ISBN: 0-671-87765-8 Order from: Amazon.com
A tense fantasy with a good and unusual shapeshifting character, some romantic subplots, and magic-enhanced struggle of courageous but unremarkable people against greed and hatred.
Reviewed by David on February 22, 1999
Genre: Fantasy (Magic, Multiple Worlds, Shapeshifting)
Synopsis: The land of Camolen has learned to use magic as a craft, with its wizards specializing in everything from medicine to theoretical magic. In most cases, the abuses of magic are curtailed by carefully crafted checkspells. However, a determined and talented magician can get around these restrictions, and greed and desire for revenge form a conspiracy of criminals and ambitious wizards that threaten everyone in the land.
Jess, a skilled courier who is sometimes a horse and sometimes a young woman, gets involved in the struggle when she and her friends become the tagets of the vindictive mages' ire. With the council of wizards stalemated, and the magical criminals attacking bystanders, Jess, her former rider Carey, and some friends who came from Earth through a powerful gateway spell, embark on a dangerous mission to stop the renegades.
Full Review: This book takes place about a year after the events of Dun Lady's Jess. Jess, who started in the previous book as a confused and distressed mare turned into a woman, has spent months getting used to her alternating existance. Happy to be able to enjoy both shapes, Jess is more sophisticated now, but she is still a brutally honest, uncomplicatedly joyful and captivatingly fresh character.
She is frustrated by her inability to trigger the shapeshifting spell while in equine form: she has to rely on others to trigger her spells. Jess is also distressed by her beloved Carey's recent distance.
However, these personal problems are soon overshadowed when a powerful criminal mage escapes her confinement, and a powerful conspiracy seems intent on turning other animals to humans, and, even more distressing, attacking Jess and her friends for their role in defeating a magical coup a year ago.
The book is full of adventure. With Earth deep in the background, the plot concentrates on the land of magic, and allows a better glimpse into a life where enchantment is as common and useful as technology. The characters are well-drawn, and, as in its predecessor, Jess forms the clearest and most appealing character of the book. The puzzling but warm discovery of sexual attraction as a human, the never-lacking courage, and the honest kindness of the former horse all serve to form a lifelike and attractive protagonists.
The book treats others with less attention, but most characters, including the villains, get reasonable motivations.
The events of Durgin's fantasy Barrenlands are briefly mentioned as occuring long ago, placing it in the same world.
The book cover by Larry Elmore seems more apt than most fantasy covers.
The book's style is a bit too casual for fantasy, but the characterization is very good. Overall, this is a good, solid story bolstered by the excellent protagonist, and providing entertainment through her moments of sadness, rage, joy, fear and playfullness.
Overall: 6.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 6.5; Style: 6; World-building: 6; Originality: 5.5;
Copyright date 1997, Baen Publishing Enterprises (Baen), February 1997, Mass market paperback, 338 pages
ISBN: 0-671-87765-8 Order from: Amazon.com