Chanting the Storm: Chanting the Storm

Set in Britain in A.D. 688, this final book in the Chanting trilogy is a Druid love story heavy in period dialogue and narrative. When Druid sorcerer Evain sets out upon a quest to rescue his captured brother-in-law, his foster sister, Anya, is determined to follow. Evain does not discover Anya's scheme until it is too late to send her back to her family. His mission is compromised not only by Anya's presence, but by her dabbling in Druid powers she has no right to use and by their forbidden attraction to one another. The usual pitfalls await the pair, who never connect emotionally and are as lacking in sexual tension as any proper brother and sister, leaving the reader eager for some key character development which never materializes. As if aware of this lack, Rogers overcompensates by using such tired plot devices as an orphaned child and a fox to add sympathy and scenes of unnecessary nudity in place of skillfully crafted sexual tension. Eventually, the liberal use of inverted sentences, rather than lending period flavor, becomes wearing (``Over Evain rolled a consuming fury with himself for stealing a kiss from an unconscious Anya. . . .''). While mysticism and Druid chanting abound, there is very little evidence of the magic of true romance. Author publicity. (May)