The Makers of Light by Lynna Merrill

Synopsis:

Spring is coming to Mierenthia, yet coldness is still keeping a tight grip upon the world. 

Reinstalled as a mentor but considering himself to be the attempted murderer of his father-figure Maxim, Dominick preaches the Master's wisdom but his heart is no longer in it. One morning he loses control and does what he thinks will condemn him forever. Instead, he is awarded with a task much harder, and much more important, than that of any other mentor. 

Merley is now walking on the path of artificery, that of working with metal through magic. Yet, at certain moments she abhors metal and the tools and fire that mold it in ways that no Ber should. 

Linden and Rianor continue to search for the secrets of science and Ber magic. They are almost convinced that the two are one and the same, when suddenly fire and magic fail even in Qynnsent. This forces them to doubt their choices. They must now decide what life truly is, as well as which lives are worth saving and which ones can, or should, be sacrificed.

Review:

So this is book two in the series, I reviewed the first book in the series The Seekers of Fire a few months back, and enjoyed it. To be honest first and foremost, if you are going to read The Makers of Light then you they you really should read The Seekers of Fire before hand, because this book really doesn't stand on it's own to well. I think you would appreciate it a lot more with at least a working knowledge of the people and the world the series takes place in. 

As with the first book the writer does a good job with creating a world and characters that you can enjoy and get wrapped up in. I think on of the things that made me like the book was that I recognized the people within it and everyone I already liked or enjoyed was there with me and along for the ride. 

Also another thing that went along with the first book was that the author was really good at bringing social issues into the book. She takes a look at a lot of different issues, but I really do enjoy her use of science throughout the book, and how it almost becomes like a religion to the people. 

I think there are a lot of things I could talk about that go on in this book, but I really think it would end up being like a huge spoiler for the first book. If I could on'y say one thing about this book is that the writer does a really fantastic job of continuing the series on. One of the most annoying things when I start reading a series is when the tone of the next book changes or I feel like the characters I fell in love with suddenly change, so this book being so on par with the last book makes this book all the more better. 

Overall, I think this book deserves the same good rating as the previous one got. Again I think anyone who like epic fantasy would enjoy this book. I also think if you read the first one the you really have to read the second one. I really do enjoy her writing style, and I always love when a woman writes epic fantasy. 

The Seekers of Fire by Lynna Merrill

***Check out the authors website at http://lynnamerrill.com/ ***

I myself have no read an epic fantasy book in quite some time, in fact before this most of my epic fantasy reads have all been free literature sites, where people upload chapter by chapter as it is written. This book was a welcome reintroduction to this genre.

I think one of the hardest things to do in epic fantasy books is introduce the reader to the new world that an author has created. Sure it's hard coming up with that world as an author, but introducing it to the reader is really the key, if the reader doesn't understand the principles behind how your world works, it won't matter how good your plot is.

Merrill dives right in with her book in introducing the reader, and quite effectively. The reader is really introduced to the world by one of her main characters, Lindon, and through her thoughts. This is accomplished largely because Lindon is at the age where her place in society is going to be determined. Because of this, as a reader, you are to get an explanation as to how this society works as well as be taken through how Lindon feels about what is going to happen to her.

A plus of the book is that it is a unique idea, which is refreshing especially for the fantasy genre as things can easily get repetitive. The books starts with the explanation that fire has become a direly needed commodity, and is only provided by the Bers (this society's highest people and they have the magical skill). This is unique, at least for me, because when you think of things you need to live, you think water and food. But in this world, they have water, but fire is limited.

Another reason I find epic fantasy books to be so fascinating is that they tend to focus on societies, and how they work and often times the question of those societies. I found it really interesting that the people of this society just take everything at exactly what they are told. And in this society there thoughts are even policed, those that think things that aren't in line with what society demands are subject to be punished.

Lindon and the Lord she becomes and apprentice for, Rianor, are both very interested in the science behind everything. While everyone else is willing to take magic as just a fact of life, these two are searching for the explanation behind how the magic works, and how science can explain everything.

One of the main issues I had with the book is often it moves too fast. Not necessarily on the action, but rather Merrill has something happen/impact a character, and then the character reacts so quickly it often times didn't give me enough time to understand those reactions, or made me re-read a few paragraphs to make sure I wasn't missing something. That being said having a book that moves quickly is a big help to keeping a readers interest.

Overall I would say this is a solid book. I would recommend it for anyone who likes epic fantasy books, or has and interest in books that search for the explanation of how things work or are. If you are looking for a more urban fantasy type book, this probably isn't your book, but might be a good way to introduce yourself to epic fantasy, epic fantasy is not for everyone but I think for those who like books that are an escape from real life should give the genre a chance.