Tomes of Spellcasting--School of Light

Tomes of Spellcasting

Welcome to the land of mystery, where the impossible is possible, and the improbable the reality. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with magic and meet the souls that wield this wondrous powers.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: School of Light
Author: Jody Lynn Nye
Publisher: Baen Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1999

The rule of the Dreamland is organized chaos. How better to describe the governance and existence in a world that changes according to the whims and dictates of the Seven Sleepers, where what is one thing one moment might be something entirely different the next? But what happens when someone tampers with that organized chaos to result in disorganized order? That is what happens when one of the Idealists of the School of Light undertakes a titanic undertaking: creating an illusion of the Castle of Dreams that is more perfect than the reality. Because those assisting him decide to use the illusions to their advantage to take over Dreamland, believing they can do better at governing the kingdom through their illusory officials than the real officials can. And such is their combined power that they come perilously close to succeeding! Only one young artist stands a chance of stopping this deadly plot: Juele, the newest student at the School of Light. But can she succeed against her elders, the all-powerful (social-wise, at least) Clique? And can she do so before the King's Investigator, Roan Faireven, betrothed and beloved of the Princess Leonora is executed by (an illusory) royal command?

School of Light is an excellent stand-alone book that has loose ties to Waking in Dreamland. Some of the events referred to in this book occur in that book, including Roan's elevation to Leonora's betrothed, and the subsequent change in his status once it becomes known that he is an avatar of one of the Sleepers is a direct result of events in Waking in Dreamland. However, these are items easily explained in this book, which doesn't necessarily necessitate a reading of that book, but I highly recommend it as that book is as enjoyable as this one is.

Part of the sustaining interest of this book is the development of Juele as a student at the School of Light. She endures the sorts of things any student enrolled at any school is likely to go through, including feelings of ostracization, feelings of inclusion, a desire to be part of the "in-crowd," pleasure at being noticed by the School's elite, and the dismay and horror she feels when she is shut out of everything. That's not even mentioning how awkward she feels about being so much younger than her classmates yet still being almost immediately associated with the school's top students. And following her through her ups and downs to the ultimate down and the subsequent up makes the storyline enjoyable and thoroughly sympathetic. But another key draw of this book is finding out what happens to Roan and Leonora and their companions from the search for the Seven Sleepers.

School of Light is an terrific book that explores other aspects of the Dreamland. In a place where substance is malleable, personal influence palpable, and everything subject to the will of the Sleepers, it stands to reason that the incorporeal should be pliable, right? So dealing with a world more perfect than reality (however inconstant that might be) is perfectly reasonable. Isn't it?

Rating: Thumbs up! What is more real in a world of dreams: the faded, marred, imperfect reality or the unscratched, undiminished, perfect illusion?

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