cover image The Gates of Twilight

The Gates of Twilight

Paula Volsky. Spectra Books, $19 (352pp) ISBN 978-0-553-37394-3

In the sweltering Aveshquian city of ZuLaysa, a revolution is brewing, and the result is an uncommonly sophisticated fantasy by Volsky, author of the critically acclaimed Illusion. Foreign, western Vonahrishmen ostensibly rule this preindustrial eastern realm, but the mysterious, ancient cult of the god Aoun is growing in power daily. Renille vo Chaumelle, a westerner with native blood, is asked to infiltrate this cult and cripple it if possible. The assignment is full of unexpected dangers and surprising revelations, which keep the narrative moving quickly. Together with a beautiful Aveshquian princess, Renille must ultimately confront the gods themselves in order to contain the erupting national violence. Volsky does not neglect the traditional hallmarks of fantasy; the land of Aveshq is reminiscent of India yet enlivened by magic and such wonders as yahdeeni, ferocious sea-going beasts of burden, fields of pungent blue spice and the glorious Oodpray Palace. But the author's greater accomplishments lie in the depth of her characterizations and the subtlety of her portrait of the clash of dissimilar cultures. Some of Volsky's attempts at tension between the protagonists can be a little clumsy (conversations with schoolmates had ``taught her that men were deceitful, selfish, and ruthless. No doubt exceptions existed, but dangerous folly to assume that Chaumelle qualified as such.''). Still this is a quibble in a a captivating novel whose appeal should extend well beyond fans of the genre. (Feb.)