Even though it is lacking in the detailing of the battle scenes, and of the graphic killing and maiming, with its well thought out civilization of Elves and Centaurs, and its perfect conflict of Light against Dark and Wild Magic against High Magick, 'To Light A Candle' belongs in any and all fantasy reader's library. I'm falling in love with Mercedes Lackey's epic and highly satisfying second installment of the Obsidian Trilogy! With the defeat of the Endarkened's deception at the Black Cairn, Kellen is aware of how they prefer to operate, with glamour and temptation. He returns to Sentarshadeen with his hands destroyed. They are burned away from the bone. Because of his sacrifice, the drought is ended. However, it will be a while for the weather to return to its normal pattern. For the time, there's flash flooding, and everyone is expecting a very hard winter. He also returns with one more surprise for the Elves, the half-demon and half-human Vestakia. Her Gift, the ability to sense Taint, is an asset to the Elven Army's fight against the Dark, if they will look past her red demon skin and horns. Not only that, but Kellen is finding it hard to keep his vow of celibacy and chastity for a year and a day difficult when he is around Vestakia. Thankfully relieved of the embarrassment of explaining his avoidance, his sister Idalia tells Vestakia why. The war is on its way to Armethalieh. Despite being Banished and Hunted, Kellen feels obligated to warn the human city. With Anigrel's dark actions and poisonous voice in Lycaelon's ear, he convinces the city deny the warning through its barriers and into the city. With Kellen no longer in need of a tutor, Anigrel puts himself right up Lycaelon's Arch-Mage robes. By playing a successful game of politics, he is formally adopted by Lycaelon as his son and heir to House Tavadon and with such a high elevation, a raise in his title soon follows. Undermage Anigrel is the secret agent of the Demon Queen Savilla. Because of his efforts with Lycaelon and the council, his Dark Lady and the Demons will be able to slip through the cracks in Armethalieh's protective High Magick barrier and eat its magic. Anigrel's political play manages to have Cilarnen Banished, and other seats on the Council emptied, (murdered for being a traitor). A mystery manifests itself when Anigrel supposedly Burns out Cilarnen's Gift, and it surprisingly returns to him with his first introduction and battle with a Demon. The Elven Army's discovery and fight against the Shadowed Elves is both good and bad. The Shadowed Elves were made by the Demons to distract them from their REAL objective, but what could that be. The dragon Ancaladar, one of the last of his kind, is forced out of his home and hiding place by the fighting in the caverns. Fearful of being bonded, he is bonded to the Elven Knight Jermayan. Once bonded, Ancaladar dies when Jermayan's life ends, forfeiting his long life. However, Ancaladar is an unlimited source for Jermayan's magic. The Crystal Spiders are discovered as creatures of the Light that aid the army in finding the other hidden conclaves of Shadowed Elves. Along with Vestakia's Gift and combined with Ancaladar's flying talent, the Elven Army stands a good chance of wiping out the Demon's disturbing creative diversion. Another problem complicating and filling the minds of Kellen and Idalia is the fact of an unpaid price. Kellen must forgive an enemy...
An excellent fantasy novel. Following up the first volume in the trilogy (literally picking up just where the last book leaves off) we pick up the action quickly here. The first book in the series The Outstretched Shadow takes a good deal of time to build plot, set up story, introduce and build characters. Here we still meet some "newer" characters and have more building but not so much is needed. For you who are action fans (as I am) you'll get a bit more of that.These books (so far) are an excellent mix of plot driven and character driven story. I've commented before that I've found Ms. Lackey's work to be a bit of a mixed bag as I really like much of her work while other of her books leave me totally cold. Some I'm so put off by that I can forget how good her books can be.This one is highly satisfying...so why 4? Well, I can't put it among my fie star reads, for now though I reserve the right to come back at a later time and adjust them up. That may happen if I find myself rereading them or thinking back on them with nostalgia after I've finished the trilogy.And I have the third waiting.There is one niggling thing I want to mention...I will, to be safe put it under a spoiler warning. It's not something that will ruin the novel or anything, just a point that bugs me.(view spoiler)[ This world must have a year that is at minimum twice as long as ours!!!!! In the first book our young protagonist pays a mage debt by promising to a Unicorn that he'll stay chaste and celibate for a year and a day. Well the amount of things that have taken place here and we're told that only a half year has past...wow. Either this entire land all of it has to be about the size of Rhode Island or they have an exceedingly long year. Good grief...flight from the city, city expands it's borders to keep looking...this costs them too much...boarders are withdrawn to city walls....we've fled to Elven lands. Oh wait we have to travel to another Elven city...now we also of course have to train our hero to be a wild mage...oh wait he's not just a wild mage, he's a knight mage...we now have to send a caravan to our distant Elven fort...wait it's attacked, now we have to organize and send a rescue. Now we have to fight a long string of battles. Oh others are traveling across country to......All this AND more in 6 months. Whew. It's not a deal breaker of even a real bother...just a point for eye rolling now and then. :). Ms. Lackey keeps talking about "several sennights (weeks) passing". Wow, as I said. Long year.Still a good book and so far a good series, LOL. (hide spoiler)]
What do You think about To Light A Candle (2005)?
To Light a Candle is the 2nd book in the Obsidian Trilogy. It is very important to read the first book before proceeding to this one, however, there are a few things you should know. Kellen is a knight-mage and has been ever since he was cast out of the High Mage city of Armathelieh by his father for practicing wild magic. Since then, he has found his sister, traveled to Elven territory, and helped save it at his own health's expense by destroying a dark keystone set by Demons (known as the Endarkened) to cause a drought in the land of the elves.Now in this installment, we are brought back to Kellen's party who is traveling back to the elves with Kellen much injured. With him is Jermayan (elven knight and friend), Vestakia (a girl who looks like a demon but is pure of heart), and Shalkan (Kellen's unicorn friend). They reach the elven city safely and there can plan the next course in the battle of the Endarkened. It is decided that the elven children must be sent away to a castle stronghold but on the way there they are kidnapped, including the Elfish prince. Kellen leads a party to rescue them and in doing so discovers a new dark race that will break the Elves hearts, for here is a race that is part Elf part goblin that exists merely to hate the regular elves. It is with sad hearts they must flush this enemy out of their territory. But all is not at a loss, with foe they also find a friend, one who has not been seen for a thousand years, one who is a dragon.Meanwhile, in the mage city of Armathelieh, things are not going so well. Cilarnen, a young apprentice mage, has grouped together with some others to help put a stop to the city's famine and talk some sense into the high mage council. Unfortunately, they are being led along by an agent of the Endarkened and fall into his trap. Cilarnen is banished from the city, and with the help of an elf, manages to survive the city's hunt (stone dogs that will rend you to pieces). With his mage gift supposedly burned out of his mind he does his best to make what he can of life, but a surprise attack leads him to learn new things and discover that he must get to Kellen to tell him news.I have to say that I liked Kellen a little less in this book than the first. He constantly worries about things he doesn't need to, and yet never learns from these mistakes. The elves however, are more pronounced, and their ways are more described in this book giving a better insight into this peculiar race of creatures. Idalia, Kellen's sister, takes a rest in this book and doesn't appear nearly as often.For a book done by two authors, this one flows pretty seamlessly and there isn't a noticeable difference in passages and pages. There is a lot of description though and some of it does get a bit boring. For instance, its admirable what they want to do with the Teas the elves like so much, but after awhile the idea gets a bit monotonous. There are some bloody battle scenes and violence in this book, and while not extremely graphic, perhaps enough to not be appropriate for younger readers.I can't wait to read the last book in the series although I'll be sad that its over. Its a great story with likeable characters.To Light a CandleCopyright 2004856 pagesReview by M. Reynard 2011
—Melissa
To Light a Candle continues the adventure of Kellen, who must learn how to hone his Knight-Mage abilities. However, his path is not easy, for They (the Endarkened) have led the Elves to discover their Tainted cousins... but to what purpose? Meanwhile, Cilaren, a boy in training to become a High Mage, becomes entangled in a scheme that, unbeknownst to him, is caused by one of the Endarkened’s servants. However, the Elves do not know just how in danger Armathelieh really is... and that if they do not learn of Their hold on it in time, the Endarkened may very well win this time round.This book was a very enjoyable read, albeit slow (however, that is the nature of the books and of the Elven culture itself). The depth of the world and the character development is fantastic, and I enjoyed how the various parts of the book came together. Humour is sprinkled throughout.However, things did tend to become slightly repetitive. From Kellen, we see the Elves preparing to fight, the Elves fighting, the Elves dying/becoming injured, and Kellen saving the day. Rinse and repeat (with developments and learning, of course, but the core of it is the same). Armathelieh’s side (with Cilarnen and Anigrel) was more dynamic.This slower pace, however, was more than made up for by the character development and description. These books feel very real to me, and I can picture everything vividly in my imagination. Ultimately, it was a good sequel, and I definitely look forward to reading the next book.
—Laura
I am really digging this series! I've always been a fan of Mercedes Lackey anyway, but I think I am starting to like this series more than her Valdemar series, which I didn't ever think was even possible. There is alot of description about well...everything. From horses, to weapons, to scenery, to clothing, to various inter-species customs, and so on and so forth. But there was alot of action too, which kept the story moving at a good pace. One of the things Mercedes Lackey excels at is character development. There is alot of time spent in the minds of the various main chracters, which was great to see. I enjoyed this book and I love this series immensely, but I could see how its relaxed pace might turn some people off. If you're looking for a fast paced, nonstop fighting/magic book then you may not like this. But if you enjoy books that take their time and have alot of chracter development then you will most likely enjoy this book as much as I did!
—Branwen *Blaidd Drwg*
