The Wicked Skill

Sartorias-deles (Timeline Order) #25

by Sherwood Smith

In this fantasy of manners we meet two displaced young kings, one shopkeeper’s daughter who went away an ugly duckling and returns five years later a beautiful and highly skilled swan, and a young queen who is master of all she surveys . . . until she isn’t. The result is the last summer of love and adventure on the eve of cataclysm.

The Wicked Skill, from a poem by John Donne, duels and dances with discovery of the many facets of love—set against a background of revolution, one conducted through manners, the other by swashbuckling youths who think life is a game . . .

Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

507 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 31, 2022

About the author

I am a writer,( Patreon here) but I'm on Goodreads to talk about books, as I've been a passionate reader as long as I've been a writer--since early childhood.

I'm not going to rate books--there are too many variables. I'd rather talk about the reading experience. My 'reviews' of my books are confined to the writing process.

Reviews

[Sherwood Smith]

The first draft wrote itself the year before I began Crown Duel, around the time I turned twenty. The second draft was a radical change forty years later. It kind of stands alone, but as it fits along the Sartorias-deles timeline, some of the key players are not new. They bring backstory with them.

Though that first draft was written in 1970 (a year after what was dubbed by media "The Summer of Love") it wasn't decades later that it subtitled in my mind The Summer of Love. Romance is in the air, though this is NOT a romance, if one defines romance as a focus on one couple, with everyone else in support, with a "happily ever after" at the end. There are several kinds of romance here, ranging from insta-lust to long-term romance (that gets tested) and the discovery of love's facets, and how deliciously bewildering it can be, set against the background of two very different countries changing regimes. And why. And how.

So, fantasy with romance? Anyway, there it is, the calm before the coming storm . . .

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains: some mild swearing, mentions of sex (nothing explicit). This book in a way is a bridge between the young allies (Rise of the Alliance) and the Norsunder Arc (starting with Ship Without Sails coming September? 2022). This takes place five years after Nightside of the Sun and mainly follows the now more grown up Liere (first seen in Fleeing Peace), Atan (first seen in Spy Princess), and Shontande (from Rise of the Alliance), as well as some new characters.

I just love Smith’s in-depth character and world building. She has such a command of human behavior, politics, and strategy.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had high hopes coming into The Wicked Skill and it delivered.

I’m very deep into Sator-Deles at this point, so this cannot be considered an unbiased review. I can’t write an unbiased review of a world I’ve been fascinated with since I took an interlibrary loan out and read Crown Duel in high school.

I’ve tried to bring as many friends as I can along with me into Sator-Deles and I think the Wicked Skill is a great starting point for many. There’s a slimmer cast of characters and less backstory of every aspect of the world. Sister Orchid / Liere is coming back into the world after five years in an all-female assassin school, so it’s natural for us to catch up with the Alliance as adults.

It’s a fantasy of manners (when does a character lack sufficient agency for it to be considered a fantasy of manners?), so it’s not as grim and dark as some of the military-based Sator-Deles books. We get introduced to Sator and Colend, and I could write an entire love letter to Colend. We see Smith trot out some of the themes explored in the other books, and see the characters grow. Liere’s arc won’t mean as much to others, but I still think it will be beautiful to all.

Highlights of this book include:
- Three dimensional and unique characters
- Well written relationships (both romantic and not)
- Fantastic and fascinating settings
- Flawless world building
- Beautifully paced, I read in two sittings

[Ay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most enjoyable.
This is a continuation of the series. Liere is back after 5 years, and spending time with her god awful 12 year old daughter. Will all these subsequent books be inflicted with god awful 12 year olds? I thought they would all grow up and be past that. Not all 12 year olds are this god awful. Really.

Oh well. The rest of the ongoing characters plot and writing are great.

[Kris]

I feel terrible saying that I dropped this book. I love the writing of Sherwood Smith, and Crown Duel has been a particular favorite since childhood. However, I kept seeing references to people or places that sounded incredibly familiar and I knew I had read about them before, but it was so long ago that any details were lost in the haze of time. I found that to be a frustrating experience and I am just not in the right headspace to read a novel of Sartorias-deles - or at least I need to re-familiarize myself with Senrid's history before I progress further. Alas. Put aside for now.