编辑推荐Amazon.com Review
Setting aside his wildly popular Forgotten Realms books for the moment, Bob Salvatore continues to wade into his character-development-heavy Demon Wars saga with this meaty kickoff to the latest DW series. If you're familiar with the series (and if you're not, start with The Demon Awakens), you know that this ain't Icewind Dale. The generously developed characters take center stage, and they--much to our initial dismay, perhaps--are far from invincible. (More than a few hearts were broken when Elbryan the Nightbird, Touel'alfar-trained ranger extraordinaire, bit the dust in the last book, Demon Apostle.)Mortalis shifts the spotlight to fearsome gemstone-wielder Jilseponie (a.k.a. Pony), who's got to decide just what path to take in the wake of Markwart/Bestesbulzibar's defeat and the death of her beloved ranger hubby. Should she take over the Abellican church as Mother Abbess? Or should she take King Danube's offer to be Baroness of Palmaris? Or perhaps her grief-tinged destiny lies along another path. Countless goblins still require a firm beating down, the ranks of the Abellicans are far from content, and a virulent plague threatens to kill off even more characters. What's a Pony to do? --Paul Hughes
From Publishers Weekly
This hefty fantasy by bestselling author Salvatore (The Witch's Daughter), which launches a new Demon Wars saga, finds the beautiful and powerful gemstone-mage, Pony, grieving for her lost husband, Elbryan. She also faces a major decision: to become mother abbess of the Abellican Church, or to accept King Danube's offer to make her a baroness and secular ruler? Pony agonizes over whether to stand with the church and fight its corruption or to help the king restore order to a shattered kingdom; she opts to travel to her homeland to ponder. Thus, with no demons to kill, the saga starts off detailing the power struggle between church and state. There is a new enemy to defeat in the land of Corona, howeverDa goblin-spread plague that is the deadly legacy of Bestesbulzibar, the evil "demon dactyl" who has already been killed off three times (once in each volume of the first Demon Wars trilogy). Filled with far more angst than action, this volume still contains enough adventure (including, finally, a magical battle against a tigerish monster) to keep it moving at a happy pace. But for fans looking to vicariously shed the blood of evil goblins, fomorians (giants) and powries (dwarves), this may not be enough. And readers with a more mature perspective might find greater enjoyment and similar conflicts in any well-written medieval history. 6-city author tour.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Grieving for her husband, killed in a heroic effort to slay the demon dactyl that threatened the land of Corona, Jilsepone Wyndon rejects offers of worldly and religious power and flees to her childhood home in search of solitude. Instead, she finds a new enemy to fightDa plague of such deadly proportions that not even the efforts of the most potent magic can touch it. Continuing the saga begun in his "Demon Wars" trilogy, Salvatore depicts the deceptive aftermath of war and the elusive attempt to restore a battered land to some semblance of peace. The author's skill at creating a richly complex world peopled with well-rounded characters makes this a good selection for most libraries.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Readers of the Demon Wars trilogy won't be surprised that Salvatore is continuing Jilseponie Wyndon's career beyond the loss of her beloved Elbryan. Many may be surprised, though, at the heights this resumption of her adventures reaches. Grief-stricken and believing that her son by Elbryan is dead (actually, elves are raising him in secret), Pony is offered a barony in Palmaris, the rank of mother abbot of the tumultuous Abellican Church, and the prospect of becoming queen to King Danube of Honce-the-Bear. Then an outbreak of the rosy plague sweeps aside mundane considerations and a large part of the population, including many of the book's characters. Plots, counterplots, cowardice, and heroism are evident in every walk of life as Pony gropes toward making healing magic effective against the plague. The key to healing is in the power of the heretical Master Avelyn's spirit, and with a despised heretic becoming a source of miracles, the Abellican Church may never be the same. Salvatore's style isn't always equal to his themes, but his other skills have grown by leaps and bounds, with Jilseponie a protagonist whose company it is hard not to enjoy. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
From Kirkus Reviews
First volume in a new DemonWars series (The Demon Apostle, 1999, etc.). In the previous struggle, ranger Elbryan was killed, but his wife Pony, more properly known as Jilseponie, a mage powered by gemstone-magic, survives, as do Bradwarden the centaur, the wise old elf Juraviel, etc. Even though the demon dactyl is dead, problems remain: goblin armies, some starving, some diseased, swarm over the land; a bunch of rebellious Abellicans, monks also powered by gemstone-magic, are stirring up trouble; and the rosy plague, spread by goblins, is taking its toll. All this means sleepless nights for King Danube, whose growing love for Pony will stir up courtly intrigues and jealousies. In sum: the recipe as before, this time without innovation. Fans only. (Author tour) -- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
"Bob Salvatore always makes the most fantastic seem real. His heroes become friends we care about, and his foes fascinate."
--ED GREENWOOD -- Review
Review
"Bob Salvatore always makes the most fantastic seem real. His heroes become friends we care about, and his foes fascinate."
--ED GREENWOOD
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