From Publishers Weekly
Australian author Dart-Thornton's ponderous second fantasy is set in the world of Tir (after 2005's
The Iron Tree), where the fulfillment of a tragic prophecy has left Jewel an orphan. The last descendant of Janus Jaravhor, the Sorcerer of Strang, she alone can unseal the Dome of Strang and reveal its treasures. Fleeing her marshland home, Jewel finds sanctuary with a miller's family in High Dairioneth, where she grows to maturity. Persuaded by transparent trickery that her ancestral curse has been lifted, she travels to the dome determined to acquire whatever lies within. Accompanied by Arran Stormbringer, a weather mage, she's oblivious to his love for her. Jewel gradually becomes aware of Arran's feelings, but the romance is minimal. Despite some imaginative flashes, the poetic pseudo-medieval style exasperates more than it delights and further burdens a plot already weighed down with needless scenes and reiteration. An interactive CD-ROM brings Tir visually to life.
(Feb.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Review
"With influences ranging from Celtic and Norse folk tales to Shakespearean tragedy, Dart-Thornton has crafted an impressive start to an epic journey down the corridors of myth and legend....readers looking for an intense and old-fashioned magical world will eagerly anticipate the next step in the journey."—Romantic Times BookClub Magazine on The Iron Tree, Book One in The Crowthistle Chronicles
"The world of Tir is an intriguing place, so filled with spooks and apparitions that it is hard to believe any land is left for mere humans to live on....Cecilia Dart-Thornton has created a uniquely beautiful world in The Iron Tree…."—Sci-Fi.com on The Iron Tree, Book One in The Crowthistle Chronicles
"...Dart-Thornton conjures up her world of Tir and its rituals and beliefs in the luminous yet hard-edged manner of Jack Vance or Mary Gentle."—The Washington Post on The Iron Tree, Book One in The Crowthistle Chronicles
"With scenes as vivid as any Technicolor extravaganza, The Iron Tree will capture readers’ imaginations."—Starlog on The Iron Tree, Book One in The Crowthistle Chronicles
