Dawn

by Tim Lebbon

Bantam, 400 pp, $12.00

Dawn is the sequel to Dusk.

Noreela teeters on the brink of annihilation. At its center grows a stronger magic. A boy carried the seeds of this magic within, a promise of a new golden age until the exiled mages extracted the power, and warped it to their own ends.

Now the mages have raised an army of unstoppable war machines and warriors under their most trusted Lieutenant to destroy Noreela through an almost inconceivable reign of bloodshed.

But the last survivors will not go gently into the night. Kosar the Thief becomes the reluctant leader of a desperate band of rebels. They include a dreaming librarian, a fledge mine, and a witch. In those dreams, Alishia finds the past they must follow. A prophesy that says the future of the land lies in the womb of the land will emerge in an unborn child......if she can stay alive till dawn.

Lebbon has continued his fantasy with well-drawn characters, a literate handling of the horror of war and people coming to their destiny. The final battle leaves the loose ends begging for a sequel for resolution. This is fantasy noir, dark and twisted but with seeds of hope. If you like horror with your fantasy, you will love this one. - Pam Allan