Cartomancy

Format:

Book

Title:

Cartomancy

Author:

Stackpole, Michael A., 1957-

ISBN:

9780553382389

Publication Information:

New York : Bantam Books, 2006.

Physical Description:

429 pages : map ; 24 cm.

Series title(s):

Age of discovery ;

Number in series:

BK. 2.

Summary:

"Under the shadow of invasion by a nameless enemy, there seems only one way to save Nalenyr from oblivion. The old heroes who once defended the land must be awakened. And accomplishing that requires a journey across the magical wasteland where they're rumored to be trapped - a wasteland rife with magic and danger." "Grandson of the Royal Cartographer, Keles Anturasi finds himself trapped in an enemy nation where his skill may well be his death sentence. His brother Jorim is an ocean away, captive in an altered realm in which he's regarded as a god. And their sister Nirati resides in a paradise that exists between life and death with her insane grandfather and an ancient sorceror bent on the world's destruction."

"Now they and their companions must struggle to survive in a world where war on earth mirrors war in heaven. What the gods themselves fear, men must brave. Heroes and mystics they may be, but can any of them survive in a world where things are seldom what they seem: a place where dreams can become reality - and reality can turn into a nightmare."--Jacket.

Subject(s):

Fantasy fiction.

Maps.

Genre:

Fantasy fiction.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Monmouth Public Library	Fic (sf) Stackpole, M. 2006	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

New York Times bestselling author Michael A. Stackpole returns with the second book of a groundbreaking trilogy charting exciting new territory in fantasy fiction. Cartomancy follows a group of trailblazing mapmakers with the power to discover new worlds--and shape reality itself. . . .

Under the shadow of invasion by a nameless enemy, there seems only one way to save Nalenyr from oblivion. The old heroes who once defended the land must be awakened. And accomplishing that requires a journey across the magical wasteland where they're rumored to be trapped--a wasteland rife with magic and danger.

Grandson of the Royal Cartographer, Keles Anturasi finds himself trapped in an enemy nation where his skill may well be his death sentence. His brother Jorim is an ocean away, captive in an altered realm in which he's regarded as a god. And their sister Nirati resides in a paradise that exists between life and death with her insane grandfather and an ancient sorcerer bent on the world's destruction.

Now they and their companions must struggle to survive in a world where war on earth mirrors war in heaven. What the gods themselves fear, men must brave. Heroes and mystics they may be, but can any of them survive in a world where things are seldom what they seem: a place where dreams can become reality--and reality can turn into a nightmare. . . .

"Michael A. Stackpole is incapable of writing a book that isn't imaginative and intelligent."--Stephen R. Donaldson, author of The Chronicle of Thomas Covenant

Author Notes

Michael A. Stackpole started his career as a role-playing and computer game designer before turning to writing. He lives in Arizona.

(Publisher Provided)

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Bestseller Stackpole's second book in his Age of Discovery series (after 2005's The Secret Atlas) offers more complex geopolitical intrigue shaped by magic-in particular, the chaotic "wild" magic released more than seven centuries earlier by "the Cataclysm," when the Empress Cyrsa split the realm into "the Nine Principalities." Grandmaster cartographer Qiro Anturasi, despite being the prisoner of Imperial Prince Cyron of Nalenyr, has somehow been able to create a brand new continent in what had hitherto been an unoccupied portion of the ocean. Meanwhile, Qiro's grandson, Kelos, who has been sent to map the wild lands of Ixyll, has been captured by Prince Pyrust of Deseiron, who, like Cyron, schemes to unite and rule the Nine Principalities. A profusion of characters and subplots slows the pace, but there's adventure aplenty for those who like their fantasies big and bloody. (Feb. 28) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Booklist Review

The prolific and gifted Stackpole continues the fantasy saga he began in A Secret Atlas (2005). Its setting is based on the great age of European exploration in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. In that era, maps were rare, expensive, and often credited with supernatural or, at least, mysterious powers. In the world of Stackpole's fiction, maps constitute a potent form of magic and are expected to bring together two brothers and a sister from alternate worlds to complete a collective quest: a life-or-death search for their homeland, which is menaced by invaders who can be defeated only by legendary champions who shall rise from the dead (shades of the legend of Frederick Barbarossa!). Sufficient suspense, enough action, intelligent characterization, and detail drawn from this-world history all boost Cartomancy well above the ruck of the standard quest tales, though to its credit, it can be enjoyed simply for the quest, too. Another feather in Stackpole's already well-plumed cap. --Roland Green Copyright 2006 Booklist

Library Journal Review

As the world faces an invasion from an unknown enemy, brothers Keles and Jorim Anturasi, grandsons of the Royal Cartographer, along with their sister Nirati embark on perilous quests to reawaken the sleeping legends of the past. The sequel to A Secret Atlas continues the author's ambitious tale of love in a time of danger and faith in a time of no hope, with his carefully layered plot and intriguing characters adding depth. A good choice for most fantasy collections. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.