ISBN: 0-812-57190-8 Order from: Amazon.com
A well-written but predictable fantasy of a woman's struggle with an overly ambitious and cruel sorcerer.
Reviewed by David on September 15, 1998
Genre: Fantasy (Evil Sorcerer, Evil Invasion)
Synopsis: The enchantress Inya has stayed in her comfortable tower for centuries, playing an elusive goddess. When a young and arrogant student comes to her for advanced schooling, she has some misgivings, but continues his training. When he later turns dangerous, Inya locks him out of her tower. Little does she know that the young student's abilities exceed the teacher's, and are in turn exceeded by his ambition and rage.
Full Review: It seems every time an evil but controllable menace is exiled into an unbreakable prison, he returns with enormous power (I recently reviewed The Dark Shore). A more foresightful hero would just cut the throat of such a menace—witness my admiration for Anita Blake and Sonja Blue.
Coming back to the book in question, while the writing is smooth and skillful, the plot is highly predictable: the reader can pretty much project what will happen from the first few pages. It is frustrating to have the viewpoint character behave in such a petty and purblind way.
The character development of Inya, from willfulness though passion, fear, rage and determination, and eventually to grief and maturity is well handled, but seems a bit immature for a centuries-old enchantress. The mystical self-realization techniques which help her overcome obstacles seems superficial and fuzzy.
While Kar Kalim exhibits some skill, it does not break new ground, nor present high entertainment value.
Overall: 5; Plot: 5; Characters: 5; Style: 5.5; World-building: 5; Originality: 5;
Copyright date 1997, Tom Doherty Associates, Inc. (Tor), August 1997, Mass market, 276 pages
ISBN: 0-812-57190-8 Order from: Amazon.com