Fifth Sorceress

The Fifth Sorceress is an undoubtedly impressive debut in epic fantasy for Robert Newcomb. It has a dark magnificence in many of its set pieces of slaughter and magic, even though it is seriously flawed by a prurient paranoia about powerful women and unfettered female sexuality. Young Tristan is about to inherit the throne of Eustracia and resents the fact that his entire life has been mapped out for him--30 years of kingship followed by immortality as a wizard. Nothing, though, is going to be as he expects; centuries earlier the wizards of Eustracia exiled four powerful sorceresses, who had almost won a particularly vicious civil war. Now that Tristan and his sister have been born--filled, unknown to themselves, with magic potential--the sorceresses' plans have matured and they are about to return in blood and terror. Newcomb has a real gift for describing violent action and intense emotional states; he puts his hero through a series of ordeals as upsetting as they are thrilling. Tristan wins, as we always expect him to, and then Newcomb gives us a slingshot ending that implies fascinating sequels of ever escalating wonder and terror. --Roz Kaveney