The Firehills of Orland is a combustible mixture of fantasy and adventure!

This second book in the series focuses on the country of Orland, a neighbor of Prand. Readers will be delighted to see Prand’s Second Loyals, Chaff and Haehli, in this book, and meet the new characters of Kelber and his brother Trendarmon.

Orland is plagued with firehills, which were erupting with increasing frequency. Although these firehills usually only spewed out fire, occasionally they would throw rocks large enough to kill livestock. During one of these eruptions, Kelber’s father was killed. Kelber becomes determined to silence these destructive firehills, but he needs the help of Orland’s First Loyal. Unfortunately, the First Loyal has been missing for two years, so Kelber and his brother Trendarmon travel to Prand to seek the magic of their Loyals. Chaff and Haehli join Kelber on his quest to free his land of evil, but in the process, they learn a lot more about what is truly good.

Although this story revisits the world created in The Eternal Trees of Prand, it can stand as a separate entity. The author has embellished the world of Orland with the same creativity and attention to details this reviewer praised in the first book. Orland is completely different from Prand, yet the common thread of belief and unity with the Eternal One is present.

The emphasis in this story is on the political maneuvering of the nations, yet the magical abilities of the Loyals were marvelously showcased, and provided a strong contrast to the power of men. There was a constant presence of danger, not only from the temperamental firehills, but also from the treachery of spies and powerful officials.

This reviewer was especially interested in the workings of the Loyals’ power. Readers will understand more about how they cast their Awareness, and how Chaff is able to co-mingle with other life forms. Each Loyal seems to have a special gift, which combined with the others, makes them truly invincible. However, to highlight the evil in this story, the author has allowed their magic to be susceptible to one element. Identifying and overcoming this obstacle makes this story hard to put down!

The Firehills of Orland ignites the imagination as it transports readers beyond the edge of reality.

Reviewed by Joyce
August 2004

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