Genre: Fantasy/Sword and Sorcery
Description:
“Newly handfasted to the dark-haired archmage Lord Dal, Ellspeth and
her husband escort his mother on a final journey to her ancestral lands. Their
plans change when mercenaries under the control of a rogue mage attack. Dal's
mother is severely wounded and Ellspeth is captured. Her sole hope for escape
is Nobyn, an untrained wizard going through the throes of awakening magic. However,
Nobyn is Bashim's apprentice and under the mage's total control.
Dal must make an impossible decision whether to rescue his wife, cure
his mother, or thwart Bashim's plans. More than who lives or dies is at stake.
He might be able to live with his responsibility for the death of a loved one,
but could he survive killing the future of magic.”
Author:
Helen B. Henderson writes about herself, “Although I wrote fiction for
myself as long as I can remember, and been a professional writer for many
years, pursuing publication for my fiction is a more recent endeavor… My
writing crosses genres and types, from fiction to historical documentaries. I'm
especially proud of the two romantic fantasy series, the Dragshi Chronicles and the Windmaster
novels. Originally conceived as short stories, the characters came to life
for me and my readers. I hope they will for you also.”
To learn more please visit Ms. Henderson’s website.
Appraisal:
Windmaster
Legacy begins with a fair bit of drama around Ellspeth. If you haven’t read
book 1, Windmaster, this will give
you a clear picture of Ellspeth’s character. She is a strong, well-balanced
woman who lives a bit too much in her head. However, she has also turned this
into a strength by weighing and balancing the situations around her before she
reacts.
Lord Dal, an ex-mercenary, who has gained the position of Archmage over
all territories, is about to become handfasted to Ellspeth, a sea captain in
her own right. It’s been said for all time that magic and the sea don’t mix. Lord
Dal and Ellspeth are taking on the challenge to put that misconception to rest.
Their mutual friend King Fraunces of the Second Kingdom has
commissioned them to imbue his new ship Windmaster with all modes of magical
protection. On Windmaster’s maiden voyage Dal and Ellspeth have a two-fold
mission. To escort Dal’s mother, Eilidh, on her final journey back to her
ancestral lands, and secondly to bring back a special passenger on behest of
the King. It’s all smooth sailing at sea, however, once they are on solid land
again, things slowly start falling apart.
When Ellspeth is captured by an evil mage with visions of grandeur, he
blocks Dal’s and Ellspeth’s ethereal connection using black magic. During the
abduction Dal’s mother is severely injured. It’s all Barris, Dal’s young
apprentice mage, can do to keep Eilidh alive until Dal arrives. Once Eilidh is
stable, Dal leaves her in Barris’s reliable hands. He’s a smart young man who
thinks outside the box, he refuses to let Lord Dal down so he perseveres above
and beyond to figure out why Eilidh keeps relapsing.
So now the race is on to try to find Ellspeth. The Fàlaire, magical
beasts that look like huge horses play a large part in this book. We get to
know several of them by name. The storyline is a rollercoaster of plot twists
as no one is in any one place for very long. Dal is all over the countryside
always two steps behind the demented mage and his minions. Ellspeth can do
nothing with iron manacles on her hands and feet which allow little movement. She
must gain Nobyn’s, Bashim's apprentice mage, to help them both escape Bashim’s control, and
then hope beyond all hope that Dal is able to locate them before Bashim catches
up with them.
I love this series! The characters come to life and jump into your
heart. Except for Bashim. You’ll want to see him burn in the pits of hellfire.
FYI:
Windmaster
Legacy is book 2 in Ms. Henderson’s The Windmaster Novels, following Windmaster.
Format/Typo
Issues:
Nothing to note.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: ?wazithinkin
Approximate
word count: 90-95,000 words
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