In this second volume, Ygorla launches her rein of terror against the land, beginning with the dwelling place of the High Margrave, Summer Isle. The bard Strann has the misfortune to have been called to the island to provide music for the High Margravine's birthday party. He and the ship's company are first beset by a freak storm that damages the ship and forces them to dock, even though they can see through the captain's spylass that the dockside is littered with corpses of soldiers and dock officials, and then they are attacked by the malicious supernatural conjurings that serve Yglora. Dragged before Yglora and forced to witness the slaughter of his fellow captives, Strann draws on his bardic powers to flatter the sorceress' monstrous ego and wins a temporary reprieve, but at the cost of the respect of others and his own self-respect.

Meanwhile, Tirand, High Initiate of the Circle of magicians in the far north is at first disbelieving of his sister Karuth's psychic intuitions that Yglora is a threat, and then when he is forced to accept it by the arrival of supernatural visitants bearing Yglora's demands for capitulation and worship, he is only too eager to believe that the gods of Chaos have broken the pact called Equilibrium, the pact they had won with so much difficulty two generations previously. Tirand enforces a repudiation of the Circle's fealty to Chaos, replacing it with the sole worship of the gods of Order, and is increasingly hostile towards his sister. Unfortunately nearly everyone follows his lead and Karuth is ostracised, and actively threatened by Order itself.

I enjoyed the focus on Strann and his precarious position, and on Karuth's almost equally difficult situation. These are both characters who are sympathetic, although flawed with believable faults. Both have to overcome their own fear to act decisively. There were also cameo appearances by Yandros, chief lord of Chaos and his brother Tarod, who was the hero of the first trilogy. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as book 1, possibly because Yglora is such an insufferable character and Tirand, Karuth's brother, is increasingly annoying but then they are both keeping to their character briefs. So a solid 3 star rating.

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