Beneath the Vaulted Hills
 Sean Russell
 (Guest reviewer - Bret M. Funk)
 1998 Daw Books
  ISBN: 0886777941
Amazon's price is: $7.99

A man of science once fostered in the home of the last of Farrland's magi, is called upon to aid his friend in escaping capture by both forces of the Admiralty & a group of mysterious strangers.

Guest Reviewer Bret M. Funk writes:

Beneath the Vaulted Hills is a beautifully-conceived fantasy tale, the first in Sean Russell's River Into Darkness series. His others are The Compass of the Soul, Moontide & Magic Rise.

The story follows Erasmus Flattery, haunted by demons from his past, who spends his life seeking knowledge of the arcane. His relationship with Samuel Hayes brings him closer than ever to realizing his goal. But he is not the only player in this game of intrigue.

The Tellerites, a band of renegade magi long thought dead, seek knowledge now known only by Lord Eldrich, the last Magi, a figure of mystery & legend, more feared than admired, who stops at nothing to remove the last vestiges of magic from the world before he, too, is forced to leave.

Each character has a role in the story, & the dramatic, cliff-hanger ending leaves the Reader wondering which characters move the pieces, & which are the pawns.

The concepts of empiricism & natural science, strongly woven throughout Beneath the Vaulted Hills, are rarely considered in fantasy works, & the setting -- a late-medieval society, empowered through the use of the recently-developed cannon -- is one not often explored by fantasy writers.
Nevertheless, Sean Russell manages to instill both personality & believability into his characters & their countries. Fans of both science & magic will delight in Beneath the Vaulted Hills.
(08/25/02)

Guest Reviewer - Bret M. Funk
2002©Bret M. Funk