Prince Conrig of Cathra is heir to the throne of one of the four kingdoms of the Isle of Blenheim, an island in the far north of its world, beneath the glow of the northern lights, an island where magic is a little closer to home than in more southerly climes. The four kingdoms were once one, the heart of the great empire of old; and Conrig is determined to unite them once more. He’ll have the help of an interesting crew, including his brother, the alchymist Vra-Stergos, Princess Ullanoth of Moss, daughter of the Conjure-King, and Deveron Aubrey, the prince’s squire. Aubrey is a “wild talent”, one to whom certain kinds of magic come easily. Arrayed against him are Ullanoth’s brother Beynor of Moss, the king of Didion and his sons, and some opportunistic folks from down south. Although, it’s clear that there’s more going on than meets the eye.

I usually like Julian May’s work. She’s creative, and she’s got quite the imagination. And there are quite a few neat, innovative bits in this book, especially as regards the system of magic in use in Blenheim, which is middling rare for a book of epic fantasy. At the same time, it didn’t really float my boat. Few of the characters really captured my sympathy, and I lost interest in how it was all going to work out.

That said, it wasn’t awful; I may, at some point, pick up the sequels. But I’m not going to be in any rush.