[Chronicles of Tornor 03] • La Fille Du Nord 2

The final book in the Chronicles of Tornor (after World Fantasy Award- winning

_Watchtower_ and _The Dancers of Arun_ ) takes readers back to Arun, where

decades of peace and a ban on edged weapons in the great city of Kendra-on-

the-Delta have seen the famed _cheari_ warriors fade into legend. For 17-year-

old Sorren, bondservant to city councilor Arré Med, the wanderlust of youth is

fed by the need to learn whether the strange tower she sees in her dreams is a

real place. When Sorren learns of her namesake, the Lady of Tornor Tower of

northern legends, Sorren determines to go north and find Tornor when her bond

expires in a year. Sorren is surrounded by others who hunger for new

challenges, from her lover's adolescent son, Ricard, to the unhappy drunkard

Kadra-no-Ilezia, who longs to sail away and chart new lands. Likewise Arré's

younger brother, Isak, long relegated to the background while his sister

handled the Med's civic and business responsibilities, is determined to carve

out a role in the city's power structure--even at the cost of breaking ancient

law. While his scheme forms the core of the plot, at the real heart of this

book is the simple idea that peace alone is not enough for happiness. Sorren

charts her course into the future along with the rest of Arun, searching for

the wonder that makes life worth living. This is a thoughtful fantasy novel

which effectively mixes intrigue and adventure with dreams, thwarted hopes,

and renewed possibilities. _\--Charlene Brusso_