An interesting good vs evil fantasy novel, Children of Amarid is the first volume of a trilogy that is — at least in volume one — set in a world where magic developed instead of mechanical technology. Magic develops as a result of a human being "binding" to an animal, usually a hawk or an owl, which brings forth otherwise unavailable powers.

I like good vs evil, and this novel had some interesting layers, both to the good and the evil. Most of the characters are members of the Order of Amarid, named for one of the first two people to bind to an animal and make use of the magical power. The other person, Theron, has become a devil-figure in legend, and his role in founding the Order and training others in "mage craft" or magic has been nearly erased from history.

Theron turns out to remain a complex, if highly troubled character. Because he died "unbound" to an animal, his spirit remains "unsettled" — still present and able to interact with people who come near his mortal homeland, instead of passing on to the next world. And Theron is certainly a nasty spirit, but not the incarnation of evil people believe.

But at the same time it issued warnings against painting good and evil with too broad of a brush, the modern antagonists in the novel were pretty much just evil. I won’t give away their motives for fear of giving away too much, but suffice it to say, they are Bad Bad Bad Guys. I was a little bit disappointed that this was handled so one-dimensionally, given the message of the Theron plot.

There’s a nice romance that develops between two young mages, who turn out to be among the most potentially powerful magicians in the Order’s history. One gets the feeling they will be critical in the development of the trilogy.