The Towers of Toron

The second installment in the The Fall of the Towers follows developments in Toromon three years after the conclusion of the first novel. Short and sweet like its predecessor, the novel includes our protagonists combating the Lord of the Flames one more time. Meanwhile, the "war" is ongoing against an unclear enemy, so Jon, Petra, Arkor, et al endeavor to end it as quickly as they can. As was the case in the first novel, each chapter shifts in focus to each of the central characters while gradually unveiling the "truth" about the war. As a novel from the mid-1960s, one can see how it reflects the America of its era. 

Like Toromon, the US, facing a number of social and economic contradictions of its own, sought a war to channel its problems toward an external "foe." In a sense, the novel also brings to mind the catastrophic war in Iraq, as well as the role of technology as propaganda and mind control to sell the idea of war. Unsurprisingly, the novel's deliberately ambiguous about the role of the Lord of the Flames in truly orchestrating the "war," suggesting something intrinsic to humanity and the state of Empires or civilizations hat begin to decay. Indeed, Caltham, a historian, is introduced early on to highlight exactly what happens to a civilization that cannot grow or becomes too isolated over time. All we can do is hope for superior leadership during the transition to something new. 

Unfortunately, this novel is less engaging than the first installment, but offers so much food for thought on leadership, human nature, and the rise and fall of civilizations. Was the greatest foe always internal rather than external? To what use was the mathematical genius of Clea if it was to be misused for projects such as the "war" in The Towers of Toron? And what is reality when everything that seems so real turns out to be built on lies? Last but certainly not least, Jon Koshar's drive for freedom is never sated by events in the first two novels. Can and will humans be truly free, or is it a constant struggle against authoritarianism, ignorance, and weakness? We'll see in the final novel in the trilogy.