Martha Wells

The Ile-Rien Stories — (1993-2005) The last three books are known collectively as The Fall of Ile-Rien. Publisher: The kingdom of Ile-Rien is in peril, menaced by magical threats and court intrigue. As the weak King Roland, misled by treacherous companions, rules the country, only his ruthless mother, the Dowager Queen Ravenna, truly guards the safety of the realm. But now Urbain Grandier, the dark master of scientific sorcery, has arrived to plot against the throne and Kade, bastard sister of the king, has appeared unexpectedly at court. The illegitimate daughter of the old king and the Queen of Air and Darkness herself, Kade's true goals are cloaked in mystery. Is she in league with the wizard Grandier? Or is she laying claim to the throne? It falls to Thomas Boniface, Captain of the Queen's Guard and Ravenna's former lover, to sort out who is friend, who is foe in a deadly game to keep the Dowager Queen and the kingdom she loves from harm.

The Death of the Necromancer: Intricate steam-and-sorcery mystery

Nicholas Valiarde is a man obsessed. Expertly assisted by a coterie of talented yet honorable thieves, he's all but completed his master plan of revenge against Count Montesq, a corrupt nobleman who orchestrated the execution of Nicholas's foster father on the basis of a false charge of necromancy. Nicholas's plan is interrupted, however, by the appearance of the mysterious Dr. Octave, a professed medium who may or may not be a fraud, but who is somehow connected with the strange, magical spheres on which the false charge against Nicholas's foster father was based. And as Nicholas and his allies slowly unravel the dark cloak around Octave, their fingers touch the bones of an ancient and implacable evil lurking beneath the streets and sewers of their unsuspecting city ...

The Death of the Necromancer is a rich, complex, stand-alone novel set in the gaslit city of Ile-Rien; and even though this reviewer is discovering it a decade after its publication, its earning of a Nebula Award nomination for Martha Wells is unsurprising. Ms. Wells has created a wonderful setting — complete with pistols, trains, vile-smelling sewers and catacombs, and numerous other Victorian touches — and populated it with realistic characters, who reveal much of themselves on the page and yet give the impression of unplumbed depths in their personalities. In particular, Madeline (a steel-spirited actress and Nicholas's lover) and Arisilde (a powerful sorcerer fallen into opium addiction) are two of the most finely drawn characters I can recall in a fantasy novel. Ms. Wells's writing competently and often vividly supports the weight of the novel's Byzantine plot. (I only have three quibbles with her writing style: unusual punctuation; frequent perception/filtering tags such as "He saw that one of Spot's paws was blue" instead of "One of Spot's paws was blue"; and a sense of confusion as to exactly what was happening in certain action scenes, though perhaps that was an intentional reflection of the scenes occurring in darkness?)

The Death of the Necromancer is one of the best books I've read this year, and the strength of its characters and setting brings to mind other ornate, urban works (such as Kushner's Swordspoint; Wolfe's Shadow of the Torturer; and Moorcock's Gloriana).  Highly recommended for enthusiasts of post-medieval fantasy and mystery.  Four bright gaslight sconces. —Rob R.   Comments

The Wizard Hunters

The Wizard Hunters has a great opening line. Unfortunately, it never quite lives up to the promise so tantalizingly held out to us. The good news is the character we meet in that first line, Tremaine, holds up well throughout the book. In general, the characterization is one of the book's stronger points. The story premise is also a highlight, offering up an unusual meshing of cultures — one with magic and science/technology working side by side, another where technology has yet to form and magic is evil, and yet a third (the Gardier), set on invading the first two through a malevolent combination of science and magic. The side-by-side use of modern technology and magic adds a welcome freshness to the fantasy, as does the conflict between two cultures, one employing magic and one fearing it, that seemingly must unite to face a common foe. That conflict and alliance is played out on a small scale in The Wizard Hunters, focusing on a small band of characters thrown together into hostile territory.

As mentioned, characterization is strong throughout and the main character is especially well-drawn and an enjoyable presence. A few characters could use some more depth, as could the entire Gardier, a weakness Wells addresses in the next book (The Ships of Air). The major flaws in Hunters belong to the plot. It is at times a bit repetitive, but the smooth flow, often breezy tone, and likeable characters make this a relatively minor fault. A larger one is the overreliance on deus ex machina (literally) through Tremaine's use of the mysterious sphere given to her as a child. It too often pops out just when needed, lessening the sense of tension at some of the more climatic moments. Happily, this happens much less in the sequel which is overall I think a better book.

The Wizard Hunters is a solid start to an interesting set-up and if the improvement between the first and second book is any sign, the series should only get better. A solid recommendation with a nod to the idea of reading ahead to the next book. —Bill   Comments

The Ships of Air: Promising improvement

The Ships of Air, the second book in The Fall of Ile-Rien, builds upon the strengths of the first while also improving several of the first book's flaws. As in The Wizard Hunters, the main character's depth and likeability is a major strength. Tremaine is a complex character, displaying a variety of emotions and pursuing a variety of actions, some of them not so clearly understood by those around her or even herself. Several of the side characters from The Wizard Hunters whose characterization suffered a bit from shallowness deepen into more three-dimensional creations here, enriching the overall flavor of the novel and allowing Wells the luxury of dipping into several enjoyable side-stories. The writing moves along crisply and often humorously, another positive carried over from book one.

Where the first book suffered somewhat from repetitive plot, villains painted in too-shallow pictures, and an over-reliance on Tremaine's sphere as a deus ex machina, Ships of Air suffers from none of these. The villains, the Gardier, are explained more fully from inside and out. The storyline finds excitement though expanding existing tensions and adding new points of contention/crisis rather than simply repeating a pattern of capture/escape/capture/escape. And the sphere plays a relatively minor role to the advantage of both character and plot.

Some of the foreshadowing from book one is resolved here and, as is expected of a bridge novel in a series, new questions arise to tantalize the reader. If anything, these new questions are more intriguing than the old ones. This, combined with the improvements in plot and character, make this not only a better written book than Wizards, but also a much stronger lure into continuing with the series. A good recommendation.  —Bill   Comments