A Magic of Nightfall
By S. L. Farrell
Daw, $24.95, 624 pages
Farrell started the series with A Magic of Twilight, a proposed multi-generational story of Nessantico, an empire in decline. The former vassal state, Firenczian, is now becoming a power of its own, and the barbarian neighbors of the west are beginning to eye Nessantico as potential prey. Following a generation later, A Magic of Nightfall has some of the same main players, but also some new ones. On the Sun Throne of Nessantico is the boy king, Audric, nearing his majority, but also becoming more mad as it approaches. Potential contenders for the Sun Throne are beginning to circle, and the official faith has been sundered with competing centers of power.
Modeled after a medieval/ Europe, A Magic of Twilight is a pleasant change from questing heroes, and world-ending evil beings. While character friendly, the story’s focus is on the twilight of empire, that sometimes moves slowly enough that it can’t be noticed at the center, until too late. And empires often have a resurgence, albeit usually limited, that can prolong the final death. Farrell does an excellent job creating a realistic political environment for his world, and one that can probably only get more complicated in the next volume.
