ISBN: 0-451-45980-6 Order from: Amazon.com
A rich tapestry of magic, magical beings and history sometimes overwhelmes the narrative in this fantasy of intrigue.
Reviewed by David on September 19, 2004
Genre: Fantasy
Synopsis: Rabbit is a soldier in the tricky border area between Inversterre and the magical Northern lands. An encounter with a rare magical creature plunges Rabbit's patrol into an escalating web of accusations and tensions into the two conflicting lands. Like the land, Rabbit's own past is tangled with both sides, from old Inversterre lines to the influence of the pervasive magic of the Fey. He is in the center of the conflict—and in the center of trying to avoid another Border War.
Full Review: The world is rich and in many ways original. The magical North is more than the conventional Fey, it includes animals and plants who think, communicate and wreak magic. But over time the main character's coming of age story is often overwhelmed by the background: nearly every character turns out to be noble, magical, or at least have a formerly unknown role in political intrigue.
At the end, an interesting world is sketched, but the protagonist is rather bland, being more of a piece of the ever-more-tangled world.
The novel is positioned as the first of a series, perhaps the sequels will have a more appealing role for the central character.
Overall: 5; Plot: 5; Characters: 5; Style: 5; World-building: 6.5; Originality: 6.5;
Copyright date 2004, Penguin Group (Roc), May 2004, Mass-market, 548 pages
ISBN: 0-451-45980-6 Order from: Amazon.com