Once again, Louise Cooper has weaved a world that is complex and vivid. A world were Chaos rules. Eclipse is the second foray into this world and it starts up where Star Ascendant left off. The overall story is the same as the first book, but this one just looks more closely at the players and the intertwining of their lives. The Lords of Chaos still rule the realm and their high Lord, Yandros, has decreed that the Lords will not interfere and their disciples shall have free will to choose their own path. His brother Lord Tarrod does not agree with the First Magus, Lord Vordegh, who is doing heinous things in the name of the Chaos Lords. Lord Tarrod thinks an intervention is warranted. Lord Vordegh is certain he must find the heretics quickly and his method of choice is force and fear but is this really the only way? Benetan Liss has chosen to forsake his gods for the love of a woman he can never have. Will his actions destroy more than himself? Iselia realizes that she is no longer the woman that first came to the Star Peninsula; she has changed and the one thing she lived for, her husband Kaldar, might not hold her heart like she once thought. Andraia has given her heart to the man Benetan Liss and part of herself to her Lord Tarrod. She now finds herself betrayed by one and forever longing for the other. She seeks solace in the arms of a very unlikely source, one who has also been betrayed. Savrinor lost his heart to the one that betrayed his very gods and now he has found himself questioning the loyalty of his only friend. Savrinor finds an alliance with an unlikely source that might give him the strength to protect all he holds sacred. Can the heretics be stopped before it’s too late? Will the Lords of Order weaken their prison even further? Will Lord Yandros realize that with free will the end of the reign of Chaos might come sooner rather than later?

Eclipse, while furthering the story of Benetan Liss, Iselia Darrow and Savrinor, also expands on the stories of Kaldar and Andraia. Benetan Liss, the loyal Captain of the Chaos riders, embarks on a journey based on deception and lies stemming from his one sided love of Iselia. He is blinded by his devotion to a woman he can never have and all the choices he makes stem for his need to protect her from herself. However, who is going to protect him? Kaldar is determined to aid the Lords of Order on their journey to reclaim their place on in the realm, although his allegiance is tested when he must choose between protecting the wife he has never really known or protecting the Lords. His decision sends him on a journey that will bring him into the lair of his enemy to discover the wife he left might not exist any longer. Iselia Darrow has changed and is no longer the woman who gave her heart freely. She is driven by revenge to the point where lies and the truth begins to blur for her and the decisions she makes might lead to her down fall and all those that love her. Andraia is motivated by love and loyalty for both a man and god. Her devotion is pure and her path is clear:she must protect those she loves and those she follows. She is not one to be blinded by love and, when it becomes evident that corruption has blinded the one she loves, she seeks solace with a kindred soul. She will protect her gods while still protecting those blinded by deception. Savrinor is more than the man people perceive; he is a devout follower of his gods and, when he finds himself forced to aid Lord Vordegh in his heretic cleansing, he finds that he begins to question his devotion. He is further tested when he discovers the woman he has given his love to has betrayed not only him but all that he treasures as well. He finds the strength to put himself in the line of fire to save all that he holds sacred.

Eclipse is the second in the StarShadow series. It is definitely not a standalone book, and I would have to recommend that to fully appreciate the intricacies of this story and to understand the world building, you do have to read Star Ascendant first. It is an excellent continuation of the story that Ms. Cooper has begun in her first novel. I really appreciated her development of Andraia and Kaldar. Andraia is by far my favorite character in the StarShadow world. She is a woman of privilege that isn’t afraid of taking chances and admitting when her choices were motivated by wrong decisions. She learns from her actions and isn’t blind to those around her. Above all else, her devotion to her gods is pure and drives her to grow. Andraia is the unexpected surprise in Eclipse. With that said, I would like to point out that I felt that this book did lack a little bit on its own personality. It didn’t really have a beginning or an end. It simply provided the continuation of the plot we were introduced to in the first installment. I felt that the growth was more with the characters and a lot less with the actual story. I am interested to see how Ms. Cooper brings the story to its grand ending in the last book of the trilogy. I will admit I am intrigued to see how this all ends.

Book Stats:

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Mundania Press LLC (September 30, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1594264406
• ISBN-13: 978-1594264405

To purchase a print copy of Eclipse from Amazon click here.

To purchase a print copy of Eclipse from Barnes & Noble click here.

To purchase an electronic copy of Eclipse click here.

Books in the Star Shadow Trilogy series in the order they should be read:
Star Ascendant
Eclipse

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