Quatrain

Quatrain (2009) Sharon Shinn

Four novellas set in four different worlds: Samaria (Archangel), the land of Gold Mountain, Alora (Summers at Castle Auburn), and Gillengaria (the Twelve Houses).

I have purchased the first book in the Archangel series, but had not read it, so I saw this as a nice introduction to that world. In Flight, Salome had been lover to an angel, but escaped and wanted nothing more than to keep her niece and those she loved safe from the angels. But when angels arrive to put a stop to the rain, Salome’s fears and worries are reawakened.

This was a romance–though it didn’t seem so at first–and I quite liked Salome, who was strong and willing to fight for those she loved.

In the novella Blood, a gulden man searches for his mother, and learns about the land from which he comes, the mores that have governed his life, and much about society and integration. The initial message of the story seemed to be one of racial acceptance, except that upon second glance, that isn’t truly the message at all. I quite like Kerk and his willingness to accept the flaws in his society while still seeing good in it.

The third novella, Gold is set in Alora, where the princess Zara is sent into hiding while war rages at home. But will she be able to escape the lure of Alora? This was a straight up romance, and what I found interesting was that although the slavery that had existed previously was outlawed, it was quite easy to see how fear of Alora had lead to the way things were–and how it could happen again.

The final story, Flame, was set in the world of the Twelve Houses. I read the first book several years ago, and then set it aside when I realized it was a series, wanting to wait until more of the series was out before continuing. (Why yes, I have gotten burned too many times by fantasy authors!)

Senneth is a mystic who can control fire, and a visit to her aunt leads to an exposure of her gift to those who were not raised to be accepting of it. This was probably my least favorite story of the batch, since it was set up as a romance between Senneth and Degarde and then that goes to hell right quick. It was also relatively transparent as to what was happening and why.

But all in all, I very much enjoyed all four novellas, and was glad to either read more about worlds where I’d spent time in the past, or learn about new worlds where I can spend time in the future.
Rating: 8/10

Published by Ace

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