Summary
Tymon the Black, known widely as an evil magician, is understandably misunderstood. He suffers the curse of "the long look," giving him glimpses of terrible futures that will inevitably come to pass unless he intervenes in the present. Haunted by the horrible consequences of inaction, he does what he must, ably assisted by his dwarfish assistant Seb. Alas, his interventions often affect innocent, or seemingly innocent, bystanders; some might also, if executed with insufficient finesse, result in outcomes even worse than those he sought to prevent. Hence his unenviable reputation.
Tymon's current intervention involves engineering the death of the headstrong glory-hound Prince Daras of Borasur, who will otherwise blunder his country and its neighbors into a devastating war. Casualties are his reluctant fiancé Princess Ashesa of Morushe, guilt-ridden over being the instrument of Daras's demise, and the prince's admiring younger brother Galan, now obsessed with vengeance. Between them they might well stir up troubles far worse than those Tymon has forestalled.
Unfortunately, the only solution is further meddling. A complicated sequence of events follows involving Ashesa, Galan, Seb, and many others, including the scheming Duke Laras, Laras's even more scheming henchman Vor, aged puppet-pretender to Borasur's throne Lord Molic, the servant Takren, who is more than he seems, the interfering goddess Amaet, a young man named Korik, who finds himself drafted as Tymon's apprentice, and a nameless fiend called up by Galan that needs to be banished.
Reception
Publishers Weekly calls the book an "amusing but thoughtful sword and sorcery novel" with "an exceptionally intelligent cast of characters. The tale doesn't overflow with crackling wit or moral complexity, but heroic fantasy fans will enjoy its clever tweaking of familiar clichés. [4]
Don D'Ammassa writes "This is a fantasy novel that mixes adventure and mystery with an undercoating of wry humor. ... The story seems at times to be accelerating out of control but Parks keeps his hands firmly on the controls and brings it home safely. I found this to be thoroughly pleasant and refreshingly light." [5]
Jackie Cassada in Library Journal considers the novel "equal parts dark comedy and fantasy adventure [that] should appeal to those who enjoy tales of derring-do that are ever so slightly off the beaten path." [6]
Sally Estes in Booklist feels "Parks successfully conjures an evil magician with a difference ... at heart a kind, gentle man ... who suffer[s] the curse [of] the ability to see future horrors that will occur unless action is taken. ... The upshot is a tale of multidimensional characterizations that is long on action, often-hilarious humor, introspection on the nature of good and evil, and the relation between cause and effect." The book is rated as "[e]ntertaining fare with definite Y[oung] A[dult] appeal." [7]
The novel was also reviewed by Faren Miller in Locus #572, September 2008, and Peter Heck in Asimov's Science Fiction , December 2009. [1]
Far Horizons: All New Tales from the Greatest Worlds of Science Fiction is an anthology of original science fiction stories edited by Robert Silverberg, first published in hardcover by Avon Eos in May 1999, with a book club edition following from Avon and the Science Fiction Book Club in July of the same year. Paperback and trade paperback editions were issued by Eos/HarperCollins in May 2000 and December 2005, respectively, and an ebook edition by HarperCollins e-books in March 2009. The first British edition was issued in hardcover and trade paperback by Orbit/Little Brown in June 1999, with a paperback edition following from Orbit in July 2000.
The Pixilated Peeress is a fantasy novel by American writers L. Sprague de Camp and Catherine Crook de Camp. It is the second book in their sequence of two Neo-Napolitanian novels, following The Incorporated Knight. It was first published in hardcover by Del Rey Books in August 1991, and in paperback by the same publisher in September 1992. An E-book edition was published by Gollancz's SF Gateway imprint on September 29, 2011 as part of a general release of de Camp's works in electronic form.
Lois Tilton is an American science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and horror writer who has won the Sidewise Award and been a finalist for the Nebula Award. She has also written a number of innovative vampire stories.
Ari Marmell is an American novelist and freelance role-playing game writer.
Conan of Venarium is a fantasy novel by American writer Harry Turtledove, edited by Teresa Nielsen Hayden, featuring Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. It was first published in hardcover by Tor Books in July 2003; a regular paperback edition followed from the same publisher in July 2004.
Lady of Sherwood is a 1999 historical fiction novel by American author Jennifer Roberson. It is a sequel to her 1992 novel Lady of the Forest, and follows Robin Hood, Lady Marian, and their associates, as they fight injustices in the wake of the death of King Richard. They must fight the machinations of Prince John, who is competing for the throne against his young nephew, Arthur of Brittany.
Worshipping Small Gods is a collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Richard Parks. It was first published in trade paperback by Prime Books in January 2007, with a hardcover edition following from the same publisher in May of the same year.
Nebula Awards Showcase 2001 is an anthology of science fiction short works edited by Robert Silverberg. It was first published in hardcover and trade paperback by Harcourt in April 2001.
Nebula Awards Showcase 2005 is an anthology of award-winning science fiction short works edited by American writer Jack Dann. It was first published in trade paperback by Roc/New American Library in March 2005.
Nebula Awards Showcase 2003 is an anthology of science fiction short works edited by Nancy Kress. It was first published in trade paperback by Roc/New American Library in April 2003.
Hereafter, and After is a fantasy novella by Richard Parks. It was first published in hardcover and trade paperback by PS Publishing in March 2007. A subsequent ebook edition appeared in October 2011. The print edition includes an introduction by Andy Duncan.
Harrowing the Dragon is a collection of fantasy short stories by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Ace Books in November 2005, and in trade paperback by the same publisher in November 2006. The first British edition was issued in ebook by Gateway/Orion on December 17, 2015.
Wonders of the Invisible World is a collection of fantasy short stories by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in trade paperback and ebook by Tachyon Publications in October 2012. The title of both the collection and the first story in it derive from the 1693 book of the same title by Cotton Mather.
Dreams of Distant Shores is a collection of fantasy stories by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in ebook by Tachyon Publications in May 2016, with the trade paperback print edition following from the same publisher in June 2016.
Fool's Run is a science fiction novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover by Warner Books in April 1987, with a paperback edition issued by Questar/Popular Library in February 1988. The first British edition was published in paperback by Orbit in June 1987, with a hardcover edition following from Macdonald in August of the same year. The novel has also been translated into Italian.
The Bards of Bone Plain is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover and ebook by Ace Books in December 2010, with a book club edition issued simultaneously with the Science Fiction Book Club and a trade paperback edition following December 2011. The first British edition was published in ebook by Gateway/Orion in December 2015.
Something Rich and Strange is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip written for Brian Froud's Faerielands series under the inspiration of Froud's fantasy artwork. Its title is derived from a line in Shakespeare's The Tempest. The book was first published in hardcover by Bantam Spectra in November 1994, with a trade paperback edition following from ibooks in October 2005. It was later incorporated into the author's collection Dreams of Distant Shores, issued by Tachyon Publications in ebook and trade paperback in May 2016 and June 2016, respectively.
The Cygnet and the Firebird is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip, a sequel to her earlier novel The Sorceress and the Cygnet. Despite a mixed reception, it was nominated for the 1994 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature. It was first published in hardcover by Ace Books in September 1993, with a paperback following from the same publisher in September 1995. The first British edition was published in paperback by Pan Books in July 1994. It was subsequently combined with The Sorceress and the Cygnet into the omnibus collection Cygnet, issued in trade paperback by Ace Books in March 2007. It has also been translated into French.
The Sorceress and the Cygnet is a fantasy novel by Patricia A. McKillip. It was first published in hardcover by Ace Books in May 1991, with a paperback edition following from the same publisher in January 1992. The first British edition was published in hardcover and trade paperback by Pan Books in June 1991, with a standard paperback edition following from the same publisher in May 1992. It was subsequently combined with its sequel The Cygnet and the Firebird into the omnibus collection Cygnet, issued in trade paperback by Ace Books in March 2007.
Pauline Margaret Griffin, who wrote as P. M. Griffin, was an American author of speculative fiction. She was predominately known for her Star Commandos military science fiction series (1986–2004), described as "untaxing" in her Encyclopedia of Science Fiction entry, as well as her contributions to various Andre Norton series, such as Time Traders, Solar Queen, and Witch World.
