Back to the land of Deverry for Dragonspell, the end of the first series in the sprawling affair that is the Deverry Cycle. I'll once again be be doing a first time and second time review, with the second half having most of the spoilers. The first half will assume a little that you've read the other books in the series, or some of the other stuff I've written about Daggerspell, Darkspell and Dawnspell, or reviews at other great sites like Womble's or Imyril's but it should work just fine on it's own.
Now get in the fast lane Grandma, this bingo game's ready to roll!
First Time
Friend, Rhwmanes, Nerdyfolk,
I am actually here to praise. I'm here to praise a lot. The first series of the Deverry Cycle is one filled with huge ambition in terms of the narrative arc, a personal focus, and sharp observations about the world. It's a fine ride but often stories are only as good as their ending. Fortunately, Dragonspell offers the finest take on Deverry since the series opener. Or to be more strictly accurate, the world of Deverry, because most of the action takes place not in the High Kingdom but in its neighbour Bardek.
It's at this point that I realise writing a review of book 4 that doesn't spoil books 1, 2 and 3 is basically impossible. Oh well. You've been warned. Still gonna try
The reason most of the action takes place in Bardek is due to a trap the Dark Dweomer has set for Nevyn, designed to lure him there. The old wonder himself is in Deverry for most of it, dealing with various political issues. That's the only real Deverry element though, particularly as this is the only book in the opening quartet that doesn't have any preincarnations. While this loses a bit of the charm the other books had, it does allow for a more compact and focused storytelling experience. For the ending, I think it was a wise move.
Ultimately, what makes a good ending is resolution. This is something Kerr mostly nails, although a few moments will come too easy for some tastes, and in some areas she deliberately leaves things open. It works for me but some might find it merely good. Rhodry the boy wonder finally - mostly - learns to see beyond his upbringing as the perfect honourable warrior-noble and get a more responsible view on life. He's no longer the man who'd cause endless trouble simply because he can't keep a lie. It's a long road, a painful one, and one that's not entirely altruistic, but it's realistic and satisfying. Cullyn finds happiness and truly leaves his many life-long obsessions behind.
And Jill? Jill finds the dweomer. Jill finds the understanding that she can't have it all, that no love is worth more than her self-worth and destiny. It's a hard ending but one that makes total sense.
If I had one criticism, it'd be that the plot is fairly straight forwards. This isn't a thriller and at times it trends towards introspection - it's the least warlike of this series. And that works for me.
All in all, a very fine ending.
Second Time
I'm not sure I really have a whole lot to add that's spoilery and deep. This is the least complicated of the books, after all.
Let's start with Lord Perryn, the mostly unwitting supernatural rapist. I'll be honest, I have a slight soft spot for his story simply because his not quite human nature manifests in such a dick. Don't get me wrong, in real life I'd have zero patience, but fantasy thrives on the alien and his half-understanding of morality is just that. Does he get off lightly for what he's done? Maybe. He suffers (some), he helps (some). It's restitution of a sort but I'm not sure it's enough to earn his very happy ending. But maybe that's the point. Sod revenge, go easy on the justice, and concentrate on our own happiness. Perryn won't do what he did again, and the rest can move on. As they do.
That said, this doesn't line up too great with a lot of the book. Jill accidentally creates magical creatures of pure revenge with very little consequence. Rhodry runs into an inferno just for revenge and survives. We know his desire for vengeance on Slaith will result in a very unhappy marriage, but that consequence is out of story. If Kerr's theme came through clear as flame in prior books, it's a little muddled here. It's a cracking character driven narrative but there's some issues that maybe don't hold up to more than casual scrutiny.
I'm really struggling to think of other issues. It's like Kerr's doled out all her lessons and here's it about the characters showing they've done their homework. In Rhodry's case, I do sometimes wonder about Kerr's decision to give him a fairly enjoyable bout of slavery (with the worst parts happening of screen). Maybe she needed him to be a slave but didn't want to go too deep into misery in her story. I certainly don't object to this. Maybe there's some subtle point of story I'm missing.
In any case, this is Jill's story. Thematically this makes sense. The boys needed to stop controlling her life so she could figure things out. Well, Cullyn and Nevyn saw sense long ago, and without the need to care for Rhodry, she's free. Arguably too free as she's learning the dweomer with only that prattling elf Salamander for guidance, which as noted, doesn't end well. This is not a tract in favour of complete total independence; it clearly says one of the best things you can do with your choice is to follow the right person. Is that satisfying? It was when reading it I guess.
And that's all that counts.
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