TO LIGHT A CANDLE

Author: Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory ISBN: 0765341425 1/2006 FANTASY Publisher: TOR

The Demon Queen Attacks! To his own surprise, young Kellen, once the disappointing son of the great Mage who leads the City's Mage Council, has become a powerful Knight-Mage. Valued for his bravery and his skills as both wizard and warrior, Kellen joins the Elves' war councils. Yet he cannot convince the City of his birth that it is in terrible danger. Kellen's sister Idalia, a Wild Mage with great healing ability, has pledged her heart to Jermayan, a proud Elven warrior. Someday Idalia will pay a tragic Price for a world-saving work of Wild Magic, but until then, she will claim any joy life can offer her. Jermayan, who has learned much fighting at Kellen's side and loving the human Idalia, finds that everything changes when he Bonds with a dragon while rescuing the Elf Prince and becomes the first Elven Mage in a thousand years. Furious at her enemies' success with the dragon, the Demon Queen attacks in force. Light struggles against Dark, like flickering candle flames buried deep in the shadow of Obsidian Mountain.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

This is a brilliantly written story. Kellen is the hero of TO LIGHT A CANDLE, and though most of the story is seen through his eyes, his is not the only story told. There are several other storylines which the authors seamlessly weave together to create an enchanting world of magic and mystery. It is as if you are watching all the happenings from above, and seeing the stories unfold before you simultaneously.

I love that the descriptions are so incredibly detailed that you can easily find yourself transported to a world of fantasy, where dragons soar, knights fight for good, and evil is lurking just beneath the surface. Meanwhile, the characters are so real that you might just find yourself out of breath by the end of a battle.

At first glance, the length of this book (almost 1000 pages) might seem a little daunting to some. However, by the end you'll be wishing you had another chapter to dive into. This is a story in which you can lose yourself. This trilogy just might be the ride of a lifetime.

Amanda Rutherford