The last of the mages, Eldritch, begins the difficult process of removing all magic from the land, but a secret society known as the Tellerites attempt to claim that knowledge for themselves before he succeeds. Caught in the middle are Erasmus Flattery, his friend Hayes and the most beautiful woman in the Farrland court, while Eldritch, the Church and the Tellerites fight desperately to see their goals met. The detail is marvelous! If you've ever looked into the Grail legends or the mysteries of the Templar knights, then you will enjoy the rich tapestry of clues and dead-ends and treacheries that abound in this story!
Eldritch, the last mage, is a well thought-out character. Bent on making certain that all magical knowledge dies when he finally "crosses over," he maintains an intricate plot to forge events to his will. He is as ruthless as all the legends concerning him say, but the true feelings do surface once in awhile. I enjoyed his confidence and coolness under pressure, and as events draw toward a climax, the mage of legend steps forward.
Hayes, a man of high standing who has fallen onto hard times because his family's debts have exceeded their wealth, runs from strangers breaking into his modest apartment and into his friend Erasmus at a brothel. He tells his friend of his troubles and together they go looking for a third man who is also involved in the trouble surrounding Hayes. All the while, Erasmus Flattery and his friends, not fully aware of what they have stumbled onto in their search, must fight to understand what is happening and struggle to survive and determine their own destiny.
This is a wonderful story, full of adventure right up to the last page. It involves a wonderful mystery centered around a mysterious and empty vault carved into the side of a hill, a priest who leaves the Church to explore vast caverns and uncover a secret so terrible he is denied absolution on his deathbed, and a story surrounding the origins of a stranger who appears out of nowhere speaking a strange, foreign tongue.
Read this book. This was my first introduction to Sean Russell's writing, though he has other books that take place in this same land as well as an oriental adventure and several works of science fiction. I will get to those as soon as I can! This book goes onto my list of my top ten. It is sometimes difficult for me to say this book or that book is one of my favorites, but I really enjoyed this adventure and the mature nature of the whole plot. Some fantasy just doesn't have a mature theme. That's okay, but as I grow older, I naturally gravitate away from such books. If you are like me, then take my advice and buy this book. You'll be glad you did.
Beneath the Vaulted Hills is published by Daw fantasy and can
be ordered from Titan's online bookstore! Just follow the link.
(No cover art is available for this book.)
Hardback
$17.49
Softback
$5.59