The Silent Tower by Barbara Hambly

[meganbmoore]

Joanna is a geeky, near anti-social computer programmer in Las Angeles.  Sometimes, she carries a hammer in her purse.  Just in case.  In another world, Caris, a guardsman for the mages and grandson of the archmage is looking for his missing grandfather.  Caris has studied well for how to be an uptight, duty-bound, overly heroic swordsman.  Antryg, the supposedly dead darkmage's pupil, has been locked in a tower for seven years, but manages to escape.  Antryg is more than a little eccentric and slightly batty, but probably a good guy underneath.  Or a complete nutter.

When Antryg, who Caris believes is responsible for his grandfather's disappearance, crosses the void into our world, Caris follows, and when they return, they've brought Joanna with them.  Caris accuses Antryg of having kidnapped Joanna, and promises to help her return home, despite Antryg's insistence that not only is he innocent, but that there's a much bigger problem going on than what Caris is willing to admit to.

I've read a fair bit of this fantasy genre that seems to have been so popular in the 80s and 90s, and, while well written and highly enjoyable, especially the geeky heroine falling for the batty oddball mage instead of the heroic swordsman, there actually isn't a whole lot to make it stand out until the fairly major twist at the end that sets up book two.  I'd want to read another book even without the twist, but now I'm glad I have it on hand to read next.

Comments

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

Mwahahah. Oh, Caris. He's such an idiot.

I do, however, love and adore Antryg and Joanna both, and, dude, if there was ever a movie version, and he weren't old now, I'd demand Tom Baker be Antryg.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

"Mwahahah. Oh, Caris. He's such an idiot. "

Indeed. He means well, but not a lot else can be said.

Hmm...who COULD play them now...

[fmanalyst.livejournal.com]

Oh, it's been so long since I read these. I may have to hunt them up.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

They are quite fun.

[mscongeniality.livejournal.com]

This sounds oddly familiar, though I can't actually remember reading this book.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

It's from 1986, so there's plenty of time to have rad it and misplaced the memories.

[mscongeniality.livejournal.com]

And that really would have been right up my alley when I was in high school.