During the wedding celebration of his king, Cyan Dag, a loyal knight who sees what others do not see, is told that the new queen is a lie created of sorcery by the being who masquerades as her. To save his king, the knight goes on a journey to free the true queen from her tower prison. Along the way he reaches two other towers, makes a deal with a dragon for his enemy's life, saves the life of a selkie, and befriends and helps others as any honorable knight would. While he seeks the queen, the son of a land held as part of the kingdom he serves, seeks a dragon and its gold to find freedom for his people. On his journey towards war, Thayne Ysse finds the man who saved his younger brother from death and learns that not all men who would seem enemies actually are so.
Impression: I loved this books almost as much as Ombria in Shadow. Told in the same poetic style, it's a fairy tale for adults with the same convoluted plotting that marked Ombria. Unlike Ombria, however, McKillip gives an explanation for the ending, which I thought was a nice touch, though the book would have been just as intriguing without it, I think. what's nice about it is that the explanation makes sense and doesn't intrude upon the story. It comes about very naturally. As always the setting is strong. The characters, while following something of an archetype, are still unique in both how they present the archetype and in their own voices in the novel. Another truly enjoyable novel by one of the best authors of fantasy.
