Alternative Worlds
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A Betrayal In Winter
Daniel Abraham
Tor, August 2007, $24.95, 320 pp.
ISBN: 9780765313416
In Machi the realm is ruled by the Khai and when a new leader is needed the ruler’s sons fight to the death to win the throne. The last one standing is the new Khai. The khai has more than three sons; he is given them to the poets whokeep the cities at peace and bring in wealth from other countries. Otah Machi, the sixth son, refused to take the brand, rejected the post, and has made a life for himself as Itani Naygu a courier loved by inn keeper Kiyan.
When the eldest son is murdered, the two younger sons go into hiding while the people (commoner and noble) believe Otah was behind the assassination. In their culture, nobody would think that the daughter Idaan craves power and with her lover from a high house is behind the assignation. Otah is captured but luckily he has friends who believe in his innocence and spirit him away. His friends desperately try to find the traitors who have hidden themselves well and are backed by a foreign country who wants more influence in Machi.
This tale takes place fifteen years after the events in A SUMMER IN SHADOW and can be read as a stand alone book. This is a grand fantasy filled with subtle magic but is character driven. Surprisingly, Idaan doesn’t come across as a villain because if she was a male heir, she would be applauded for her Machiavellian actions. Otah never sought to be Khai but circumstances conspire to pull him in that direction or be killed. He is the opposite of his siblings honest, caring and doesn’t seek power. Readers will care about him and hope he triumphs against overwhelming odds.
Daniel Abraham
Tor, August 2007, $24.95, 320 pp.
ISBN: 9780765313416
In Machi the realm is ruled by the Khai and when a new leader is needed the ruler’s sons fight to the death to win the throne. The last one standing is the new Khai. The khai has more than three sons; he is given them to the poets whokeep the cities at peace and bring in wealth from other countries. Otah Machi, the sixth son, refused to take the brand, rejected the post, and has made a life for himself as Itani Naygu a courier loved by inn keeper Kiyan.
When the eldest son is murdered, the two younger sons go into hiding while the people (commoner and noble) believe Otah was behind the assassination. In their culture, nobody would think that the daughter Idaan craves power and with her lover from a high house is behind the assignation. Otah is captured but luckily he has friends who believe in his innocence and spirit him away. His friends desperately try to find the traitors who have hidden themselves well and are backed by a foreign country who wants more influence in Machi.
This tale takes place fifteen years after the events in A SUMMER IN SHADOW and can be read as a stand alone book. This is a grand fantasy filled with subtle magic but is character driven. Surprisingly, Idaan doesn’t come across as a villain because if she was a male heir, she would be applauded for her Machiavellian actions. Otah never sought to be Khai but circumstances conspire to pull him in that direction or be killed. He is the opposite of his siblings honest, caring and doesn’t seek power. Readers will care about him and hope he triumphs against overwhelming odds.
