"Wonderful good vs. evil fantasy"

She awakens in a field of corpses with no memory of who she is, where she came from, or how she got there. Archer, a man cursed with immortality, and his friends Giri and Ratha find her and the dead child she is carrying. He takes her to Bandylegs Inn in Whitewater where she recovers her ability to speak and recalls her name is Tess Birdsong. The innkeeper's daughter Sara, Tess, and the three men who found her sense something evil is coming for her.

Winter arrives unnaturally early and the townsfolk go hungry. Tess and her new friends along with Sara's wannabe lover Tom travel together in hopes of learning who she is, but are stunned to find a ghost town whose crops and food supply was poisoned. Rumors are heard that a powerful mage gathers those with Ildwin blood to harness their power in a quest to conquer the world. He apparently is calling Tess to come to him, but Sara hears him too. The magnificent six knows they must battle the malevolent mage, but remain clueless that beyond this dimension the Chained One uses the evil sorcerer as a puppet for his mysterious malignant purposes.

SHADOW OF MYTH is a fantastic fantasy set in a world where magic exists. The six champions are strong souls; Tom and Sara and Archer and Tess are delightful couples who work well together although Archer remains a bit of an enigma as he hides his true feelings for a woman more powerful than he is. Rachel lee, known for her terrific romantic suspense tales, provides a wonderful good vs. evil fantasy.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted December 5, 2004

Summary

No memory, no future, and only a white rose to identify her. . . The Ilduin Bane are myth and legend: assassin mages whose blades drip poison and whose minds share a common purpose- one of death or control. All who have gone against them have been lost, unable to penetrate their powerful protections. And so Archer Blackcloak gathers a small band to bring about the downfall of the Bane. From Archer comes strength of purpose and an indomitable will. Ratha and Giri, the Anari warriors, give the group a fighter's skill and temper. They are joined by Young Tom, whose unwavering loyalty is matched by an insatiable curiosity, and by Sara Deepwell, who has a surprising talent for magic. From their last member, Tess Birdsong, the only survivor of a brutal attack that left her with no memory, comes the power of one who has nothing left to lose. But the road to freedom is long and twisted, and before they are finished their old sorrows may destroy them. Yet once started, they cannot turn back--no matter how high the price to be paid. . .