ISBN: 0812549333 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com
An entertaining but unexceptional tale of magic, sword-fighting, evil empires and plucky heroes.
Reviewed by David on November 22, 1998
Genre: Fantasy (High Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery)
Synopsis: The twins Gaultry and Mervion have been raised by their aunt Tamsanne, a skilled witch in a remote village of the country Tielmaran. Three hundred years ago, Tielmaran, formerly a province of the god-ruled Bisannty Empire, gained its independence when its Prince made a bargain with the twin Goddesses of Beauty and Hunt. In three centuries, the Bisanties never gave up trying to regain the lost province. After failing to conquer Tilmaran militarily, the Empire has decided to subvert the province's bargain with its gods. And, appearances aside, the two village girls, apprentice hedge-witches and daughters of an hostler, are the tool which the Empire can use to break the divine pact.
Full Review: The adventure starts when Gaultry is nearly kidnapped by a group of brigands. When a geas-bound fighter helps her escape the kidnappers, Gaultry finds out that her sister Mervion is in deadly danger. Chafing at her barely developed magic, and resentful of the secrets of her own parentage that everyone seems to be keeping from her, Gaultry begins a perilous journey to save Mervion from the clutches of an evil mage; the journey that will bring her close to dooming or saving her country.
The evil plot to break the divine bargain is extremely convoluted and fragile, and seems mostly a plot device rather than a solid strategy used by intelligent and determined bad guys. The characters are fairly stereotypical, but well drawn, and the dialogue is frequently amusing. There is a telegraphed but pleasant romantic involvement, some spirited battles with the villains, both with arms and with words, and even direct involvement by the gods.
Annoyingly, there is a major villain who survives at the end. I prefer heroes who don't hesitate to mete out appropriate punishment, like Anita Blake.
Nevertheless, the book comes to a satisfying resolution, and has fun getting there. The pacing is good, and the characters are entertaining in this pleasant but unoriginal novel.
Overall: 6; Plot: 5; Characters: 5.5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 5;
Copyright date 1996, Tom Doherty Associates (Tor), April 1997, Mass market paperback
ISBN: 0812549333 Order from: Amazon.com Barnes & Noble.com