Mother of Winter by Barbara Hambly
Set five years after The Darwath Trilogy, the residents of Keep Dare have settled into something resembling an amiable lifestyle and government, but new troubles have arisen. An ice age is coming even though one shouldn’t be, food is scarce, and a new fungus is choking out all the farmland. All of which, naturally, is an invitation for the nobles to try to wrest power from Minalde, the queen and regent, and discredit her and her young son, Tir, who is struggling with the genetic memories of all the past kings. (I really hope it doesn’t surprise anyone that his father went insane.)
The plot is largely divided into two parts that overlap at different points, with Rudy at Keep Dare helping Tir and Alde and trying to find a solution to the food shortage, and Gil and Ingold investigating the cold, which leads them to an entity known as the Mother of Winter. I liked Rudy’s plotline, especially as he kept having to be more and more responsible, though I wish Alde had done more. I am, sadly, less fond of Gil and Ingold’s plotline, due to a certain aspect of it.
Specifically, that a lot of it revolved around Gil being sent dreams that gave her false memories of Ingold abusing her and raping her and selling her. We know it wasn’t real and she knows they’re lies, but they’re still in her head and feel real, and so I’m just left with a squicky feeling all around. Which is extra-unfortunate, as Gil is my favorite.
The plot is largely divided into two parts that overlap at different points, with Rudy at Keep Dare helping Tir and Alde and trying to find a solution to the food shortage, and Gil and Ingold investigating the cold, which leads them to an entity known as the Mother of Winter. I liked Rudy’s plotline, especially as he kept having to be more and more responsible, though I wish Alde had done more. I am, sadly, less fond of Gil and Ingold’s plotline, due to a certain aspect of it.
Specifically, that a lot of it revolved around Gil being sent dreams that gave her false memories of Ingold abusing her and raping her and selling her. We know it wasn’t real and she knows they’re lies, but they’re still in her head and feel real, and so I’m just left with a squicky feeling all around. Which is extra-unfortunate, as Gil is my favorite.