The Silver Stone
Joel Rosenberg

Rating:  
Series: Keeper of the Hidden Ways
Previous Novel: The Fire Duke
Next Novel: The Crimson Sky
Publisher: Avon Fantasy
Publish Date: 1996

           In this second installment of the Keeper of the Hidden Ways series, we are once again transported to the Middle Dominion, a land where Norse gods roam and conspire to remake the universe in their image. Ian Silverstein, a bit of a hard luck case, and a superb fencer, discovers he may be much more important than he imagined. There is a rumor that he is the fabled Promised Warrior although he is quite certain there is some mistake about his identity. Odin, disguised as a ferryman named Harbard, has charged Ian with the task of stopping a war. To this end, he provides Ian with a powerful weapon fit for a god. The spear Gungnir is dangerous even to Ian and must be handled with great care, least it kill the unwary. With Gungnir in hand, Ian and his landlord from Hardwood North Dakota, Arnie, must face the Sons of Tyr to deliver Odin's command for them to refrain from waging war. But questions remain about Odin's true purpose as more of the magical crystals which compose the Brisingamen necklace are discovered. One who wields the completed necklace would be able to destroy this reality and create a new one in their own image. Perhaps, this is what Ian is afraid Odin really has in mind, considering he is the god of war and is purportedly trying to stop a war.

            The Silver Stone is a worthy follow up to the first novel in the series, The Fire Duke. Rosenberg reveals more about the characters and draws the reader in with complex familial interactions that ring true. For example, Torrie's mother, Karen Thorsen is involved in a plot to keep her son from the dangers of the Middle Dominion by willingly sacrificing his best friend Ian to those same dangers. This plot is just the beginning of cleverly woven and interesting motivations which Rosenberg builds into the subtext. The story culminates with a showdown between the Sons of Tyr and the Hardwood natives. What was a surprise to me was the large role Arnie, the retired North Dakotan widower plays in the final analysis.

Gods and magic, monsters and the hearts of men are all convincingly portrayed in the second book of The Keeper of the Hidden Ways series. I give this book a solid three swords and would recommend it and its predecessor to any fantasy fan. Rosenberg truly has a talent for characterization and an ability to blend the hard reality of our world with a believable vision of a fantastic alternate world.

Reviewed by Chris Hart