The kingdom of Chenedolle is ruled by the stars, stars that are currently moving toward a transition that heralds a major upheaval, and possibly even the death of its reigning Queen. Astreiant, Chenedolle's capital, could face this astrological crisis with a certain equanimity, having survived others of its kind, but this year the city is on edge as the annual Midsummer Fair approaches. More than the usual number of children are disappearing, and, unlike the usual runaway apprentices in search of adventure, these missing children leave no trace, living or dead.
For Nicholas Rathe, Adjunct Point - the equivalent of a senior police officer - in the working class southriver district of Point of Hopes, these disappearances are very much his business. And he is willing to enlist the most unlikely assistants - including an out-of-work soldier named Philip Eslingen - in order to find the missing children before the city explodes.
Praise
for Point of Hopes:
"Scott and Barnett use elegant and well-crafted
language to carry the
discerning reader into a world where astrology works. The two
handle the interwoven characters, plots, and sub-plots with skill
and an understated sense of wit. Both the complexity of the characters
and the sense of magic grow with every
page." -L.E. Modesitt, Jr.
"Like Scott and Barnett's previous collaboration, The Armor of Light (1987), this book features good writing, good characterization, and exceedingly superior world building. [Astreiant] has a marvelous lived-in quality, and most of the characters are ordinary middle-class citizens, not members of either the fantastic elite or the hyperrealistic underclass that are both so prevalent in fantasy these days. Place this one high in the just-plain-good-reading category." -- Booklist
"...offers considerable delight to those who enjoy intellectual puzzles of the fantastic kind" -- Publishers Weekly
"Barnett and Scott have collaboratively created a lively and literate work laced throughout with stately charm." -- Locus
"Strong, likable protagonists and a vividly detailed supporting cast bring an emotional veracity to this well-wrought tale." -- Library Journal.
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