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Archive for category Fantasy

The Way of Shadows, by Brent Weeks (Orbit, 2008)

Jul 26

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy, Wizards, Mages and Spellcasters | No Comments

In many ways, Cenaria is the cesspool of Midcyru, a realm of murderers, thieves, and opportunists perpetually threatened by other lands, the most dangerous of which is Khalidor, ruled by their merciless Godking. In Cenaria City, the worst spot of all is the Warrens, where near-feral children band together in guilds to rob, assault, and kill the unwary. For Azoth, a member of one such guild, anything has got to be better. Anything. Even apprenticing himself to the city’s most notorious “wetboy” — magically-enhanced assassins with a unique style — Durzo Blint. Azoth risks everything in his effort to gain an apprenticeship, knowing full well the training might just kill him. And against all odds, he succeeds. Now, leaving behind a life in the gutters, he begins years of studying and training with the enigmatic, mercurial Durzo Blint, a man who’d as soon kill Azoth as help him.

Years pass, and things change in the city. Azoth becomes Kylar, adopting the false identity of a minor noble while he learns the ins and outs of polite society, all the while continuing his education as a wetboy-in-training. Only one problem remains: his lack of magical Talent, that which separates the wetboys from the common assassins. And Durzo has made it clear that should Kylar not develop such Talent, he’ll die. Meanwhile, other pieces and players move throughout the city, as forces both internal and external play a long game of infiltration, manipulation, and intrigue. The Sa’kage, a not-so-secret criminal organization, controls just about every aspect of illegal and immoral behavior in Cenaria, led by the Nine, who are in turn led by the Shinga. They control everything, but not even the Nine can plan for what the future might bring. Logan Gyre, scion of one of Cenaria’s most powerful noble houses, becomes a political pawn as the mad king Aleine exerts a stranglehold upon his land. Elene, who was once one of Kylar’s closest friends back in the Warrens, may have escaped her life there, but even so, danger reaches out to touch her new life. And the thread that brings all of these people into contact with one another, in one way or another, is the rumor that a ka’kari, a fabled magical weapon unlike any other, can be found in Cenaria. Everyone wants it, and no price is too high.

With a cast of thousands in place, and decades-old plans coming to fruition, the stage is set for things to hit the fan. As events rapidly unfold, everything changes for our heroes and villains. Kylar, Durzo Blint, Elene, Logan, King Aleine, and an entire land find their fates approaching at top speed when the Godking of Khalidor finally makes his move. As Cenaria burns, people will live, die, and discover their true natures, and nothing will ever be the same again for the survivors.

And all of that is just in the first book of this new epic trilogy, a grand effort that tells a sweeping story told across a decade or more. You have Azoth’s growth from gutter rat to wetboy, the multi-pronged quest for the magical ka’kari, the rise of Logan Gyre, the political machinations of the Sa’kage, the invasion of Cenaria by Khalidor, the secret history and true nature of Durzo Blint, some stirrings of romance between various characters, and assorted secondary characters pursuing their own agendas. Truth be told, it’s a lot to take in, even in a 700-page book, with characters coming on- and off-screen with great regularity. Luckily, Brent Weeks manages to juggle all of this with a rather adept hand. It’s a gripping tale, and his characters are fleshed-out, multidimensional, and appropriately flawed. Sure, some occasionally act in stupid ways, but with the exception of King Aleine, there’s no one I can really point to and say “There, that one’s irredeemable.” The King, it must be said, is an idiot who gets exactly what he deserves. As for the others, Weeks does an excellent job of making us care whether they live or die, which is good, since later in the book, it seems as though no one is safe from the bloody hand of fate. In the space of a few pages, he can flesh out someone enough that their loss actually means something, for good or bad, and there were more than a few genuine surprises regarding just how some characters choose to respond to the events around them. Weeks is also good at crafting cinematic episodes. I could see how some of these events would play out on the screen, both battles and more personal moments, and one scene near the end involving the fate of Cenaria and its inhabitants was particularly strong.

It’s still too early to tell just where Weeks is going with this series. Some things are fairly evident, but the greater story is still left in the dark, what with the way he well and truly upset the apple cart in this book. This is one time when I’m particularly glad Orbit has decided upon a rapid release schedule for the trilogy, because I want to know what happens to Kylar and the rest of the characters who made it out of this one alive. Weeks has done a superb job in crafting a fascinating new world, populating it with memorable characters, and setting up a compelling epic tale of heroism, vengeance, and magic. It’s been a while since such a grandiose, far-reaching fantasy novel has caught my attention, and I’ll be waiting for the rest in the series eagerly. Brent Weeks is someone to keep an eye on.

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The Snow Queen, by Mercedes Lackey (Harlequin Luna, 2008)

Jul 26

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fairy Tales, Folklore & Mythology, Fantasy, Romance | No Comments

In the Five Hundred Kingdoms, powerful magic known as the Tradition influences everything, forcing people into a variety of well-worn Paths inspired by fairy tales and folklore. Left unchecked, this could result in disaster and misery, which is why long ago, the Godmothers were created, people capable of understanding and manipulating the Tradition in order to determine the best, most appropriate outcome. One such Godmother is Aleksia, also known as the Ice Fairy or Snow Queen, who dwells in the Palace of Ever-Winter and watches over several nearby Kingdoms. Lately, she’s begun to chafe at her duties, worried that she’s becoming as cold and distant as the persona she affects when dealing with her guests. She’s in the middle of teaching a pair of wayward, star-crossed mortals about the power of love and the need to be careful what you wish for (very much echoing the traditional tale of the Snow Queen), when news reaches her, which will force her to take a much more direct involvement in the world around her.

It seems that someone using the name of the Snow Queen has destroyed several villages in their entirety, freezing them solid. If Aleksia leaves this unchecked, it’s not just her reputation that’s on the line, it’s her very nature, for if the Tradition believes the Snow Queen to be an evil sorceress, that’s just what she’ll become, and that ilk never come to a good end. And thus, Aleksia sets forth in a quest to find this false Snow Queen before it’s too late. However, she won’t be alone, for several others have set out on a similiar quest, seeking the ghostly Icehart, which might also be behind the villages’ destructions. Both separately and together, Aleksia and her companions will brave the lands of the dead, the ever-present danger of bandits, merciless forest spirits, and more, before they reach the end of their journey. Can the small band of heroes defeat the twin menaces of the Icehart and the Snow Witch, and find a happily ever after for the people affected by this tale gone awry?

I’ve really enjoyed this series so far. Lackey does a great job of taking the old, familiar fairy tales and imbuing them with a certain metafictional self-awareness, looking at them from the inside and the outside, even as she creates something new. For instance, even as she reenacts the events of the Snow Queen (boy kidnapped by wicked sorceress, heart frozen, girl goes through many obstacles to rescue him and melt the ice in his heart), she’s recasting the participants in a whole new light, and giving the traditional antagonist of the tale some perfectly valid motivations. In the world of the Tradition, there’s a reason for these events working out as they do. And even as this story within the story plays out, there are similiar events on a grander scale taking place, echoing them even as they draw on other elements. Lackey draws on a few different stories, including East of the Sun, West of the Moon, as she works it all together, injecting it with cultural aspects strongly reminiscent of Northern Europe (as witnessed by the use of reindeer, and character names like Anoushka, Aleksia, and Annukka) to deliver a fantasy work that’s different from what one usually sees. I’m a sucker for retold fairy tales, and Lackey really delivers here.

If I were to have any complaints about this book, it’s that it ends almost abruptly, with things tied up in the course of just a few pages, and the last remaining threads quickly dealt with. I guess my disgruntlement in this regard is due to the sympathetic natures and relatability of the characters; I had enough fun journeying with them, that it’s a shame their tale wraps up so quickly after the climax of the story. It’s not quite a happily ever after for them all, but it’s close, and sometimes you just want a little more hint of their lives to come. Also, the way in which certain relaionships come about seems sudden, with very little space given to developing them earlier on. I guess this may be part of Lackey’s way of honoring the spirit of the fairy tales she draws upon, in which love develops swiftly and without warning.

Those minor flaws aside, The Snow Queen is a highly enjoyable story, and a perfectly fun way to kill a few hours. The Tales of the ive Hundred Kingdoms aren’t as complex or epic as some of Lackey’s works, but they’re great fun, with believable characters and an entertaining plot. You could do far worse, and I’ll be looking forward to whatever comes next in the series. (I’m holding out hope for a retold Hans the Hedgehog, myself…)

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The Misenchanted Sword, by Lawrence Watt-Evans (Cosmos, 2008)

Jul 26

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy | No Comments

It’s the height of the Great War when a lone Ethsharitic scout, Valder, finds himself far from home, separated from the rest of his unit, and lost in the depths of a swamp. Accidentally stumbling across an enigmatic hermit, who turns out to be a magician of some quality, Valder ends up saving the old man from maurading enemy forces. As a “reward,” the cranky magician enchants Valder’s sword with spells of battle-prowess and invincibility, before sending him on his way. It’s only after the magician is long-vanished into the swamp that Valder begins to discover that his magical sword may be as much a curse as a gift. In fact, it’s just about as unwelcome a gift as possible, in multiple ways. The sword, now called Wirikidor, or ‘slayer of warriors,’ will indeed grant Valder victory in combat against any one foe … so long as it’s male, human, and adult. Valder’s fate is bound into that of the sword; it’ll grant him protection against all forms of death and keep him alive for as long as it exists, but someday, after it’s taken ninety-nine lives, one battle at a time, it’ll turn upon its owner and kill him. In short, Valder’s life will be extended indefinitely, until he’s killed ninety-nine people, give or take a few, and then the sword will slay -him-.

The army, of course, thinks this is great, and utilizes him as an assassin until the end of the War, at which point Valder opts to return to civilian life. Unfortunately, that still leaves the problem of him owning a magical sword, one which will keep him alive, if not young. He’s faced with a choice: continue to grow old and increasingly infirm while the sword protects him, or try to use up the remaining ‘kills’ stored in the sword’s enchantment, or find a magic-worker capable of undoing the potent spells involved. And all he really wants is to settle down as an innkeeper and live a normal life. His quest to resolve his problems with Wirikidor will span decades and many miles, as he tries to free himself from the misenchanted sword…

I’ve always enjoyed The Misenchanted Sword. As the first in Lawrence Watt-Evans’ entertaining Ethshar series, it sets the tone for the books that followed it. Here we see how one ordinary man deals with magic gone awry, a common theme in the series, and we get a first-hand look at the world-building involved, which lays the groundwork for the Hegemony of Three Ethshars featured in subsequent books. This is the cornerstone of the series, and in many ways it’s one of my favorites, a book I reread every now and again when I want that taste of the old and familiar. Watt-Evans does a great job of playing with ideas, making life difficult through the application of complex, messed-up magic, and examining the results through the eyes of an honest, moral man. Valder’s practical enough to realize what he’s gotten himself into, and yet principled enough to seek resolution in as honest a way as possible, no matter that a man with a magic sword could probably write his own ticket if he was less ethical about the matter.

I can’t quite pin down what I like about the Ethshar books. Maybe it’s the fact that while complex and detailed, they’re not overly complicated. You get a keen sense of the world the characters inhabitat, but it’s not so alien or multilayered that the casual reader will need extra effort to get involved. Watt-Evans keeps things somewhat light, but maintains a certain serious tone and internal consistency, offering up an enjoyable stand-alone fantasy that’s a nice change of pace from the tree-killing, shelf-bending epic trilogies that so often represent the genre. This book has been around since its original printing in 1985, but I was quite happy to see it reprinted by Cosmos Books recently. I hope the rest of the series follows suit, as I think the Ethshar series is an essential read for fantasy lovers.

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The Accidental Sorcerer, by K.E. Mills (Orbit, 2009)

Jul 26

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy, Historical, Wizards, Mages and Spellcasters | No Comments

For probationary Compliance Officer Gerald Dunwoody of the Ottosland Department of Thaumaturgy, it was supposed to be a routine safety inspection. You know, nose around a little, find out why the Stuttley’s Superior Staff factory hadn’t been submitting their paperwork properly, finish the report and go home. Nothing was supposed to go wrong.

One major accident and a blown-up factory later, Gerald Dunwoody’s out on his rear and out of a job. Desperate for work – not much call for a Third Grade wizard who can’t hold a job and who gets involved in scandals of this magnitude – he decides to get out of the country for a while. It seems the distant kingdom of New Ottosland is in need of a court wizard and they’re not terribly picky in the matter. So off Gerald goes, to a kingdom left behind by time and Tradition, situated in the middle of nowhere and nearly broke courtesy of economic sanctions brought on by their desert neighbors. At first, it seems like the perfect place to lay low and wait until things blow over at home, with the added bonus of making his resume look good.

Unfortunately, New Ottosland is anything but perfect. Princess Melissande is a frumpy, perpetually-stressed woman pressed into service as the Prime Minister. Prince Rupert is a blithering idiot who prefers butterflies to people. And King Lional the Forty-Third is ambitious, cunning, ruthless, and dangerous. Before he realizes just how deep he’s gotten himself, Gerald’s thoroughly entangled in Lional’s plans for a greater, grander New Ottosland, and getting out may just kill him. To complicate matters beyond any hope of redemption, it seems that Gerald’s accident at Stuttley’s has left him in possession of more power than he dreamed possible. Together with Melissande, his best friend (and magical genius) Monk Markham, and a rather obnoxious talking bird named Reg, Gerald Dunwoody will save New Ottosland … but at what price? And can one ever go back to a normal life after this sort of thing?

The Accidental Sorcerer is the first book in K.E. Mills’ (better known as Karen Miller) new trilogy, Rogue Agent, and it’s quite a change from her usual fantasy epics. It’s a pseudo-modern semi-comic fantasy set in a world greatly reminiscent of our own, circa the post-Industrial Revolution, British Colonial era. Mills takes enough liberties with the setting to make it hard to narrow it down precisely, but that’s the vibe I got from the book, with much of the action taking place in New Ottosland, a former colony situated in an oasis located in the middle of a desert. There’s evidence of some modern technology, such as cars and electricity, but magic is widespread and built into the very fabric of this world’s infrastructure. The end result is an immensely fascinating, notably different setting that’s full of story potential, and I definitely want to see it explored in more depth. There’s just not enough of this sort of thing, semi-historical industrialized fantasy, and Mills pulls it off quite nicely.

As mentioned above, this book is laced with humor, a dry sort of wit that sneaks around and insinuates itself when least expected. Occasionally, it shows up in the sheer absurdity of some situations, but mostly it manifests in the lightning-quick repartee of the main characters as they react to their surroundings and one another with a growing urgency and shrillness, while things collapse around them. Gerald and Reg have a great dynamic – he’s a bumbling sorcerer in over his head, she’s a several hundred year old talking bird with an opinion for every occasion – and together, they make a heck of a team. Someone better versed in British humor and sitcoms – the author’s a Canadian-born Australian – would likely be familiar with this sort of thing, but I’m finding it all quite new and extremely entertaining. Toss in the practical Princess Melissande and the perpetually-distracted Prince Rupert, and finish it all off with King Lional, a terrifyingly nasty piece of work, and you have a memorable cast of characters.

The plot itself moves along rather quickly – I found myself devouring this 500+ page book in two days – but it’s highly enjoyable. It catches you with an explosive beginning, and then moves on inexorably as Gerald gets wrapped up in things beyond his control and a few attendant mysteries, and then takes a real turn for the serious about two thirds of the way in. And by serious, I mean that things get ugly with regards to evil plots, and the abuse of Our Hero. And once things hit that point, there’s no stopping.

I was a little hit-and-miss when it came to Karen Miller’s other books – The Kingbreaker, Kingmaker duology was good but not great – but with this series, I’m absolutely hooked, and will be looking for the rest of the series as it comes out. For something that’s not just your average, ordinary, everyday epic American fantasy, you could do worse than to check out The Accidental Sorcerer.

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Foundation, by Mercedes Lackey (DAW, 2008)

Jul 26

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy | No Comments

Mags – short for Magpie – has never known any life other than the harsh conditions of the gem mine where he, and other orphaned children and slaves, labors year-round, digging out ‘sparklies’ for the cruel owners. His only vague hope is surviving until he’s old enough to be turned loose on his own, something he doesn’t dare dream about too hard. Like so many others, he expects to die as he lived, in the depths of the mine. But then the Herald comes, a white-clad savior riding a blue-eyed, equally white horse, and he rescues Mags from the hellish existence. Another horse – a Companion – Chooses Mags, and just like that, the boy goes from gem-digger to Herald Trainee. And now, should he make it through his training, he’ll be one of the fabled Heralds of Valdemar, responsible for defending the kingdom and enforcing its laws.

But this is a time of transition for Valdemar, a time when the Heralds are changing over from the earlier mentor-and-student system to one of formal learning in the newly-built Collegium. Mags is an early example of the new breed of Herald, Chosen from the general populace without the education or benefits those better off are used to. He has to learn a great many things, and prove to the doubters and dissenters that he’s as good, and as worthy, as anyone else to earn his Whites and become a full-fledged Herald. He has to prove that one can learn to be a Herald by learning in a classroom, as part of a group, just as well as those who learned on the road under the direct tutelage of older Heralds. If he can do it, if he can become a Herald, any Trainee can. In the process, he’ll make friends with Bardic and Healer trainees, gain allies amongst the influential members of Court, and work to foil a band of foreign visitors intent upon sabotage and espionage. But the greatest challenges will be internal, as he overcomes a lifetime of neglect and slavery to discover just who he’s meant to be.

Foundation, the first book in the new Collegium Chronicles, details a previously-untold period of early Valdemarian history. It’s set not too long after the era of Herald Vanyel, as told in the Last Herald-Mage trilogy, and introduces readers to a whole new batch of characters. In many ways, this is much like Talia’s story in Arrows of the Queen, as a mostly-ignorant youth is brought into the Herald Collegium, and transformed into a proper Trainee. Everything is told from Mags’ viewpoint, so everything is new and interesting. Mags is a rather sympathetic character, with all of the right positive traits to become the perfect Herald and protagonist, and very few irredeemable negative traits to count against him. This occasionally becomes a hair tiresome, as I kept hoping he’d screw up once in a while, but that’s a small complaint against a rather likeable character.

Foundation is really a character-driven book, rather episodic in nature, as it details Mags’ life at the mine, on the road, and at the Collegium, following his growth as a person and the development of his relationships with the other characters. There’s very little external conflict beyond how he deals with some of the more antagonistic elements at Court, and even the climax of the book is relatively subtle. Lackey’s clearly going for something of a slow burn with this series, giving us time to get used to things before she sets too much on fire, I suspect. The emphasis is on intrigue and exploring the Collegium and how it’s affecting society and the world in general, and how the Heralds are coping as well. I rather enjoyed Foundation, but I think I’ll need to read future installments in the series before I can really tell just what sort of a story Mercedes Lackey is telling here. Is it about Mags and his friends, or about the Collegium itself? Will our hero become a legend, or is he just one of a thousand Heralds to live and die in service to the Kingdom? It’s too soon to tell, but at least we’re off to a enjoyable start. It’s always nice to get a new story set in Valdemar, which has long been one of my favorite fantasy series.

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Clockwork Heart, by Dru Pagliassotti (Juno Books, 2008)

Jul 26

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy, Romance | No Comments

One of the greatest cities in the world is Ondinium, an industrialized city built on a mountain. Its people divided into several castes, its every function determined by the clockwork Great Engine and various lesser calculating machines, it’s a city unlike any other. Metal-winged icarii deliver messages, run errands, and occasionally function as search and rescue, able to travel between the sectors of the city and mingle with all the castes as their jobs require. One such icarus is Taya, a bold young woman who lives for the opportunity to fly, dreaming of a day when she might join the Diplmatic Corps and travel abroad.

But Ondinium is also a city of political intrigue, hidden agendas, industrial espionage and not-so-quiet rebellion. When sabotage strikes of the city’s wireferries, Taya flies to the rescue, an action which brings her to the attention of several of the exalted caste. Alister, one of the city’s ruling decaturs and a programmer for the Great Engine, seeks to woo her with words and courteous actions, while his brother Cristof, an outcaste misfit who gave up his mask and robe to serve as a simple clock repairman, barely cares if Taya lives or dies. Unfortunately, when another act of sabotage claims the lives of some of Ondinium’s greatest citizens, Taya and Cristof have to put aside their differences and work together to figure out what’s happening to their city. Who’s behind the bombings and murders and other acts of mayhem? Who stands to benefit, and who would dare interfere with the smooth functioning of the Great Engine itself? What person close to them can’t be trusted? They’ll risk their lives in every part of the city, from the slums of Slagside to the heart of the Great Engine, in order to avenge the deaths and protect Ondinium. But will it be enough?

Clockwork Heart is an absolutely fascinating, highly original, thoroughly memorable romantic fantasy, and one of the best books I’ve seen out of the Juno line to date. The clockwork city of Ondinium has a steampunkish retro-nifty vibe to it, and I was utterly intrigued by the way the setting was presented. A city on the verge of technological explosion, obsessed by clockwork gears and early analytical engines, like something Nikola Tesla and Charles Babbage might dream up after a heavy drinking session, where metal-winged couriers flit from one area to the next… what’s not to like? The imagery involved makes for brillians spectacle.

The characters themselves are believable, with Taya being satisfyingly bold and independent, defying expectations and conventions even as she defies gravity on a daily basis. The brothers Forlore – Alister and Cristof – make for interesting reading, and what at first seem to be fairly predictable attributes and actions for them soon turn out to be more than one would expect. In fact, neither one hews to the initial impressions or ultimate fate one might project for them, even after applying romantic conventions to the awkward triangle formed once Taya enters the mix. There were several pleasant and not-so-pleasant surprises to be found as the story progressed.

The plot itself has plenty of twists, from the predictable to the shocking, and it all comes together with a very nice payoff at the end. Taya and Cristof make a great team as they investigate the various threads that comprise the story’s primary mystery, and I was definitely pleased when I couldn’t predict just what was going to happen for most of the book. I’d have to say that Dru Pagliassotti really hit one out of the ballpark with Clockwork Heart, and I’ll keep my eyes open for more by her. Clockwork Heart works both as romantic and regular fantasy, with its true strength being the unique setting presented within its pages. I hope we’ll get to see more of this world.

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Sword and Sorceress XXII , edited by Elisabeth Waters (Norilana Books, 2007)

Jul 22

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy, Short Fiction | No Comments

In 1984, the first Sword and Sorceress anthology came out, edited by the notoriously feminist writer and editor, Marion Zimmer Bradley. Her goal: to breathe new life into the roles of females in the fantasy field, to encourage strong new female protagonists in a genre dominated by macho men in fur loincloths and wielding big swords. Okay, that might be a slight exaggeration, but the truth is, back then, there was a distinct imbalance between men and women in the sword and sorcery field, and by hook or crook, Marion Zimmer Bradley (MZB for short) was going to change that. And to the surprise of many, the series was a sleeper hit, with each new volume finding its place on the bookshelves. Like clockwork, a new volume came out each year, introducing dozens of strong female characters, and furthering the careers of a number of authors. The series helped bring writers such as Mercedes Lackey, Diana Paxson, Vera Nazarian, Jennifer Roberson, Elisabeth Waters and Josepha Sherman into greater prominence, and launched a few continuing series, such as Lackey’s Tarma and Kethry stories. Charles de Lint, Laurell K. Hamilton, Charles Saunders, Glen Cook, Emma Bull, and Pat Murphy were also occasional or frequent contributors. As the years passed, and the series grew more prestigious, the number of submissions grew exponentially, until MZB was forced to make the anthology invite-only; with dozens of qualified S&S alumni to draw upon, she couldn’t accept every willing contributor, after all. When Marion died, it looked like the end of the line for the series. She’d finished editing Volume 18, and there was enough stockpiled material to produce three more books after that. In 2004, with the release of Volume 21, the series seemed dead, once and for all. It had done its job though, right? After two decades, the field had seen a healthy increase in strong female characters and female-oriented sword and sorcery (albeit often with a romantic edge to it, as witnessed by the Luna line out of Harlequin).

Some people, S&S alumni and regular contributors, weren’t willing to accept the end of Sword and Sorceress. After some negotiation with Marion Zimmer Bradley’s estate, they obtained permission to ressurect the series. Edited by Elisabeth Waters (MZB’s former secretary) and published by Vera Nazarian’s fledging Norilana Books, Sword and Sorceress XXII (that’s 22 to you non-Latin speakers) came out, reviving the series after its three year hiatus. Waters hearkened back to an old S&S tradition, that of the open submission policy, allowing both veterans and newcomers alike to try their hand at contributing, and the result is a fascinatingly mixed bag.

I approached this volume with both anticipation and trepidation. Would this new volume live up to the standards of its predecessors? Could it capture the right sort of feel? Would it stand out in a market that’s changed considerably over the past few decades? I’m happy to say that Sword and Sorceress XXII is a worthy addition to the series. It’s not perfect, but it’s certainly a strong continuation of the legacy.

The lead story is by Esther Friesner, who deviates from her more humorous tendancies to tell a gripping story of a young woman who bucks all tradition to become a huntress for her tribe, only to come into conflict with her sister and many of her tribemates. “Edna’s Arrow” is a complex. beautiful story that looks at what happens when gender roles are challenged, and the gods make their wishes known.

Patricia Cirone’s “A Nose For Trouble” is an interesting, quick story in which a medium’s apprentice discovers an unusual ability, and gets caught up in a matter concerning ghosts, traitors, and the law. It’s a nice setup for a larger work, and I hope we’ll see her expand upon the setting, since this only serves as a brief taste of the character’s potential.

In Margaret L. Carter’s “Vanishing Village,” a pair of female sorcerers, currently on a job to track down a missing person for their employer, discover a mysterious village, hidden from the outside world. Inside, it’s a paradise, with everything provided for the residents as needed. The problem is, once in, no one is able to leave. When our heroes try to unravel the mystery, they discover a sorcerer unlike any other, and wrestle with a powerful ethical dilemna, one with a thought-provoking ending, Again, I’d love to see more of these characters, as they share an easy comraderie, and both their chemistry together and their general setup remind me pleasantly of Mercedes Lackey’s early Tarma and Kethry stories.

Kimberly L. Maughan makes her fiction debut with “The Ironwood Box,” in which three sisters, long-exiled from their home, must now face the challenge of returning, to fulfil their destinies and rescue their land from an usurper. But only two of the three sisters possess the traditional magic of their lineage. Can the third rise to the challenge and discover her own strengths? This was a pleasant, enjoyable story, and it’s a strong opening for Maughan. Hopefully, we’ll see more from her soon.

Jonathan Mueller’s “Black Ghost, Red Ghost” is a tale of intrigue and adventure, as a woman acting as a royal spy investigates a governer suspected of treason. Magic, action, and unavenged ghosts mix together to weave a strong, fast-paced story filled with twists and turns. At the risk of sounding repetitive, I wouldn’t mind seeing more of this setting and the main character.

Catherine Mintz’s “The Decisive Princess” is a short, sweet story. Unfortunately, it’s so short, that I can’t describe it to say why I like it, except that Mintz delivers an insightful twist upon Robert Stockton’s classic “The Lady, or the Tiger?” to satisfying effect.

In Marian Allen’s “Child of Ice, Child of Flame,” a wandering swordswoman discovers far more than she expected after killing a village’s champion in a duel. In this case, victory doesn’t necessarily lead to fortune and glory, especially when the village’s dirty secrets are revealed. Allen has an intriguing setup here, and this story really does feel like classic Sword and Sorceress.

In “Skin and Bones,” Heather Rose Jones explores the rules governing a bizarre form of magic known as skin-changing, as her hero investigates a mysterious community and discovers a frightening new aspect to the skinchanging concept. Definitely an interesting story, set in a world full of potential.

Michael Spence and Elisabeth Waters collaborate in “Crosswort Puzzle,” which is a clever mystery full of intrigue and twists. This is a prime example of Sword and Sorceress’ tendency to support continuing series, as the characters featured here appeared in at least one previous volume.

T. Borregard’s “Fairy Debt” uses old fairy tale traditions to weave a new and satisfying story, as a fairy goes to work undercover for a princess, in order to settle an old family debt. Is her limited magic enough to save the day when a dragon comes to visit? This is a pleasant, warm-hearted story with more than a little humor, and an upbeat tone, and I rather liked it.

Robert E. Vardeman’s “Tontine” captures a much darker mood, as the last survivor of a group of soldiers upholds a debt of honor, drinking to her friends’ memories. It’s a great concept, and a nicely atmospheric, moody execution.

The book finishes up with newcomer Sarah Dozier’s “The Menagerie,” a short, humorous tale of one sorceress and how she ended a war through creative magic. It’s a good start for Dozier, and I hope we’ll see more.

Other authors featured in this book are Catherine Soto, Deborah J. Ross, Dave Smeds and Alanna Morland, making for an even sixteen stories.

So, the verdict? Sword and Sorceress XXII is a worthy successor to the original run of the series, and hopefully, signals the start of a whole new dynasty. Waters has revitalized the series by once again bringing in a mixture of old and new blood, giving several new writers a chance and reintroducing us to some old favorites. There’s a wide range of stories, themes, moods and styles, enough to appeal to a variety of readers. I found enough stories in this collection to satisfy me, and there’s definitely enough to make it worth picking up. If you like strong female characters, and sword and sorcery, then you really can’t go wrong with this collection. I was quite pleasantly surprised by the end results, and it’s obvious that not only does Waters understand the concept and the purpose behind Sword and Sorceress (no surprise, given her relationship to the earlier volumes), but she’s able to help the series adjust to the times. The later books in the original run felt a little dated, even forgettable, but XXII feels more up-to-date, in tune with today’s sensibilities, and that’s important when trying to keep a venerable series such as this fresh and appealing. Sword and Sorceress XXII definitely seems like a successful restart of the franchise, and I’ll be looking forward to new installments in years to come.

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Lace and Blade, by Deborah J. Ross (Norilana Books, 2008)

Jul 22

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy, LGBTQ Interest, Romance, Short Fiction | No Comments

In Lace and Blade, editor Deborah J. Ross has brought together a number of stories which look to convey a sense of romantic fantasy, as inspired by authors like Oscar Wilde or Tanith Lee, or classic characters like Zorro, the Scarlet Pimpernel, and the Three Musketeers. I’d go a step further and suggest that books like Ellen Kushner and Delia Sherman’s Swordspoint or Madeleine Robins’ Point of Honour also help set the tone the editor was striving for here. Publisher Vera Nazarian goes into some detail about her original vision for the “lace and blade” version of fantasy, a “genre within a genre” that’s by turns genteel and elegant, polite and dangerous, with “duels of sharp wit and steel.” So how exactly does the final product compare to the lengthy and descriptive definition? Let’s see.

Madeleine Robins leads off with a charming tale, “Virtue and the Archangel.” When, after an ill-considered tryst, a young noblewoman loses a prized family necklace, she turns to Nyana meBarso, an old schoolmate turned fencing instructor … hardly the profession for wellbred young women. Nyana pursues the matter of the missing necklace with an unflappable attitude and a certain style. Robins, no stranger to this sort of setting, as seen in her noir Regencies, captures the mood and manners perfectly, and ends things with a most unpredictable moment. I’d absolutely love to see more of Nyana meBarso and her world, as Robins really has that knack for creating just the right atmosphere.

Robin Wayne Bailey goes for a more authentic historical setting with “Touch of Moonlight,” a tale which combines the dashing image of the highwayman with the feral nature of the werewolf. Lady Elena Sanchez y Vega is on her way to deliver a substantial ransom for her imprisoned brother, but a chance meeting with the legendary Ramon Estrada, a highwayman of note, leads to a new series of obstacles. But who’s robbing whom, and what will the moonlight reveal? This is an enjoyable story, with a few surprises, and some rather nice chemistry between Elena and Ramon.

Tanith Lee, one of the stated inspirations for this anthology, contributes “Lace-Maker, Blade-Taker, Grave-Breaker, Priest.” It’s a twisted, somewhat convoluted tale that starts off aboard a ship, where several of the passengers, the flamboyant Prince Mhikal Vendrei and the enigmatic soldier Zephyrin develop an almost immediate hatred of one another. Witness to their feud is Ymil, a writer. As the voyage progresses and the ship founders, the three men continue to deepen their assorted relationships to one another, until nothing short of a duel upon the beach will satisfy Prince Vendrei and Zephyrin. As their histories are revealed, the story of a woman spurned is revealed, tying them all together. But how will it all turn out? This is an interesting story, multi-layered and complex, beautifully-told with the various threads weaving around one another until all is made evident. This one may require multiple readings to properly understand.

Dave Smeds tells his story from a most unusual viewpoint, that of “The Beheaded Queen.” The titular character is something of an outsider, a permanent observer thanks to the curse that keeps her alive as nothing more than a head, the punishment for certain extramarital indiscretions. When her son becomes engaged to the princess of a neighboring kingdom, the queen is sent as part of the diplomatic mission to exchange royal “guests” (i.e. hostages) and ascertain the fitness of the princess for her son. How the queen relates to her son, her daughter, and her daughter-in-law to be, well, it speaks volumes of her inherent nobility and wisdom. This is a subtle, character-driven story that looks at the meaning of love and the need to occasionally sacrifice love for duty. It would be interesting to see how these characters develop afterwards.

In “The Topaz Desert,” Catherine Asaro partners an innocent young woman with magical powers, with a lonely, rough-hewn miner who dwells far from civilization. Opposites really do attract, as these two find salvation, comfort, and love in one another’s company, and become all the better for it. Asaro sets up an intriguing world, but only touches on a small part of it as she polishes this romance until it shines. Tanzi and Zebb makes for a rather cute couple, and Asaro applies a delicate touch with words and images to make their relationship feel real. While romantic and fantastic, this story doesn’t really seem to fit the theme quite as adeptly as some of the others do, but it’s still quite pleasant.

“Night Wind,” by Mary Rosenblum, is another story about a highwayman,and again, things are not what they seem to be. When Alvaro runs afoul of the infamous Night Wind, he discovers that the mysterious rider has a taste for justice and a knack for horses, talents which come in handy in their part of the world. However, Alvaro has more important things than a horse-stealing highwayman to think about; there’s his wife-to-be, whom he’s never met, to consider. Furthermore, Alvaro lacks the magic needed to keep his family’s lands, and the olives they cultivate, alive. Can he discover the secret of the Night Wind, and unlock his magic, in order to save his family’s livelihood? While this is a very nice tale, certain aspects of it are fairly blatantly telegraphed, and we don’t get to see nearly enough of certain pivotal characters. Nevertheless, it conveys the right feel of intrigue and adventure, very much drawing from the Zorro school of thought.

Sherwood Smith turns in what may be my second-favorite story, just behind Madeleine Robins’, in “The Rule of Engagement.” It all starts at the Blue Moon Masque, the last great social event of the summer season, when King Lexan chooses to dance with the lovely Ren, much to the dismay of the jealous Duchess Tarsa, all while the enigmatic Duke Cath Lassatar watches from afar. Before the night is out, a plan is executed, wherepon Cath kidnaps Ren for his own mysterious ends. What follows is a quiet, polite game of cat and mouse, where Ren practices a dignified, passive resistance, while Cath tries to win her over. Meanwhile, Tarsa realizes that something’s not right, even with her supposed rival out of the picture. Soon, it’s revealed that a deeper game is being played, a game of love and desire. Superbly-told, this story really exemplifies what I see as romantic fantasy, weaving together courtly manners and rules of behavior, confident people and elegant surroundings. It’s romantic without being a romance, a fantasy without too many of the more garish trappings. This is the sort of thing I’d love to see more of.

Other authors to be found in this collection include Diana L. Paxson and Chaz Brenchley. After examining this anthology, I’m happy to say that it succeeds in its mission statement, the stories tapping into the rich potential of the romantic fantasy genre, a contrast to the more brutal and straight-forward sword and sorcery to be found elsewhere. There’s a nice deal of variety, from Spanish highwaymen to courtly intrigue to unusual women, and it makes for a nice mixture of flavors. As with any anthology, not all stories will please all readers, but Lace and Blade has a lot going for it. I was quite pleasantly surprised, and hope further volumes, should any come out, will keep up the good work.

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Strange Candy, by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley, 2006)

Jul 21

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy, Science Fiction, Short Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Vampires | No Comments

When you think of Laurell K. Hamilton, you probably think first of her Anita Blake series of books, and of highly-sensualized vampires and werewolves. Or perhaps you think of her Meredith Gentry series of even more sexualized faeries and related creatures. Given how much space the two series take up on the shelves, it’s little wonder. And, as my above words have likely suggested, it’s easy to generalize her works these days. However, she’s actually produced a fair number of short stories that range a wider gamut than one normally realizes. Here, in Strange Candy, her short fiction is gathered at last, with all-new introductions by Hamilton herself. Follow the development of her career in fourteen stories spanning nearly twenty years, with brief commentary elaborating on the whys and wheres of each story.

“Those Who Seek Forgiveness” is actually the first Anita Blake story, and as such, we see many of the elements that are present in the novels, though at this stage, it’s clear Hamilton was still figuring out what, exactly, makes the character tick. As such, she’s only a raiser of the dead, and there’s nary a vampire to be seen. Just a widow who wants a moment with her deceased husband, and a zombie to be raised. It’s actually a tight piece, and a good example of Hamilton’s bent towards dark fantasy and horror.

“A Lust of Cupids” is a strange tale where roving packs of cupids terrorize innocent victims, causing them to fall in lust or love with random targets. Short but sweet, it’s got something of a wicked core to it.

“The Edge of the Sea” is much more of a horror story, one in which you’ll never look at the ocean, or think of mer-creatures, the same way again.

“A Scarcity of Lake Monsters” might possibly be my favorite in this collection. It’s set in a world where lake monsters and other mythological creatures, such as satyrs and leprechauns, are real. But in a distinct departure from the norm, this story focuses upon conservation and scholarly efforts to understand these creatures. How do lake monsters breed and continue on? Therein lies the mystery and the whimsy of this story. I’d happily read more stories in this setting.

“Selling Houses” is a ghost story set in the Anita Blake universe, though Anita herself is nowhere to be seen. Instead, we meet a new protagonist, a real estate agent whose latest property, which comes complete with tragic history, may be a very tough sell.

Set in the same world as her novel Nightseer, “A Token For Celandinem” is a dark tale about a healer corrupted by evil powers, and the elven bodyguard sworn to see her through a dangerous quest.

“A Clean Sweep” is another of my favorites, a bizarre story about an underappreciated superhero named Captain Housework, who’s found himself short of villains, but still possessed of the need to help. As with many of Hamilton’s stories, it has a somewhat dark twist to it.

“The Curse-Maker” and “Stealing Souls” both feature the same characters, a woman warrior with an intelligent, magical sword, and her bard companion. They make for an interesting pair, though the sword seems rather inspired by old-school Dungeons and Dragons at times . . . though ironically, it may be the most intriguing of the group. In one story, our heroine goes on a quest to save the life of her bard friend from the man who placed a death curse on him. In the other, they storm a wizard’s keep to fulfill a childhood vow. All in all, I enjoyed this pair of stories, and I wouldn’t have minded to see more of the characters and their backstory. Something tells me a longer work set in their world would almost feel like retro fantasy, these days.

“Geese” also sees a young woman fulfilling an old obligation. In this instance, a girl has spent much of her life as a goose in order to avoid falling victim to an enemy’s geas. Now that she’s grown, will she seek vengeance, or succumb to the geas’ power?

“House of Wizards” is about a young woman, entirely non-magical, who marries into a family where magic is a rule, not an exception. A classic fish out of water story ensues, and naturally, she makes quite an impact on her in-laws.

“Here Be Dragons,” the sole story with science fiction elements, is rather strong, and rather disturbing. An empathic dream therapist who spends her days dealing with the worst people society has to offer, is called back to a place she hates and fears, to deal with a child sociopath in the making. In the battle of wills to follow, who will emerge victorious, and who will prove to be the greater monster?

Also from the world of Nightseer comes “Winterkill,” about an assassin who only targets wizards. Not as gripping as some of the stories, but it still shows an early strength to Hamilton’s work.

Finally comes “The Girl Who Was Infatuated With Death,” which is the newest of the lot, an Anita Blake story which falls relatively lately in the series. In it, Anita is tasked to find a seventeen-year-old girl who’s on the verge of illegally being brought over as a vampire. Should this happen, it’ll be trouble for the vampire who does the deed, and heartbreak for the distraught mother who’d lose her daughter. This one is the closest to Hamilton’s best-known style of writing.

Overall, I have to admit that Hamilton’s a really good writer. I think she really brings out a certain strength when she’s writing short fiction; with only so much space to work with, she stays on track and sheds a lot of excess baggage that makes her novels seem to drag on. This, of course, is just my opinion, but looking at how she’s evolved and matured as an author, it seems as though these earlier works really were ripe with promise. It’s almost a shame she’s gotten locked into the Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series; a few more standalones that branch out might just be what she needs for variety. Clearly, she’s got an old-fashioned affinity for sword and sorcery (sorceress?) fantasy (two of the stories in this volume actually did appear in the Sword & Sorceress anthology series, and two more appeared in projects edited by S&S editor Marion Zimmer Bradley) and I may just have to find a copy of Nightseer to see how it stacks up in comparison to the short fiction set in that world. In the introduction, Hamilton speaks with some regret about how the bottom fell out of the heroic fantasy market, and she was forced to find something the publishers would pick up, which obviously led to the projects she’s best known for. I wonder if now that the heroic fantasy market seems to have made a comeback, she’ll once again venture into it.

That digression aside, I’ll conclude, somewhat to my surprise, that Strange Candy is actually quite entertaining, and a rather nice sampler of Hamilton’s work. Fans of her stuff are sure to enjoy it, and those who might have avoided Hamilton’s books “because of all the sex” will find these stories almost entirely free of that determent. So go ahead, check this one out.

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The Spriggan Mirror, by Lawrence Watt-Evans (Cosmos Books, 2007)

Jul 21

Posted by Michael M. Jones in Fantasy | No Comments

In the city of Ethshar by the Rocks, the best supplier of materials for wizard spells is Gresh, whose worldwide network of contacts, friends, and trade secrets has give him the reputation as a man who can find anything a wizard might need. So when Tobas, a young wizard whose miscast spell went horribly awry some years ago, is ordered by the Wizard’s Guild to rectify the matter, he goes to Gresh. The job? Find the enchanted mirror which is the origin of all spriggans in the World. The payment? Just about anything Gresh can think to name, within reason and sanity. The problem? The spriggans are indestructible, immortal, mischievous creatures, who stole the mirror years ago to protect themselves from people who’d try to destroy them all. The bigger problem? The realization that if the mirror isn’t dealt with, someday in the future the World will be overrun by the little green nuisances. Gresh, with his reputation to uphold, and a hefty payment on the line, takes the job, and soon narrows down the area in which to search. Together with Tobas and Tobas’s two wives, Gresh now has to find the mirror, wrestle it from the multitudinous hands of the spriggans, and decipher the secret of its power, so that the threat of spriggan overpopulation will be curtailed once and for all.

Of course, the spriggans don’t plan to make it easy. And as everyone knows, messing with magic can be dangerous, foolhardy, and sometimes even suicidal. Will it be enough to break the mirror, or can they disenchant it? Can they reverse its effects, or are they stuck with the spriggans for good? Worse still, what’re the ethical ramifications of trying to wipe out half a million sentient — if annoying — magical beings? What starts off as a simple retrieval operation swiftly becomes a complex moral issue for which Gresh has no ready answers. All he knows is that his conscience may not let him finish the job easily. And that’s before the mirror is tampered with, and an additional twist is thrown into the equation. . . .

As with almost all in the Ethshar series, the main crux of the plot stems from magic gone wrong, and the complicated ways in which it can get even worse. In this case, The Spriggan Mirror actually picks up from a plot point in an earlier Ethshar book, With A Single Spell, and follows up on the characters first introduced in that book, though the focus is on Gresh, who’d only been mentioned in passing before. Watt-Evans certainly has a great magic system set up in the Ethshar series, with its multiple forms of practictioning, its rules and limitations, and its creative, sometimes whimsical spell names. It’s attention to the little details about what a spell can and can’t do that helps fuel much of the suspense and complications as the plot progresses, as well as providing some amusing moments along the way.

I’ve always enjoyed the Ethshar series, with its varied settings, intriguing characters, unstable and volatile magic, and fast-moving plots, and The Spriggan Mirror lives up to the usual standards, offering an entertaining, thought-provoking story. It’s nice to find an intelligent non-epic fantasy book that can stand alone, while still being part of a larger world, without relying upon massive amounts of bloodshed or violence to keep the masses occupied. The Spriggan Mirror is more then welcome on my shelves, where it’ll join the rest of the series, and I definitely recommend it to those seeking a good, solid, well-told fantasy adventure.

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