Ill Wind

Weather Warden: 1

ISBN: 0-451-45952-0 Order from: Amazon.com

Snappy dialogue, fast pace and sassy and appealing heroine make for a very enjoyable adventure with hints of romance and mystery.

Reviewed by David on September 19, 2004

Genre: Fantasy

Synopsis: The world is a dangerous, deadly place. Natural disasters, from hurricanes to earthquakes would be unimaginably more destructive were it not for a secret network of Wardens—gifted men and women damping winds, controlling fires, and weakening earthquakes and floods.

Joanne Baldwin is a talented, irreverent and often hasty Weather Warden. Her passion for fast cars, attractive men, and snappy reaprtee gained her both friends and enemies in her as-yet-short career. However, a magical attack leaves her with a problem she cannot solve by herself. Alas, she has to ask for help. Even worse, she is suspected of murder and is unlikely to get help or even fair hearing from her fellow Wardens. Joanne has to race across the country looking for help before her well-meaning colleagues, or her enemy stop her. Failure could be worse than death for Joanne, and a truly deadly storm for everyone around.

Full Review: The novel, somewhat framed as a mystery, has a few logic flaws, but they are not noticable in the breathtaking pace of Joanne on the run. The appealing protagonist, the mixture of her self-deprecating humor, fear, confidence and attraction make for a heady mix. Joanne's passion for fast chars and attractive men work well to portray her, and her supporting cast of potential lovers, friends, allies, enemies, and some who move between the categories keep Joanne on her toes and the reader firmly antranced.

The magic is interesting, and the strong characters, snappy dialogue, careful mixture of world-building and rapid pace result in a delightful experience from the first page all the way to the last.

Overall: 6.5; Plot: 6; Characters: 6.5; Style: 6.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6.5;

ISBN: 0-451-45952-0 Order from: Amazon.com