The Gathering of the Lost by Helen Lowe
Wall of Night series. Orbit Books, 2012. ISBN 9780356500577
(Age: Young adult/Adult) Highly recommended. Gathering of the
Lost is the second of Helen Lowe's four-book Wall of Night
fantasy series. Lowe loses none of her ability to weave her poetic
imagery into each page, as she links these first two narratives.
While retaining many familiar characters and introducing a host of
new figures, she manipulates the increasingly broad cast with ease.
Gathering of the Lost builds superbly on its predecessor The Heir of
Night.
Lowe skilfully takes her readers into Gray Lands and Wild Lands; and
speaks of the lands beyond the river and along the road to Ishnapur
and Jhaine... It has been five years since Malian, The Heir of Night
and her friend Kalan, were lost to the winter of Jaransor. Yet even
now, there remain those - perhaps friend, perhaps foe - who still
cannot believe Malian is dead...
Long ago The Earl of Night's minstrel, Haimyr the Golden, had
desired that Malian flee the Wall of Night. But now there is urgency
to find her. Believing the heralds Jehane Mor and Tarathan of Ar
have hidden Malian, Haimyr issues a summons for the Heralds to
return Malian to the Keep of Winds. The ever-astute Jehane Mor
senses a veiled threat however, and ponders why the minstrel should
now wish for Malian's return.
Soon there are more questions than answers. Much is happening - an
attack on the Guild, bloodshed during the Festival of Masks, and an
attack by the beast-men (were-hunters) for a start. Importantly, the
reader is introduced to Carick, a River scholar, who was unprepared
for bloodshed and warfare when he left the peaceable realms of Ar in
the Riverlands and became cartographer to the Duke of Emer. Then as
Jehane Mor invokes the dark sky during a wholesale attack by the
were-hunters, Carick stands with arms outstretched, listening to the
voice of the night-wind pleading him to hold with her, against the
might and power of the were-beasts.
While there are references to killing, Lowe's lyrical narrative
tempers the tone. As Lowe's cinematic composition unfolds, her
readers are treated to characters who are not always who they appear
to be, and Malian's whereabouts remain unclear. With inky creatures
here and mind-speak there, people morphing into beast-men, and
attempts to pursuade The Lost, it is easy to become absorbed in this
magical web of intrigue.
Like its predecessor, Gathering of the Lost is an
exceptionally well-crafted book, that builds seamlessly on its
predecessor. Highly recommended for young adult and adult readers of
fantasy.
Colleen Tuovinen