Watchtower (novel)
Watchtower is a fantasy novel by American writer Elizabeth A. Lynn, published in 1979. Tornor Keep, in the northern land of Arun, is invaded by Col Istor, a southern mercenary leader aiming to conquer the north. He kills Athor, the lord of Tornor, and takes Athor’s son Errel and the keep’s watch commander Ryke as prisoners. Ryke agrees to serve Col as long as Errel is kept alive and unharmed. Col trains Errel to be his fool, making him act like a dog, eat scraps, and endure abuse. Ryke and Errel secretly communicate, and Ryke sometimes returns to his village, where people remain loyal to Errel despite being unable to oppose Col.
Col also makes Ryke’s sister Becke his “Keep’s woman,” a role she does not realize is meant to humiliate her brother. Col raids nearby Cloud Keep to weaken it, and receives a truce proposal from Berent One-Eye, the lord of the Green Clan—neutral, genderless, hardy warriors. The truce would require Berent to send one of his sons as collateral. Col agrees but plans to test Berent’s strength by sending disguised raiders around Cloud Keep.
Errel asks Ryke to persuade the Green Clan messengers to help them escape. Ryke shows them Athor’s family ring, claiming he helped them when they were young. The messengers, Norres and Sorren, reveal that Sorren is a woman, and they agree to aid the pair, meeting them in the shadow of the watchtower on the day the messengers depart to deliver Col’s answer to Berent.
Ryke and Errel escape with Norres and Sorren and present the truce offer to Berent, who is old and suffering from illness. Berent offers hospitality for two days and hints at a plan to wait out the conflict. The group learns from Norres and Sorren that war is a constant reality, while Ryke longs to fight Col Istor. They also learn that Col has broken the truce and killed Berent. Vanima, a valley of eternal summer, is introduced as a possible refuge, and Van persuades Errel to return north to help retake Tornor, offering aid.
The group—Ryke, Errel, Van, Sorren, Norres, Maranth, Amaranth, and Hadril (Van and Maranth’s son)—travels toward Pel Keep to enlist Sironen’s aid. Norres questions Ryke about his feelings for Sorren; Ryke admits confusion. At Pel Keep, Sironen shelters them, and they plan to disguise themselves as chearas to slip into Col’s men and open the gate for an assault. They storm Cloud Keep together, retake it, and march toward Tornor. A battle ensues; Ryke and Van are wounded, and Errel kills Col.
Later, Ryke learns that Sironen’s men have killed his sister Becke during raids. Sorren is ultimately declared lord of Tornor because Errel does not want the position, and she is his sister. When Sironen’s sexist son Arno challenges her, Sorren defeats him and takes control of the Keep. Errel chooses to return to Vanima, while Ryke is appointed regent of Cloud Keep. In a personal moment, Ryke realizes his complicated feelings for Sorren are tied to her resemblance to Errel, whom he truly loves, and he accepts Sorren’s leadership.
Reception and awards: Greg Costikyan wrote in Ares Magazine that the plot is familiar but the book shines through its writing, characters, and pacing. Watchtower won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel in 1980.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 18:33 (CET).