Storm Rising is the second book in the Mage Storms trilogy, and in many ways it is my favorite. All of the Valdemar books are very character-driven, yet somehow this one is even more so. There is a diverse cast, all of whom are approaching the central problem from wildly different perspectives, which makes the story so engrossing.
Even though he is clearly a villian in the first novel, I really love Tremane’s character. It’s hard to not to soften one’s feelings about him as the man he truly is aside from the Empire emerges. His perspective is so different from that most of the Valdemaran characters and their allies, making it a fresh and unique point of view. He’s been put in a unforeseen situation, one that truly changes him.
And it may make me terrible, but I really enjoy Firesong’s story in this book. Until now, everything in his life has come rather easily to him. Power, love, admiration, the ability to solve almost any problem with his magic. Those things have given him a sense of superiority that often led to arrogance that others seemed to consider part of his “charm,” his abilities used to forgive those moments. But in this book, Firesong doesn’t have all the answers. His power and knowledge have been tested, and his love is drifting away. For once, he isn’t the center of attention. So it was rather nice to see him struggle. It made him less perfect, made him realize that he was no better than anyone else. There was real darkness for him, often terrifyingly so. It made his character much less likeable for awhile, but I did love his redemption near the end.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and can’t wait for the next!