SUNSET AND A PROMISE
THE
GREAT TREE OF AVALON: THE ETERNAL FLAME
By T. A. Barron
400 pp.
Philomel books. $19.99.
Reviewed by John Clark
T. A.
Barron left readers with a bundle of unanswered questions at the end of book
two in the Great Tree series. In the final installment, he answers many of
them, provides a terrific finale, and leaves the door open a crack for
further visits to Avalon.
When
book two ended, Hennie the Hoolah and Batty Lad were missing, Elli and Nuic
were on their way to the Lost City of Light in Shadowroot, and Tamwyn was
high in the Great Tree, wondering if he would ever find a way to reach the
uppermost branches and rekindle the seven primary stars that his arch enemy
Rhita Gawr was extinguishing.
Book
three opens with Kulwych overseeing the tainted Elano crystal. Rhita Gawr
has left for the stars but not before giving his minion the tip of an
immense dragon claw. Kulwych uses this to create a necklace of great evil
power, drawn from the tainted crystal.
The
story then segues to Elli and Nuic, at the edge of a cloud high above
Airroot. While Elli knows that she will be able to fly upon the wind
currents once she jumps from her perch, knowing and doing are huge
differences to a young girl. Her memory of the scream that Deth McCall
emitted as he fell to earth isn’t helping. When her courage allows her to
take the final plunge, she is pleasantly surprised.
Meanwhile, Brionna, Shim, and Lleu are trying to convince other Avalon
residents to join the looming battle but are meeting stiff opposition from
surviving members of the spiritual community who are now under the spell of
Morrigon and the ethos of Humanity First. Brionna begins to suspect that
Morrigon is not what he seems. Unfortunately, she and her companions are
taken prisoner by members of a woodland dwelling tribe, now under his
influence.
Over in
Fireroot, Scree is in the process of righting the evils done by his clanfolk
under the leadership of the eagleman he has just killed…who was also his
son. Unfortunately, circumstances are too dire for Scree to have the luxury
of mourning his loss or even letting his physical wounds heal. Instead, he
must convince the surviving clan members that the real threat comes from
Rhita Gawr and the invaders he is letting enter the universe of Avalon.
While
these three scenarios unfold, Tamwyn stands over his father’s grave, looking
at the words he has just carved in the earthen mound “Here lies the body of
my father, Krystallus Eopia.” But even Tamwyn cannot take time to grieve,
for he senses the urgency of what is happening in the stars that he can now
see so clearly. His father’s torch, slung across his back, is a constant
reminder that while he may not know exactly how he will right things in the
heavens, he will find the way at the needed time.
These,
then are the four starting points for the characters we met in books one and
two. In the remaining pages, Elli and Nuic find an unexpected ally in a
long-destroyed underground city. Brionna unmasks an imposter, Scree succeeds
in turning the tide of isolation and mistrust among the Eagle clanfolk, and
Tamwyn reaches the stars and battles Rhita Gawr. There are an immense and
wonderful number of actions that flesh out those events. As you read, expect
to be totally immersed in the action. Plan to be deeply saddened as one
character dies and discomfited as another doesn’t. Expect to be very
surprised as Batty Lad and Hennie the Hoolah reappear, and one of them turns
out to be much more than they seem. Most of all, expect to enjoy a wonderful
and extremely well written conclusion to the trilogy.
