Book Reviews > Fiction > Fantasy

Scion of Cyador by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

Several reviewers at Amazon.com think Scion of Cyador by L.E. Modesitt Jr. is nothing more than a retelling of every other story in Modesitt's Saga of Recluce series. I've read the other books in the saga, and though I've loved them all, there is a thread of sameness running through many of the books. However, I've enjoyed the series regardless, and I've always found something exciting and new in each book to keep me hooked.

Scion of Cyador picks up where Magi'i of Cyador left off. Lorn is still on leave in Cyad, visiting his family and his consort Ryalth. Not long after the story starts, Lorn is sent to an outpost in Biehl where he has to deal with a corrupt enumerator and many barbarian raids. He manages to cope with the problems he faces in his usual straightforward manner and is soon sent on to another post where he is under the command of the devious Majer Dettaur (from Magi'i of Cyador).

Magi'i of Cyador set the tone, but Scion of Cyador takes the story of Lorn and Ryalth to another level. With political intrigue, deeper emotion, and plenty of action sequences, this book brought me into Lorn's world, where I was certain he was being tested for a destiny I could feel coming but never quite figured out until the end. Unlike a few of the previous books, where I was left feeling melancholy and anxious about the futures the characters faced, this book brought a smile to my face and left me with a light heart.

I can't discount the price Lorn pays for his success, nor the issue of just what is acceptable when striving for the greater good. These make up the the main theme of this book, in my opinion. There's a price for everything, and is the price of winning too high? At the end, I felt certain the answer to these questions were yes, Lorn's prize was worth the cost and that sometimes, you do have to make hard choices when your only real choice is between the many or the few.

I enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it.

Buy this book: Scion of Cyador by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
More info

Other Books by L.E. Modesitt, Jr.

Adiamante (Hardcover)
Adiamante (Paperback)
Ghost of the Revelator (Hardcover)
Ghost of the Revelator (Paperback)
Ghost of the White Nights (E-book)
Ghost of the White Nights (Hardcover)
Gravity Dreams (Hardcover)
Gravity Dreams (Paperback)
Of Tangible Ghosts (Hardcover)
Of Tangible Ghosts (Paperback)
The Ecolitan Enigma (Hardcover)
The Ecolitan Enigma (Paperback)
The Ecologic Envoy (Paperback)
The Forever Hero (Paperback)
The Octagonal Raven (E-book)
The Octagonal Raven (Hardcover)
Timegods' World : Timediver's Dawn ; The Timegod (Paperback)

** Out of Print **

Empire and Ecolitan
The Parafaith War
Hammer of Darkness
The Fires of Paratime
The Timegod
The Green Progression
Timediver's Dawn
Ecolitan Secession
Dawn for a Distant Earth (The Forever Hero, Vol. 1)
The Silent Warrior
In Endless Twilight (Forever Hero Trilogy, Vol 3)
The Ecolitan Operation