense experience (it seems my writing gets more intense rather than less as I go along, writing more...) The character in this series, Peranor, was, more or less, a vampire (though actually one of the viaquia. ) It was interesting to follow his moral conflicts about the drinking of blood, and watch his convictions slowly change.
More than that, though, as happened with another series of mine, the Starseeker Trilogy, I found myself more and more liking the character for his own sake. Peranor is one of the few gentle characters I've ever created, one of the few Elwens I've ever created you could say hello to in the street. It killed me, in the end, to put him through what I did.
On the other hand, he was the one who insisted on running away with the story and becoming more complex than I made him.
I hope you enjoy the experience as much as I did. (All prologues and chapters linked to this page copyright 2000-2003 by Anadrel; not all links are up yet).
For The Singer- Peranor is unexpectedly invited to become one of the competitors in the annual contests the vespels hold to choose the best artists. Illusion is the least of the six arts, but Peranor has rare control of his gift and decides to compete, though he doesn't really think that he can win against vespel Envisioners. This innocent decision, however, brings him into conflict with his sometime lover, Lelxi; his best friend, Vremin; and seemingly everyone else.
Quester- Shaken and sobered in the wake of passing events, Peranor sets out from Leecirna, accompanied by Irrinlirdi. But disturbing dreams plague him, and soon enough real-life dangers come to do the same thing, including land Elwen rebels against the Defense. Harried by the chaotic wild magic's liking for him, visited by gods who seem to take an abnormal interest in his affairs, and forced to choose sides in a conflict he doesn't think should be a conflict at all, Peranor comes at last to Shadowtown- and meets a darkness Elwen who will change his life.
Kindle The Mirrors- Peranor would like the chance to slow down and think about the ending of his bond with Lelxi and the implications of his pairmind shared with Beldana Fireseeker. However, he doesn't get the chance. The land Elwen rebels, led by the Lady Estalchin Lafoxbane, have come to Esalo, and the Kaleina seems to think that Peranor might have answers for them.
Starlight and Thunder- A conflict between Elwens and the vespels of the Defense looms closer and closer. Peranor still struggles to balance his old loyalties to the vespels with his outrage over the way they have treated Elwens. However, there is yet a third side to the war, in the form of the wild magic, and it's claiming more and more of his attention. For Peranor has a great fear, one shared by almost no one else: that a Second Change is about to come upon the world, and that no one can stop it.
The Light of Burning Temples- Supposedly, the worst had happened. Of course, there are still living people around, and Peranor has to take charge of some of them, leading them south to found a new city, Tamlura. But the worst hasn't really happened; the Second Change still looms on the horizon, threatening to slay millions and magically Change the survivors just as the wild magic did the first time. Peranor decides he has to oppose it. Unfortunately, he also has his own problems to cope with, in the form of arguments with his wife- and with a strange voice in his own head that may signal the onset of madness.
