Diplomacy of Wolves

The Secret Texts: 1

ISBN: 0-446-67395-1 Order from: Amazon.com

The first in a fantasy series with political, magical and divine conspiracies with a competent but inexperienced heroine, fighting, torture and spells, which feels too much like a prologue.

Reviewed by David on December 16, 1998

Genre: Fantasy (High Fantasy, Intrigue, Dispossessed Heir)

Synopsis: Centuries ago, the great Wizard War wrought devastation on the island world of Matrin. Enormous cities were turned into deadly craters, and millions have been killed or mutated. Now, when the civilization is reaching new heights, and wonderful buildings and airships approach, but do not equal the marvels of the ancients, wizardry is outlawed. And the mutants, called the Scarred, are universally despised, and frequently put to death. A young scion of an aristocratic family, Kait has been hiding her special Scarring all her life: if discovered, her unusual attributes would sentence her and her family to death. However, her intelligence, courage and skill win her a promising position as a junior diplomat in the midst of a hostile city. When Kait discovers a deadly plot against her family, the long-held tensions between the ruling dynasties erupt in treachery, murder, and clandestine but powerful magic.

For despite being outlawed, the hunger for power has led the new breeds of magicians to the power not seen since the great war. And forces that slept for a thousand years have started to take part in the human politics.

Full Review: Kait is a likable heroine, inexperienced, intelligent, passionate and pragmatic. Surrounded by well fleshed-out supporting cast, some openly hostile, others ambiguous, Kait strives to find a direction in a world suddenly turned dangerous and lonely. Proving unexpectedly good at surviving, Kait does a lot more running than fighting. Some of the villains are two-dimensional deviants; however, most are driven by a human mixture of ambition, greed, fear and curiosity.

The book moves pretty well, considering the plots within plots motif. It suffers somewhat from being incomplete (this is very much an introduction to a series instead of a self-enclosed story), excessive foreshadowing and from overly complicated intrigue. Hopefully, the sequels will concentrate more on Kait, and clarify some of the conspiracies.

The sequel, The Vengeance of Dragons, is scheduled to be released in October 1999.

Overall: 5.5; Plot: 5; Characters: 5; Style: 5; World-building: 5.5; Originality: 5;

ISBN: 0-446-67395-1 Order from: Amazon.com