I'm going to go ahead and review the remaining books of the Westria series by Diana L. Paxson. Last year, I decided to tackle this series, some of which I already owned. I hated the first two, Lady of Light and Lady of Darkness. I still generally enjoyed Silverhair the Wanderer, which was the book that got me involved in this series originally. Those three involve the first generation of protagonists, with Caolin the Seneschal, as overall bad guy sorceror type (though he is humanized and somewhat sympathetic in Silverhair).

The next four books involve the second generation, to wit, Prince Julian, the lost heir of Jehan and Faris (from the first two books), and his young friends and allies, with the assistance and opposition of the previous generation (Silverhair and Caolin, mostly). Julian is seeking the four jewels that give him power over the elements (lost at the same time as his disappearance many years ago). I

The Jewel of Fire--Julian, Robert, and extras go on the fourth quest. This time Caolin captures Julian and is sure he's won. Torture! Depravity! Descent into madness! Rana reclaims her sexuality and rescues Julian. Robert turns to a new love. Caolin is defeated and forgiven, the king and queen marry, and the land is rejuvenated as the royal avatars resume their proper function.

So what's my overall impression? It feels like the rest of the series is trying to make up for the superlatively bad first two books. Only the bad guy appears to be homosexual, or at least bisexual? Okay, we'll show that good guys can have gay relationships, and it's okay. There's a total lack of diversity in California--okay, well show that the world is still a diverse place, just not in Westria itself. Totally flaky heroine who whines and hides away in the first book? No problem, we'll have a brave and bold heroine in the second generation who'll have good reasons to suffer and grow stronger. Totally clueless hero in the first generation who just takes what he wants with no thought for the consequences? Fine, the second generation leader will be thoughtful and always conscious of his responsibilities. Having grown up as a stonecutter, he isn't awash in a privileged upbringing and the rarified atmosphere of court intrigues. And so on.

And in the end--it's all about Caolin, really, even in the penultimate pages of book seven. Because it's not enough to vanquish evil, we must understand the root causes and forgive it. Blech. TOTAL SPOILER HERE: And why is he evil and troubled--because he was abused as a child, of course. And also of course, evil and mental instability go hand in hand. Again, with the Christian allegory, despite this being a neopagan postapocalyptic utopian society. Cognitive dissonance and general nausea at how virtuous and magnanimous and understanding the good guys are. Plus nausea at the lovingly detailed torture and other horrors described in the last book. And really, I didn't like Caolin, so to have it all be about him, no. Well, the final book did end with the consummation, the ecstasy (so overdone!), the metaphysical rebirth, as demonstrated by all of the beacon fires spontaneously combusting. Talk about over the top metaphors. ( )