Tess of the Road - Rachel Hartman

“Her head nested in spindly weeds; beyond them the sky glowed preternaturally blue through the slats. As her chewing slowed, she noticed a bee crawling along a blade of grass above her head. She counted its stripes, amazed to see them juxtaposed with the stripes of sky. The bees were a warning, the sky’s a promise she could not yet fathom, and for a moment everything seemed connected, aching beauty and imminent danger, the fragility of the bee and the scalded roof of her mouth, the transcendent savor of bread and the fact that she was literally lying in a ditch.”

Tess Dombegh is a problem child, the bad twin and a troublemaker. At least, that’s what her family would have you believe. When in truth she’s felt overlooked in favour of her “prettier, kinder” twin and her older half-dragon sister, endured years of verbal abuse from her mother and was assaulted by someone she trusted. Suffocated under the weight of familial expectations and forced to accept a role she doesn’t want, Tess leaves home on the hunt for purpose and adventure.

The story is decidedly mature with adult themes and situations and though it’s the third book in the series, readers don’t need to start from the beginning to understand the story. The world Hartman has built is full and populated with a plethora of complex characters and memorable personalities. We’re also introduced to a number of areas due to the distance Tess travels. This is all held together by rich description and vivid imagery that bring the kingdom of Goredd and its people to life.

Tess is a flawed character and a refreshing change from the stereotype of a perfect protagonist. She’s stubborn, has a temper and holds a grudge. Over the course of the story we witness her grow and change in relation to her circumstances and the people surrounding her. And thanks to length of the book, her character development felt organic and realistic.

One thing that would have made the story more comprehensive was a map. Without one it made picturing Tess’ journey difficult. As well there were some spots where scenes felt compressed or skipped over, such as at the monastery. Expanding these scenes would have allowed for more character interaction as these settings sometimes felt rushed through.

If you’re looking for an engaging story set in a world populated by magic, dragons and legends I would highly recommend you try this series.   

Terrier - Tamora Pierce

This book is set in the same world as “The Lioness Rampant” series, taking place several hundred years earlier, following Beka Cooper, a poor girl living in Tortall. She joins the Provost’s Dogs to keep the peace and soon discovers people who won’t be missed are disappearing.  Thanks to her mysterious powers, a magical cat and a stubborn streak a mile wide, she plunges headlong into a story that has implications for the entire Lower City.

Beka is a flawed character which makes her actions and dialogue that much more realistic. She has fears and doubts. She has trouble doing her job at times because of communication. But through the course of the book we see her adapt and evolve to her new situation and to those around her.

There are also some great well-rounded secondary characters such as Beka’s mentors Tunstall and Goodwin and Rosto the Piper. Their personalities are slowly revealed throughout the story and on occasion by third parties. This made for a more organic experience rather than an infodump through exposition.  

As well the maps and appendix were much appreciated as the book covers a lot of ground both geographically and linguistically. This helped to physically center the reader and the addition of slang made the story more immersive and showed how much world-building Pierce had put into the series.

One drawback that remained throughout the entire story was the epistolary style. At times it got in the way of the story. In the beginning I had to delve through three separate POV levels to get to Beka’s story which was confusing and the result was it took longer to get into the story. As well one diary entry contained a plethora of spelling errors which was distracting and unnecessary. There are other better ways to communicate a person’s literacy. The style was somewhat mitigated though by Pierce’s transitions between Beka’s passive and active voice. She created a seamless shift between diary entries and present action so that it’s unnoticeable and doesn’t interrupt the narrative flow of the story.

If you’re a fan of Pierce or of the Lioness series I would highly recommend this book as the beginning of an interesting new series.

The Sword of Shannara - Terry Brooks

Herein lies the heart and the soul of the nations, their right to be free men, their desire to live in peace, their courage to seek out the truth. Herein lies the Sword of Shannara.

Shea Ohmsford doesn’t know it yet but he’s the most important person in the world. As the last descendant of Jerle Shannara he’s the only person capable of wielding the Sword of Shannara, an ancient weapon that can destroy the Warlock Lord. Unfortunately this makes him a target, forcing him to flee home and confront his destiny.

It will be obvious to anyone who has read The Lord of the Rings that this is close to a carbon copy for the first few hundred pages. Shea is joined by a disparate group of heroes consisting of humans, elves, a wizard and a dwarf and it’s easy to recognize their parallel counterparts in LOTR. Allanon is clearly a Gandalf remix as Balinor is for Aragorn. Palance is a mix of Denethor and Theoden, Stenmin is Wormtongue, Orl Fane is Gollum. Shea and Flick Ohmsford are Frodo and Sam, Menion is Legolas, Hendel is Gimli, etc.  As well there are various plot points that are similar as well. There’s a chosen one, a reluctant hero, a fake death, a dangerous lair and a magical device capable of defeating pure evil.

But while Tolkien clearly inspired aspects of plot and character, Brooks does put his own personal spin on the story. There are a variety of settings accompanied by good description that creates solid imagery for the reader. As well, the backstory for this world is only hinted at but is enough to understand a cataclysm befell Earth thousands of years ago and shows that previous decisions are responsible for current events.

The story is fast-paced and keeps the reader on their toes as circumstances can change within the space of a paragraph. That said at times it’s at the expense of character growth. Menion seemingly falls in love in the space of several days and there’s no reunion scene with Flick, Allanon and Eventine after the elf king’s rescue which could possibly have been a great scene. Several times throughout the story the plot will leapfrog over what appear to be great setups for dialogue or exposition that could further the plot. These missed opportunities are a shame considering how many characters Brooks has that require good progression and development. 

The Lions of Al-Rassan - Guy Gavriel Kay

"It was just past midday, not long before the third summons to prayer, that Ammar ibn Khairan passed through the Gate of the Bells and entered the palace of Al-Fontina in Silvenes to kill the last of the khalifs of Al-Rassan."

Twenty years later the land of Al-Rassan has changed. City-state kingdoms have sprung up since the fall of the Khalifate. Life continues, along with murders, poisonings and pillaging. In the city of Fezana, Jehane, a Kindath doctor, is preparing to see patients; Ammar ibn Khairan is in town to oversee his pupil, Prince Almalik receive dignitaries; Rodrigo Belmonte, a captain in Valledo's army is riding to Fezana to collect the tribute paid each year to his king. All three are soon to be drawn into a plot involving two kingdoms, political intrigue and religious fanaticism.

Kay has crafted an amazing story here with a rich plot that covers a lot of ground, both literally and physically. His world draws obvious parallels with medieval Spain as evidenced by the map included in the book. Religion also plays a strong hand, with the three main religions composed of Asharites, who worship the stars of Ashar, Jaddites who worship the sun-god Jad and Kindaths who worship the sister of the god, represented by the two moons. The allusions to Islam, Christianity and Judaism show Kay's obvious inspiration and allow the reader to gain an understanding of the conflicts and comforts of the three fairly easily.

The characters are richly described. As a doctor Jehane has sworn an oath to protect and heal others but at times this tenement is tested, most sorely after a village is raided by Asharites with many of the occupants put to the sword. As well, the reader gets to experience the conflicting emotions among the characters as they get to know one another despite religion and borders and duty to one's country. Kay really makes you care about them and their plight but there were times when I found myself rolling my eyes. When first introduced Rodrigo and Ammar seemed almost indistinguishable from one another. They are both smart and capable warriors and I felt Kay didn't do enough to develop them into two completely separate people. Ammar may be a poet and recite lines throughout the book but his dialogue, his attitude, his body language and tactician's mind all seemed very much in line with Rodrigo. And let's not forget about Jehane. She was consistently referred to as beautiful, almost to the point of distraction. Instead of using ambiguous terms, Kay could have described her hands for example. As a doctor her hands are extremely important, her tools for fighting infection and disease.

The story is action-packed but Kay plays the trickster when it comes to plot-points. There were several times throughout the novel where he misleads the reader, pulls at your heartstrings. It was cheeky the first time but after the third I was done with his maddening omission of pronouns and names. As well, while the story moved along at a quick pace, there were sections that were merely summarized which I believe would have benefited from an action scene. This is most evident at the end of the book where the climax of the plot is summarized instead of described in detail. By glossing over this Kay started to fall into "Lorna Doone" territory, something a book should never attempt to do.

Overall though, an extremely enjoyable read and a good introduction into Kay's writing. I will definitely be keeping this book in my library. I should also mention that Kay is one of ours, a home grown product of Canada!

Rating: 4/5

The Stone and the Maiden - Dennis Jones

"Theatana's palms were damp with suppressed excitement. She folded her arms, and with her fingertips stroked the brocading of her cloth-of-silver sleeves. Below the window where she stood, the small paved rectangle of the Penitential Yard lay cold and gray in the dawn. The courtyard was deep in the oldest part of the Numera, next to the prison beneath the Bucelon Ravelin, and in the courtyard's center stood a double gallows."

A horde of barbarians are invading The Ascendancy, an ages old kingdom ruled by Archates, an incompetent fool. His daughter Theatana is a power hungry wacko and Erkai the Chain, an evil sorcerer has just returned from the dead. Mandine Dascaris, Archates' other daughter and heir to the throne, must deal with all three. Only the Signata, a long lost magic that will help her defeat her enemies but she can't do it alone. With the help of Key Mec Brander, a knight, they will defend the kingdom and preserve The Ascendancy.

I was pleasantly surprised by this novel. I read it last year on the plane and found myself unable to put it down. It's very typical of your straight forward fantasy novel with good versus evil, ancient bloodlines, powerful bad guys and a complex mythology but I was entertained.

Mandine and Key make an interesting pairing. Their relationship slowly evolves throughout the book and is put to the test more than once. Their are also some interesting additions to the fantasy novel mythos such as the cataphract, a horse/cat/bull mix that serve as mounts for the knights of The Ascendancy. Jones does a good job of creating a full world with its own rules and inhabitants. Another positive that I noticed is that Jones is Canadian. Can-Con is always a plus in my book.

My problems with the book stem from the plot and characters. Key's background seemed too cliche in terms of his family history and frankly, I'd read it before in half a dozen books. He and Mandine just happen to get thrown in together and low and behold it was fated they should meet. As for the plot it starts with a punch but the tension starts to dissipate towards the middle. This series has definite potential and was an enjoyable read but the story needs to step it up in terms of tension and originality.

Rating:3.5/5