Avon Fantasy, copyright 1998, 513 pages
ISBN: 0-380-78814-4
Read: May 2017, age 39, read for the third time
I picked this one up again because I'd just read the sequel trilogy The Fall of Ile-Rien. I didn't expect that series to follow so closely on the heels of this book, and I wanted a refresher to see what I'd missed. And because this book is really a lot of fun. There's no need for a sequel - it ends on its own - but I'd suggest reading this one before the other three - it is a direct sequel.
No spoilers, just a jump break.
I'd characterize this book as 'wrought-iron fantasy' or 'gaslight fantasy' - rather than medieval, it's set in the late 1800's or so - decaying manor houses, la beau monde, gas lights, universities, and magic. I suppose it could also be 'urban fantasy', but to me that suggests generally modern times.
It's a lot of fun. The characters are capable but fallible, well-motivated and round - even the bit-part guys have all kinds of history and complexity and it shows. The setting shines - again, history and complexity, clearly laid out and atmospheric. And the plot... well, it stars a nobleman thief, but it isn't really a heist story. It's also not quite a detective story, or a straight action thriller, but there are large components of all of these.
My only complaint, and it comes from just having read some of her later work, is that there are occasional clunks in the writing, something which the author seems to have worked out in the intervening two decades. This reduces the prose to merely 'very good', however, so it's a pretty minor quibble. The overall effect is fantastic.
Rating: 5
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