Crown of Silence

by Storm Constantine

Book Overview

When Shan was fifteen years old, dark soldiers came out of the west, like a cloud of evil boiling over the soft hills of his homeland. They commanded terrible beasts, which killed with hook claws like... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312873298
• ISBN13: 9780312873295
• Release Date: January 2001
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 431 Pages
• Weight: 1.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Incredible book

This book rocked my world the first time I read it. I was in high school, and its protrayal of decadence and broken innocence shocked me. The characters were incredibly realistic to me. The behavior of Khaster and Tayven throughout the entire book reminded me of somewhat similar situations between people in real life. A dissolute man who turns to night life for solace is a very sympathetic character to me. So too is the experienced man, who is forced into ruin by bad choices. However be aware, the decadence of the Magravands is protrayed strongly through the use of gay relationships. If a person is upset about such things, The Crown of Silence would perhaps not be the best read. As I said, I first read this a few years ago in high school, then ended up giving the hardback edition to someone else. Several months after that, I was struck with a longing to read this incredibly compelling work again. So I thought about getting another copy. I had already read the book at least a couple times, but I wanted to read it again so bad, I went ahead and bought it. I have read it several times since. It is a simply awesome book.

Amazing piece of Fantasy Literature...

This is a great sequel to the first of this Trilogy. Constantine has a talent for painting the landscapes of Magravandias in your head with precision and detail. I really enjoyed how Constantine told the Story of Shane and tied it into the big picture. Excellent book go out and buy all three, its worth the money.

Great book!

Storm Constantine is truly a skilled author, and I have been reading her work since the first book of the Wraeththu series. Yes, the books can be a little disturbing for those who are sensitive to adult themes, such as homosexuality and incest, but these themes are always approached tastefully.A good story focuses on one thing, and one thing only: the development of character, and this is what I think Storm will continue to refine as the years go by. She's damn good at it already, so I can't wait to see what future books hold. I am so enraptured by this book, that I read half of it before I realized that most of the day was gone. To that I say, bravo.I, for one, will read Storm Constantine until she ceases to produce stories of such wonderful flavor.

Breathtaking quest...

Storm Constantine is rapidly becoming one of my very favourite authors. This book is the sequel to Sea Dragon Heir, which you should read first, although I didn't, and it didn't affect my reading pleasure.In this novel a young boy living a happy if impoverished rural life is changed forever by the brutal events of one day, when soldiers serving the forces of evil invade his village.What follows is a personal quest with vast ramifications for his homeland. There is an enclave of magicians, there is a mystical journey through lakes with arcane qualities, there are prizes to attain and lessons to be learnt for every member of the company, not just its youngest.But the crowning glory (if you'll pardon the pun) of this work is the story told by the boy's magician mentor of events in the recent past which have helped to shape the coming conflict. Political intrigue, imprudent desires, very sexy prose and a deft narrative hand render this story compelling and engrossing. I had to put it down occasionally, but I couldn't wait to pick it back up again. It's one of those books that you want to go on forever: and the ending is cruelly designed to leave you howling for more. I can't wait to get my hands on the next masterpiece.

Outstanding.

First off, if you haven't read Sea Dragon Heir yet, what are you waiting for? Go, read it. I'll wait.Back? Good. The Crown of Silence continues the story begun in SDH. The first half of the novel overlaps the events of the first book, revealing what was going on in other areas of the world. The second half is a true mythic Quest with all that that entails. The characters are well developed and for the most part sympathetic, but as with all of Storm's characters these are not perfect people. You will find yourself at times wanting to reach your hand into the book to thwap them on their collective heads for being idiots... but when you think about it, how would you handle the situation they find themselves in?Another area where Storm excels (and sadly many other fantasists do not) is in the depth and resonance of her magical system. It is not some "point/zap/you're dead/you're a frog" amalgamation of fantasy cliches grafted on to the story, rather it is the story. What these characters are doing, how they are growing and evolving, is a direct result of the self-discovery involved in learning. As several characters state: "Learning is better than knowing."I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, but I feel I must state that a portion of the book does deal with the consequences of surviving a traumatic rape and that two of the major characters are involved in a same-sex relationship. To me, these things add to the weight and reality of the book, but I realize that for some such subject matter is a determinant factor in what you read. I still recommend the book even to those people, though, as the handling of both subjects is superb for the genre, but if you're looking for another Harry Potter this is not the book for you.As to the book itself, Tor did a great job on this one. Everything from the jacket art to the binding is top-notch. This is definately not one to wait for paperback on.