God Stalk

Jame of the Kencyrath: 1

ISBN: 0-689-30844-2 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com

An intoxicating blend of Victorian melodrama, high fantasy, dark humor; superb characters carried along on a plot of almost breathless excitement in a world deep and fascinating with historical detail and wonderful magic.

Reviewed by David on July 04, 1998

Genre: Fantasy (High Fantasy)

Synopsis: Jame, a young woman missing her memories, struggles out of the haunted wastes into Tai-tastigon, the old, corrupt, rich and god-infested city between the mountains and the lost lands of the Kencyrath. Jame's struggle to regain her strength, her memories, and the resources to travel to join her people, the Kencyrath, drag her into several relationships, earning affection, respect, bitter hatred and, as always, haunting memories of friends and enemies dead in her wake.

Full Review: Thousands of years ago, the Kencyrs have been drafted against their will by their monotheistic god into a war to save the Chain of Creation against the ultimate corrupter, Perimal Darkling. So far, the war has not been going well, and the Kencyrs have abandoned world after world to the onslaught of darkness. Tired and embittered by the struggle, a few centuries ago many of their leaders have turned to Perimal in a horrible and bloody betrayal of their kin.

Ever since then, the remaining Kencyrath has embraced rigid laws of honor and propriety as their struggle turned fratricidal. They also view all aristocrats with suspicion and fear.

As Jame explores her missing memories, it begins to look increasingly that she is indeed one of the feared and despised aristocracy of Kencyr, gifted with power and touched by shadows. It also appears that despite her taint, she has a significant part in the struggle, and she holds the unwelcome attention of their god, the harsh and destructive power that has been wielding the Kencyrath like a weapon for so many lifetimes.

In the meantime, Jame, without clear memories but with an honor ingrained so deeply that she would die before lying, finds that her only employment is thievery. Jame's difficulty in stealing with honor is exacerbated by the shock to her intensely monotheistic faith in a city literally full of gods.

Jame's humor, compassion and intelligence, as well as her ability to win friends allow her to resolve these issues. Unfortunately, it also brings her enemies and the pain of lost friends, when her honor conflicts with the greed and power-hunger of Tai-tastigon.

This book is full of tasty snippets. The plot is devious and complex, never losing the sense of suspense and headlong adventure. The episode where Jame leaps over the roofs on the way to resurrecting a dead god is wonderful. The fun, excitement and humor is interleaved with the sense of ancient history and old plots. The city is full of detail and depth, and the supporting characters are 3-dimensional and plausible.

All through the plot, the underlying conflict of Jame's compassion and decency with her darker inclinations and almost supernatural bad luck (not entirely coincidental, it seems that the destructive aspect of the Kencyrath god has some affinity for Jame) add poignancy to the story.

Needless to say, this book is highly recommended. It is followed by Dark of the Moon.

It may be difficult to find, so try the used book store or Hypatia Press.

Overall: 9.5; Plot: 9; Characters: 9.5; Style: 9; World-building: 9; Originality: 9;

ISBN: 0-689-30844-2 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com