Shaykitteh's World of Books

The chaos towers are failing.

Most of the Magi'i rely on the chaos towers, but even the Magi'i who can access natural chaos can't use enough to power the lances and firecannon to protect Cyad itself let alone the whole of Cyador.

The Lancers die in increasing numbers as the Barbarians continue to attack, while the Lancers find themselves with less weaponry to use and not enough replacement soldiers

The Merchants scheme within their Houses to bring down other Clan Houses and keep the power and money for themselves.

And then there is Lorn. Born Lorn'elth of the Magi'i, he loved Cyador more than he moved Chaos, so he was removed as a student Magus. Now Lorn'alt of the Lancers, he is a problem for the leaders of Cyador, as his tactics are unusual... even if they keep more of his soldiers alive.

In the Magi'i of Cyador, the first book in this set, you learn how Lorn meets his consort Ryalth, fighting against the Barbarians from Jera, and his battles with the Accursed Forest. In the Scion of Cyador, if he moved to a less hazardous posting, at a port named Biehl. But nothing is as it seems, and what was supposed to be a simple assignment is not. Trouble seems to follow Lorn... or perhaps the trouble was always there and he is the only person with the courage to do what is right.

This is the story of Lorn'alt, Major of the Mirror Lancers, of elthage birth, Mirror Lancer through ability, and merchanter through consortship. Lorn will battle with himself and with his powers to do what is right for the people he loves and cares about, even the ones he has never seen and will never know. It's less of a story of Good Vs. Evil, and more of a story of Good Vs. Corruption, and how an unstable government and a dying Emperor can cause people to do anything they can to grasp power within their reach. 

Unlike the standard Recluse Books, this isn't a battle of Order Vs. Chaos, and what is evil is not as well defined or seen through narrowed vision. Though there are battles, and there is evil and corruption, people are more.... just people. My biggest issue with most of the Recluse novels that are written further down the timeline chronologically is that the government tells you what is good and what is evil. If you live in Recluse, Order is good, and Chaos is evil. If you live in Fairhaven, Chaos is good, and Order is evil. In Cyad and Cyador, while Chaos is more recognized due to the chaos towers and Magi'i, Order is also represented side by side, usually with a healer who uses Order consorted to a Magi'i who uses Chaos. Neither is evil.... they are just a fact of life. And I appreciate that Modesitt is able to show both sides of the coin in his Cyador books.

This book is the second in the two part story of Lorn'alt, so be prepared to read the first book, Magi'i of Cyador, prior to reading this book. Out of all of the Recluse novels, the Cyador duology are probably my favorite two.

NOTE: If you enjoyed my review, I would appreciate if you could mark it as being helpful on Amazon as well. I have included the link to the Amazon review in the Source section at the bottom of this review. You can also download the kindle edition of Scion of Cyador by going to http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004SICIAU/?tag=shasworofboo-20. Both Magi'i of Cyador and Scion of Cyador are currently on sale for $2.99 for the kindle editions (They are normally more around the $6-$8 ranger) so I would suggest picking them up on sale while you can.