To Darkness Fled

Christian fantasy is the wee niche in which this fat book fits, and here’s hoping its quality helps enlarge the niche. Williamson pens an action-packed, imaginative second installment in the Blood of Kings trilogy. Achan Chan, a prince who was switched at birth, rides with a party in Darkness, the unlit half of the Kingdom of Er’Rets, to free two unjustly imprisoned knights. His party includes Vrell Sparrow, who is Lady Averella Amal disguised as a young boy to flee an unwanted marriage to Esek, who has usurped the identity of Prince Gidon Hadar. All the familiar epic elements and emotions are freshly rendered, with Vrell and Achan especially memorable as they grow during their journey. The Christian elements are not subtle, especially Achan’s dramatically unnecessary chat with Câan, son of the one god Arman. Overall, though, the pace gallops along, leaving readers hungry for the concluding book. (Apr. )