The Shadow Roads (The Swans' War, Book 3)

After the King of Ayr died without naming an heir, a century of enmity destroyed the one kingdom, as the mighty families of the Renné and the Wills fought to determine the crown in a bitter storm of treachery and blood. But now the decades of hatred have woken the unquiet river spirits from their timeless sleep, andrevived a feud more deadly than any conflict of man. As alliances shift and loyalties are tested in the harsh civil war between the two great families, each determined to destroy the other, Toren Renné still fights for peace, hoping to stop the age-old war. But betrayals and double crosses rack the Renné and the Wills, even as a larger threat rises. For the dark knight Hafydd has made a sinister alliance that leads him to secrets hidden for eons, including one that could destroy them all.Only a brave few have managed to stand against Hafydd, and they are scattered throughout the land after a painful defeat: lost, separated, and weakened. Left for dead, the enigmatic wanderer Alaan must find his way through the treacherous, shifting southern lands, accompanied by the courageous Valeman, while Elise Wills, transformed by an eldritch bargain, pursues Hafydd herself as the nagar fight for revenge and the armies of the Renné and the Wills clash for supremacy on the battlefield.But what began as a struggle for a crown hasbecome a fight far more perilous, for woken by the wars of man and nagar, even Death himself is preparing to leave his fell kingdom and walk the world again. And if the door to his dread domain cannot be shut, the feud between the Renné and the Wills and even the ancient wars of the nagar will be as nothing compared to the coming doom.Lyrically written, dramatic yet poignant, the eagerly awaited The Shadow Roads concludes at long last the epic tale of the Swans' War, a triumph of literary achievement and the height of Sean Russell's acclaimed career to date.

From Publishers Weekly

Like the River Wynnd at its center, the conclusion to Russell's Swans' War fantasy trilogy (after The Isle of Battle and The One Kingdom) rolls inexorably along, with many a tributary feeding into the main story. Ancient enchantments combine with contemporary hatreds to fuel a grand war for the kingship of the land, behind which lies a darker plot. The undying children of Wyrr work through human avatars, struggling to find the hidden resting place of their father and to remove or preserve the spell that keeps Death from the mortal realms. Their struggles involve all the folk who live in the land between the mountains, whether warlike or not. Hafydd, the black knight who bargains to release Death, must be defeated by both his enemies (Lady Elise Wills, Alaan the wanderer) and his allies. The story takes on depth from its depiction of myths come to life and the complexities of political struggles where neither side holds a monopoly on virtue or villainy. Unfortunately, the proliferation of warring parents, siblings and cousins leads to confusion as to which "Lord Wills" or "Lord Renné" has turned traitor or true once more. Russell provides a good feel for the tragic in prose that can ring as bright as rushing river water. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Back Cover

After the King of Ayr died without naming an heir, a century of enmity destroyed the one kingdom, as the mighty families of the Renné and the Wills fought to determine the crown in a bitter storm of treachery and blood. But now the decades of hatred have woken the unquiet river spirits from their timeless sleep, andrevived a feud more deadly than any conflict of man. As alliances shift and loyalties are tested in the harsh civil war between the two great families, each determined to destroy the other, Toren Renné still fights for peace, hoping to stop the age-old war. But betrayals and double crosses rack the Renné and the Wills, even as a larger threat rises. For the dark knight Hafydd has made a sinister alliance that leads him to secrets hidden for eons, including one that could destroy them all.Only a brave few have managed to stand against Hafydd, and they are scattered throughout the land after a painful defeat: lost, separated, and weakened. Left for dead, the enigmatic wanderer Alaan must find his way through the treacherous, shifting southern lands, accompanied by the courageous Valeman, while Elise Wills, transformed by an eldritch bargain, pursues Hafydd herself as the nagar fight for revenge and the armies of the Renné and the Wills clash for supremacy on the battlefield.But what began as a struggle for a crown hasbecome a fight far more perilous, for woken by the wars of man and nagar, even Death himself is preparing to leave his fell kingdom and walk the world again. And if the door to his dread domain cannot be shut, the feud between the Renné and the Wills and even the ancient wars of the nagar will be as nothing compared to the coming doom.Lyrically written, dramatic yet poignant, the eagerly awaited The Shadow Roads concludes at long last the epic tale of the Swans' War, a triumph of literary achievement and the height of Sean Russell's acclaimed career to date.

About the Author

Sean Russell is the author of The One Kingdom and The Isle of Battle, previous books in the Swans' War trilogy, plus the River into Darkness books: Compass of the Soul and Beneath the Vaulted Hills; the Moontide and Magic Rise books: Sea Without a Shore and World Without End; and Gatherer of Clouds and The Initiate Brother. He lives on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, with his wife and son.

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