Ever since I realized that the different installments of Chronicles of Elantra would focus on the varied species or culture of Elantra, I looked forward to the volume that would focus on the Leontines.
Mostly because Sergeant Marcus Kassan is a fun character to read, all bristling fur and primal reactions tempered with a soft spot Kaylin Neya... she who has many failings when it comes to coming to work on time or keeping her uniforms intact. And because of all his Kaylin-related stress, I felt that Marcus deserved his own story. And, given the nature of the Leontines, I immediately surmised that Cast in Fury would focus on him and his kind. Seriously, no other title would suffice.
Kaylin Neya has a PR nightmare in her hands. When the Tha'alani gave her their collective assistance in Cast in Secret, they exposed themselves to the humans who already fear them for their ability to read minds and emotions. Thinking that the near disaster of a tidal wave was attempted by the reclusive people instead of their true intent of averting it, the humans have taken arms, forcing Tha'alani castelord Ybelline Rabon'Alani and her people to cloister themselves off in their part of Elantra. The dragon Emperor, intent on averting bloodshed, has commissioned the imperial playwright Richard Rennick to create a play for public viewing that would tell the true story behind the events. Unfortunately for Kaylin, she is tasked to provide the facts, while ensuring that Rennick avoids the more confidential parts of the events. It's bad enough that Kaylin has to be on her best behavior, because the work takes her to the imperial palace itself, but she finds herself working for the Hawks under the supervision of Acting Sergeant Constant Mallory after Sergeant Marcus Kassan has been witnessed in an act of murder.
At this point in the book series, Michelle Sagara follows a pattern in her storytelling in the Chronicles of Elantra that becomes familiar to readers. Kaylin usually features in two storylines in every book, wherein she performs an official duty in one and she tries to provide help to those who are close to her in the other. This is all the more apparent in Cast in Fury, where she tries to juggle the duties of officially helping out a playwright and conducting an unofficial investigation in the murder case that could lead to Marcus's execution.
Possibly losing Marcus is a huge blow to Kaylin and not just because of his role as a lenient sergeant (no matter all the bristling and showing of claws). The volume sheds some light to Kaylin's beginnings with the Hawks and the unofficial parenting provided by both Marcus and his wives. In the previous volumes, the pridelea is only mentioned whenever Marcus works late in the office, with Kaylin noting that his wives would not like his lateness in coming home.
And in introducing the members of Marcus's household, as well as delving into the murder investigation he is meant to be found guilty of, Cast in Fury provides us with the workings of the Leontine culture, much like how Cast in Courtlight featured the culture of the Barrani and Cast in Secret shed some light on the Tha'alani. As primal as the Leontines seem, there is a structure and a hierarchy in their households and society. They have their own castelord, elders who help in ruling, and the first wife always rules the pridelea. The murder investigation that Marcus is at the center of was the gateway to discuss their mythology, where Kaylin learns about the Leontine's own version of outcastes.
And much like its predecessors, Cast in Fury features the progression of Kaylin's relationships with key supporting characters, chief of which are Severn, Nightshade, the dragon Sanabalis and the Tha'alani Ybelline. The novel also revisits Kaylin's connection with Marinn, a Leontine who chooses to raise human orphans instead of living among her race, further highlighting Kaylin's affinity with children, particularly orphaned ones, to readers. When it comes to personal growth, Kaylin had to learn to dispense even more patience and sense of responsibility, especially when Sergeant Mallory always highlights how inadequate she is for the role. And especially when a friend could stand to lose his life.
There is much to look forward to in every book of the Chronicles of Elantra. The world building continues and, in fleshing out the characters further, there's more to love in the series. I sometimes struggle to understand the magic that Kaylin wields with little to no control, but so does she. I am guessing the parallel is not an accident on the part of author Michelle Sagara, and one can only hope that Kaylin would soon come to master it, because the threats in Elantra grow greater. And a reader's anticipation grows along with it.
Happy reading!!Labels: Adventure, Book Series, Books, Cast in Fury, Chronicles of Elantra, Fantasy, Fiction, Michelle Sagara, Reading List
