How can a people atone for an act against the Gods? A capricious, unruly set of Gods; pleasing one results in offending another. In the second book in The Asphodel Cycles, redemption seems less a gift than something to be earned. The earning itself, given the nature of the Gods concerned, is an impossibility.

The Gift of Redemption, the second book in The Asphodel Cycles, continues the high fantasy story of Tamsen Ka'antiro de Asphodel, heroine of the series. At the conclusion of Book One The Reckoning of Asphodel, Tamsen has successfully regained and rebuilt her father's lands that were destroyed by her half-uncle when he killed Tamsen's parents. As Countess of Asphodel, Tamsen has taken her place in the kingdom of Ansienne, and pursued and killed the assassin of King Lufaux. Despite, or rather because of these successes, the book ends somberly. The conclusion of Book One sets the dominant theme of Book Two The Gift of Redemption: that preserving both Human and Elven peoples has a heavy cost that Tamsen and those she loves must pay.

The Gift of Redemption opens with Tamsen at Asphodel. She has had a miscarriage and lost much of her sorceress power in a duel with her half-uncle Gabril de Spesialle. She has nightmares, which she suspects are sent by de Spesialle. In the dreams, her husband, the Elf Warrior Brial, is destroyed by de Spesialle and she is too weak to protect him.

Tamsen successfully plays her role in Court intrigue - both Elven and Human. She takes part in battles and wins wars. She discovers this is not enough. Humans and Elven conflict, the conflict between competing humans, is the result of conflict among the gods themselves.

She discovers she is a pawn in a game played between the Virgin Huntress goddess of the forest and protector of Elves, and Dis, god of the underworld. She is one in a line of Human Champions for the gods in their game. The game plan does not appear to include a 'happy ever after' ending for any of the Champions.

Tamsen is sent a series of tasks; she is given only enough information to stumble towards the next test. There are allies and enemies who reveal themselves in the state of play. There are rules, but she does not know them. What she is aware of is the consequences of failure - destruction of the Elves.

Ms. Summers is very good at characterization, creating minor as well as major characters that are distinctive. Characters from Book One continue to surround Tamsen but the characters themselves change as a result of events, particularly that of Brial, Tamsen's husband and Tamsen herself.

The Gift of Redemption is well written but lacks the playful use of language that was a notable feature of The Reckoning of Asphodel. There is less humor. The world is considerably more grim than young Tamsen thought in Book One and the language Tamsen uses in Book Two reflects that.

There is humor and there are lyrical passages, usually involving the deepening relationships of Tamsen and the characters important to her. She increasingly doubts her power and ability, but gains understanding and trust in her friends and husband. Tamsen finds love both a source of strength and a weakness as the book progresses.

There are trilogies, such as Mercedes Lackey's Arrows of the Queen, that are essentially three books that can be read independently. This is not one of them. The reader is given enough information to understand the plot of Book Two The Gift of Redemption independently of Book One but the complexity of the series, The Asphodel Cycle is lost. This is essentially one extremely long book broken into four long volumes - this volume includes 592 pages.

The Asphodel Cycle should appeal to fans of Tokien: high fantasy, noble characters, a world-changing quest. Like Tepper and Lackey, Ms. Summers presents a strong, likable and imperfect heroine with a good cast of supporting characters. If you like High Fantasy combined with romance, you should enjoy the series. I strongly recommend it, and am looking forward to the concluding volumes.

Reviewed by Wenonah Lyon
© August 2009