From Whatever Shadows they come

From Whatever Shadows They Come Agnes-Mary Brooke, Medlar Press (Nelson), 211 pages, paperback, $16.95.
ISBN 0 9582198 7 7

This historical fantasy combines the Arthurian legend, space travel, Celtic myth, Joseph of Arimathea and time travel with the idea that mysterious groups named Older Others and Outer Others have watched over Earth for the last two millennia. The story is centred on a quest by three princes, Dragos, Gerwin and Meer, of the House of Elix, a dynasty of Guardians whose role is to protect Complexity, a planet “out by the far sentinels of space”.
The plot is as complex as the text is dense, and only for dedicated readers. On page 34 a reference to Christchurch’s trees triggers Gerwin’s grotesque rant against “the intolerance of a new breed of thought-police.” Ideal for readers from 60 to 75.

This brief review by Trevor Agnew was first published in The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand in 2006.

Note: Agnes-Mary Brooke now publishes under the name Amy Brooke.