Ring of Destiny - Softcover

Contains spoilers for those who haven't read the first two books!

One of the ever-present themes throughout the Ring books is perception: perception of self, perception of others...and how expectations color those perceptions.
    Obviously, the brothers have carried around some crazy notions about each other for years, ideas that color every interaction...until their link shatters all illusions. And then, they need to learn a new way to perceive, one that acknowledges that part of what constitutes "character" in a person is how they censor their gut reactions. We aren't just what we think and feel, but how we act on those feelings and thoughts.
    Lidye and Mirym, also obviously, are not at all what they appear at first. The ley creatures themselves are reflections of the perceptions of the true believers.
   And then there's Dancer. Years ago, while watching the movie M Butterfly, I found myself utterly disinterested in the main character, Rene Gallimard, but utterly fascinated with Song Liling. I couldn't help wondering how, in that twenty years together, Song Liling came to perceive him/herself, not just to carry off the deception, but in order to play her part on the stage.
    RingDancers gave me a chance to explore these questions. As good characters will do, Dancer immediately took those ideas and personalized them, the question of self-perception as a Dancer/obsessive athlete becoming entangled with the whole question of gender identity.
    After Ring of Lightning came out, readers seemed split right down the middle as to whether Dancer was male or female. I never found any pattern, i.e. gender or age of the reader, Fantasy readers vs SF readers. Even those who knew me didn't automatically assume Dancer was male!
    Even more interesting, no one ever really questioned their perception. To them, Dancer simply was male or female. Only one reader ever mentioned the fact that Dancer uses a self-pronoun only once in that first book...which I was rather pleased with. I worked hard not to make it obvious, but the fact is, until that moment, Dancer doesn't think of Dancer as anything but a dancer. Sexuality has been deliberately suppressed--hence the lack of pronoun while in viewpoint.
     In Destiny, perception becomes a major issue...in every way.

The Destiny of Kings

For three centuries the Rhomandi family has ruled in Rhomatum, the city whose magical leythium node is the richest in the world, more powerful than even that of rival city Mauritum. And with the passing years Rhomatum has become the most influential of all the Ring cities.
    But ancient hatreds have finally led to war, overturning the delicate balance of power, devastating the leythium-controlling Ring Towers of many city-states, fragmenting Rings, leaving satellite cities in darkness, and breaking down the very basis of civilization. And now, three telepathically linked brothers, the heirs to the Rhomandi dynasty, must desperately strive to regain stability and supremacy for their city.
    Deymorin--Eldest brother, Princeps of Rhomatum, he has always rejected his natural Talent. With his world in shambles, will he have the courage to awaken his magical Gift and accept his destiny to become the greatest Ringmaster in history?
    Mikhyel--called "the Barrister," his world is the dark underworld of political machination. A cutthroat negotiator and skilled statesman, he has nevertheless been hiding form his true destiny: as that rarest of magicians--one who can handle the deadly leythium itself and speak directly with the strange beings who dwell within it.
    Nikaenor--as the youngest brother, he is beloved by all but has never been taken seriously. Now, at eighteen, he is about to become a father--to a son who has been prophesied to become a Ringmaster of legendary power. Can he somehow unite his family and, with the birth of his son, finally accept his own responsibilities?