altheaann

I bought this book because it had pretty cover art by Kinuko Craft (who’s done art for most of Patricia McKillip’s books). However, the old cliché holds true – even if sometimes in reverse: you can’t judge a book by its cover. More effort (and probably time) went into the cover than the story. Andre Norton has written some very entertaining novels. This is not one of them. It reminded me of some of the most generic fantasy of the 70’s (although it was published in 1999).
Long ago, a ‘Covenant’ was formed between ‘Dark and Light,’ keeping an agrarian community at peace. Now, a rogue ‘Mage’ has left the ‘Place of Learning,’ and, summoning up some ‘gobbes’ (goblins) embarks on a Reign of Terror, quickly becoming the ‘Dark Lord.’ (Why? Who knows.) Although the peasants have largely forgotten their magic, the ‘Wind’ (an embodiment of ‘She’ (goddess)) is there to help them, and of course Fateful Twins are born.
Don’t get me wrong, I can often enjoy this kind of cheesy stuff, but I do ask that it come bundled with characterization, plot structure, and general coherency. Here, it doesn’t.