[.ca] Gods'Concubine: Book Two of The Troy Game (ISBN 0765344432)

Much better than Hades' Daughter ---:
After I finished (and cried in the end of) the first part of the Wayfarer Redemption series, I eagerly started on Hades' Daughter, a historical fantasy that began with an ancient intrigue from the Greek myth of Theseus and Ariadne and spans till WWII. However, to my dismay, rather, the book was rather irritating in its endless details of gore and rape, that after finishing (and stopping for a while in between), I did not feel any anticipation for its sequel. Brutus was a \oidiot\c, Cornelia a useless, sniveling child, and Genvissa I disliked beyond measure, and the only sympathi-ble character, Coel, was ruthless slaughtered in the end. But Gods' Concubine got me reading and continuing this series once more. A fan of medieval and especially Arthurian literature, I decided to give this book a spin without consideration of its precessor: just for the history of it about the Battle of Hastings. Good gods, I'm glad I did. After 2000 years, the characters have finally matured into something resembling real people, instead of just flat, one way props! Caela/Cornelia is much much more likable and stronger, reminding me of Faraday in Starman, and thankfully, Coel returned too (I don't know what I'll do if he isn't here! Judging from the foreshadowings, he will be back for the next 2 books too, thank goodness) as Harold, the last Saxon king of England (and oddly, Caela's own brother, but I didn't find that disturbing, considering their previous liaisons). Brutus/William of Normandy has changed the most, learning to respect his wife as an equal and realized that Swanne/Genvissa as what the \owitch\c she really is. Swanna is the only rather flat character - she was malevolent and manipulative as always before. Everyone from the old cast had returned (mostly the British ones), plus some new figures such as Matilda of Flanders, who civilized that brute in Brutus. Poor Caela was still the battleground between Mag and Asterion, and some of the characters died the same way they did in their previous life...The strength of this book is that it is much more absorbing than the first. Many of the unnecessary details disappeared, and as a result, I hang on closely to each word as it unfolded the world of 1066 England or the character's thoughts and feelings.

The Game of London Town:
Gods' Concubine is the second novel in The Troy Game series, following Hades' Daughter. In the previous volume, Brutus the Kingsman and Genvissa, Mistress of the Labyrinth, have refounded the labyrinth of the Troy Game on Og's Hill, but Cornelia killed Genvissa before they could complete the ritual. Then Asterion the Minotaur conquered Troia Nova and razed it to the ground. Later he sent plaques and fires and other conquerors to destroy the city. Yet the labyrinth beneath the hills grew and the city was restored time and again, growing larger each time. In this novel, two millennia have passed and the principal personages have finally been allowed to be reborn. Brutus returns as William of Normandy and Genvissa as Swanne, wife of Harold Godwineson of Wessex. While he is not aware of it, Harold himself was Coel in his previous life. Others have returned also, including Mother Ecub, Loth as Saeweald, and Erith as Judith. The new wife of Edward the Confessor, King of England, is Cornelia, returned as Caela, but she too is not aware of her previous identity. For fifteen years, Edward refuses to bed Caela and, despite repeated proof that his wife is still a virgin, reviles her as a fallen woman; this continued virginity results in her being known as God's Concubine. While Swanne is highly desirable and has borne six children for him, Harold gradually grows to despise her and, after she stands by and laughs as his brother Tostig attacks him with a knife, he finally repudiates her and dissolves their Danelaw marriage. While all of Europe waits for Edward to die, the resurrected dead of Troia Nova gradually become aware of each other and realize that Asterion is waiting in the wings to take control of the labyrinth. Even though Caela cannot remember being Cornelia, she still bestows a priory upon Mother Ecub and patronizes Saeweald. Then she takes Judith as her chief lady in waiting. Finally, a vicious magical attack upon Caela by Asterion shakes loose the memories of her former life and she begins to consciously conspire with her allies. Then, too, Caela becomes aware of the Sidlesaghe, the ancient people of Britain who occupy the standing stones in and around London. Long Tom, the leader of these people, tells Caela that the labyrinth has conjoined with the land itself under London and both labyrinth and land long to complete the process with her as the Mistress of the Labyrinth. The Sidlesaghe begin to assist Caela in her efforts to counter Asterion and to help her move the Kingsman bands to new hiding places. This story resolves very little of the plot, but does allow Brutus (now William) to marry Matilda and to learn to respect his wife. As he grows closer to his wife emotionally, William develops a sense of empathy that he had not achieved as Brutus. He comes to regret his prior treatment of Cornelia and the other inhabitants of Troia Nova. In the same way, Cornelia (now Caela) becomes more mature and stronger willed. As God's Concubine, she learns restraint and perseverance. However, she is still naive and thus makes the mistake that leads to her death and the end of this phase of the story. Highly recommended for Douglass fans and for anyone else who enjoys historical -- or maybe mythical -- fiction with fantasy elements and a millennia long plot.

Sigh:
I love this series. I now wish I had waited until all the books were out for it, because now I'm going insane until the next one comes out!!!

Outstanding enough to be a keeper:
The Minotaur Asterion wants nothing more than to make sure that the Labyrinth stays destroyed for it is the only thing that can control him and prevent him from doing evil. When Troy fell, Brutus and his wife Cornelia traveled to the world now known as England where he met the mistress of the Labyrinth. They almost succeeded in rebuilding the TroyGame and completing the Labyrinth where they will gain immortality. A jealous Cornelia killed her rival Genvissa with the help of Asterion. Brutus and Genvissa must wait for another incarnation to complete the Game and achieve Immortality. For millennia Asterion has prevented them from being reborn but unable to find the six gold bands of power, he is forced to allow them to come back into the world so Brutus can lead him to the rings. King William of Normandy is Brutus. The Saxon King Alfred's wife Caela was once known as Cornelia. She is also the sister of Harold, once known as Col, the Saxon Earl who will be the next king of England. He is married to Swanne, the woman Cornelia once killed. Asterion knows who the players are, who they once were and is guiding their movements like a puppet master. The story of Alfred the Confessor and the war between Harold and William is given an original twist in this alternate world fantasy GOD'S CONCUBINE. This is primarily a reincarnation fantasy story whose characters are reborn to learn lessons they missed in their last incarnation. The elements of history, romance and fantasy blend together to make Sara Douglass's work a compelling reading experience. Harriet Klausner