Tilja lives an idyllic life in the Valley, which has known peace for 18 generations, guarded to the north by a glacier, and to the south by a magic forest. But the magic is dying, and soon the horsemen from the north and the Empire's army from the south will ravage their land again. So Tilja and her grandmother, and Tahl and his grandfather, from the two families who have guarded the magic all this time, set forth on a quest to find the magician who helped their people all those generations ago. They are shadowed by a strange character who calls himself the Ropemaker: is he a friend, or their worst enemy? And why is Tilja's complete lack of magic so important?
This is a good tale, with a great sense of pace as the foursome travel through the enormous Empire on their quest. (At times, for some reason, I was reminded of the feel of certain areas of Barsoom.) The quest isn't to easy, for the most part, and it's not just a succession of plot coupons to gather. I enjoyed reading it, but I felt the ending was somewhat weak. A quest to restore the status quo in the Valley, yet precipitating earth shattering changes in the Empire, seems to lack a sense of proportion.
