David B. Coe’s ‘Winds of the Forelands’ series

900 years ago the Quirsi, a magically-endowed race with distinctive pale skin, white hair and golden eyes, launched an invasion against their northern neighbors, the Eandi—the invasion failed. As the Forelands series begins, the races appear to be coexisting peacefully. Several Quirsi serve as advisors to the various nobles in the feudal society of the northlands; close relationships have even developed between some Eandi and Quirsi. Simmering under the surface however is a general Eandi distrust of Quirsi, compounded by fear of the Quirsi’s magical abilities; for their part, many Quirsi chafe at their precarious acceptance under Eandi rule. Individuals of both races have delusions of racial supremacy.

A powerful Quirsi, known to his followers as The Weaver, seeks to end Eandi rule in the northlands. He’s patient and politically-savvy; over a period of years, he orchestrates a series of events to divide the Eandi kingdoms. His plan is to let them weaken themselves and then, when they’ve done most of the work for him, he’ll sweep in with his army and finish the job.

Throughout the series, characters’ intentions are clear to the reader; the suspense comes from hoping the other characters will recognize the peril they are in before it’s too late. Coe has done an excellent job with this. Political intrigue abounds and, with a sad ring of truth, most of the time the motivation is individual ambition rather than the greater good. Still, there is hope–-some characters will recognize their flaws and attempt to overcome them, some will make unexpected sacrifices. For me, the only major ‘flaw’ was the fact that the logical characters did not consult, or even discuss consulting, an important ghost, given the turmoil her murder caused (in this fantasy world, talking to ghosts is an option every Bian’s Turn).

David B. Coe’s ‘Winds of the Forelands’ series is a well-written story with interesting characters and a frank look at racial prejudice. There are multiple storylines to follow so I do recommend reading the books fairly closely together—the snowy days of winter are just the time to snuggle up with this series!

• Rules of Ascension
• Seeds of Betrayal
• Bonds of Vengeance
• Shapers of Darkness
• Weavers of War

*If this series hooks you, you’ll be pleased to know that Coe has begun a follow-up series: the first book is The Sorcerers’ Plague. While the Forelands series took place in the northlands, the follow-up series appears to be based in the southlands.

For more info, check this link http://www.sff.net/people/davidbcoe/SorcPlaguepage.htm

Happy reading!

Becky, Interdepartmental Librarian