AURALIA'S COLORS - Plot Threads

I am just over halfway through Auralia's Colors by Jeff Overstreet. Now that I no longer have any other novels competing with it, I should be able to get along much quicker.

It's difficult to summarize this book. The people of House Abascar live under oppression. All things with color must be given as gifts to the king, and the people can only wear drab clothing. The exceptions are favored ones of the house, who can earn various colors. The Queen of House Abascar declared that this time of no colors would be the Winter of Abascar, and it would remain Winter until she declared that it was Abascar's Spring.

Except the Queen has since disappeared, and the Winter has dragged on for two decades.

Into this House comes Auralia, who has a gift with weaving colors from things found in nature. Another key character appears to be the ale boy, who has no name that he knows. Auralia says that she knows his name, but she cannot pronounce it. Anyway, the ale boy has a way with fire. An exiled mage has a gift with stone. And the Captain of the Guard, Arc-robin, who enforces all of the King's edicts, seems to key into the story in a significant way.

Despite its somewhat leisurely opening, this novel is shaping up to be very good.