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The Hadrumal Crisis #1
Dangerous Waters
The Archmage rules the island of wizards, enforcing a ban on the use of magecraft in warfare. But there is a rumour of rogue wizardry abroad, its adepts not subject to the Archmage's edicts. The Emperor of Tormalin is offering them his protection while corsairs are raiding the coasts and merchants are begging for magical aid. The world of Lescar faces a terrifying change and epoch defying adventure. The Archmage rules the island of wizards. From here he enforces the Edicts of the Council of Wizardry. Foremost is the ban on magecraft in warfare. But there is a rumour of rogue wizardry in Lescar's recent civil war.
There's the rise of Artifice, its adepts not subject to the Archmage's edicts. Now the Emperor of Tormalin is offering them his protection. There are corsairs raiding the Caladhrian Coast, enslaving villagers and devastating trade. Barons and merchants beg for magical aid. But all help has been refused. This is no comfort to Lady Zurenne whose husband has been murdered by corsairs. Now a man she doesn't even know stands as guardian over her and her daughters. Corrain, former captain and now slave, knows that man is a rogue wizard, selling his skills to the corsairs. If Corrain can escape, he'll see justice done. Unless Jilseth, magewoman and Archmage's confidante, can catch the renegade first, before the full extent of his villainy is revealed. If that happens, at a time when wizardry faces so many other challenges, the scandal could have dire consequences indeed!
Dangerous Waters is the first book in a stunning new fantasy series from a major voice in fantasy.
There's the rise of Artifice, its adepts not subject to the Archmage's edicts. Now the Emperor of Tormalin is offering them his protection. There are corsairs raiding the Caladhrian Coast, enslaving villagers and devastating trade. Barons and merchants beg for magical aid. But all help has been refused. This is no comfort to Lady Zurenne whose husband has been murdered by corsairs. Now a man she doesn't even know stands as guardian over her and her daughters. Corrain, former captain and now slave, knows that man is a rogue wizard, selling his skills to the corsairs. If Corrain can escape, he'll see justice done. Unless Jilseth, magewoman and Archmage's confidante, can catch the renegade first, before the full extent of his villainy is revealed. If that happens, at a time when wizardry faces so many other challenges, the scandal could have dire consequences indeed!
Dangerous Waters is the first book in a stunning new fantasy series from a major voice in fantasy.
591 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 26, 2011
About the author
Juliet E. McKenna
107 books237 followersJuliet E McKenna is a British fantasy author living in the Cotswolds, UK. Loving history, myth and other worlds since she first learned to read, she has written fifteen epic fantasy novels so far. Her debut, The Thief’s Gamble, began The Tales of Einarinn in 1999, followed by The Aldabreshin Compass sequence, The Chronicles of the Lescari Revolution, and The Hadrumal Crisis trilogy. The Green Man’s Heir was her first modern fantasy inspired by British folklore in 2018. The Green Man’s Quarry in 2023 was the sixth title in this ongoing series and won the BSFA Award for Best Novel. The seventh book, in 2024, is The Green Man’s War.
Her 2023 novel The Cleaving is a female-centred retelling of the story of King Arthur, while her shorter fiction includes forays into dark fantasy, steampunk and science fiction. She promotes SF&Fantasy by reviewing, by blogging on book trade issues, attending conventions and teaching creative writing. She has served as a judge for the James White Award, the Aeon Award, the Arthur C Clarke Award and the World Fantasy Awards. In 2015 she received the British Fantasy Society’s Karl Edward Wagner Award. As J M Alvey, she has written historical murder mysteries set in ancient Greece.
Who’s to say what will come next?
Learn more about all of this at julietemckenna.com and on Twitter @JulietEMcKenna
Her 2023 novel The Cleaving is a female-centred retelling of the story of King Arthur, while her shorter fiction includes forays into dark fantasy, steampunk and science fiction. She promotes SF&Fantasy by reviewing, by blogging on book trade issues, attending conventions and teaching creative writing. She has served as a judge for the James White Award, the Aeon Award, the Arthur C Clarke Award and the World Fantasy Awards. In 2015 she received the British Fantasy Society’s Karl Edward Wagner Award. As J M Alvey, she has written historical murder mysteries set in ancient Greece.
Who’s to say what will come next?
Learn more about all of this at julietemckenna.com and on Twitter @JulietEMcKenna
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 4, 2011
It's been a while since I read a Juliet E McKenna novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed the quintet of novels that made up The Tales of Einarinn, and felt it was long overdue picking up a new one. When I saw that Dangerous Waters was the start in a new series by McKenna, I thought this was a great chance to try this talented lady author again.
Dangerous Waters is a great example of traditional fantasy, from the faux Medieval setting and the corsairs and the mage powers. McKenna easily handles the various strands of story, as we follow Jilseth, Corrain and Lady Zurenne in their respective plotlines.
I particularly enjoyed the way that McKenna worked within the constricts of the societies she created. I've seen panels that McKenna has sat on during UK conventions and she is always very determined to see a good representation of women in speculative fiction. In this novel, we have the enjoyment of one women who is granted easily as much power as the men, in the form of magewoman Jilseth - in fact, Jilseth is particularly talented and has a fairly prominent position in her society. We also have Lady Zurenne, who is bound by her role in a male-dominated society - she has to work by devious means to attempt to wrest power from men after her husband is killed.
All the characters are deftly written, and, as ever, are a strength of McKenna's work.
Dangerous Waters is not dominated by battles, although there are some badass mage fights. Rather, it is political by nature - different realms clashing and presenting different ideas, some innovative and forward thinking, while some are deeply conservative. I particularly liked all of the scenes featuring the backbiting and division in the mage realm of Hadrumal - the heated discussions of whether the mages should involve themselves in events beyond the boundaries of their island.
I have to confess that, although this is the start of a new series, I felt a little lost while hearing about some of the realms and people involved since I suspect they feature heavily in McKenna's previous series for Solaris. Dangerous Waters can be read as an entry point to McKenna's work, but I do think that the reader will take more from this novel if they've tackled the Chronicles of the Lescarii Revolution.
In addition to this, Dangerous Waters sometimes felt a little... well, long for the plot contained therein. The novel is just under six hundred pages, and not all of it felt completely essential - but then, it is the first book in a series, so some of what I was reading might well be set-up for future instalments.
Altogether, Dangerous Waters is an entertaining slice of traditional fantasy. If you like your mages accompanied by a dose of political intrigue, then it would be well worth you picking up this book.
Dangerous Waters is a great example of traditional fantasy, from the faux Medieval setting and the corsairs and the mage powers. McKenna easily handles the various strands of story, as we follow Jilseth, Corrain and Lady Zurenne in their respective plotlines.
I particularly enjoyed the way that McKenna worked within the constricts of the societies she created. I've seen panels that McKenna has sat on during UK conventions and she is always very determined to see a good representation of women in speculative fiction. In this novel, we have the enjoyment of one women who is granted easily as much power as the men, in the form of magewoman Jilseth - in fact, Jilseth is particularly talented and has a fairly prominent position in her society. We also have Lady Zurenne, who is bound by her role in a male-dominated society - she has to work by devious means to attempt to wrest power from men after her husband is killed.
All the characters are deftly written, and, as ever, are a strength of McKenna's work.
Dangerous Waters is not dominated by battles, although there are some badass mage fights. Rather, it is political by nature - different realms clashing and presenting different ideas, some innovative and forward thinking, while some are deeply conservative. I particularly liked all of the scenes featuring the backbiting and division in the mage realm of Hadrumal - the heated discussions of whether the mages should involve themselves in events beyond the boundaries of their island.
I have to confess that, although this is the start of a new series, I felt a little lost while hearing about some of the realms and people involved since I suspect they feature heavily in McKenna's previous series for Solaris. Dangerous Waters can be read as an entry point to McKenna's work, but I do think that the reader will take more from this novel if they've tackled the Chronicles of the Lescarii Revolution.
In addition to this, Dangerous Waters sometimes felt a little... well, long for the plot contained therein. The novel is just under six hundred pages, and not all of it felt completely essential - but then, it is the first book in a series, so some of what I was reading might well be set-up for future instalments.
Altogether, Dangerous Waters is an entertaining slice of traditional fantasy. If you like your mages accompanied by a dose of political intrigue, then it would be well worth you picking up this book.
September 14, 2020
A well written classical high fantasy story. It doesn't have any exceptionally original concepts but what is there is engaging and well written, and I think there's a lot to like about a simple concept well told. It is by no means meant as a criticism, especially as the world building is so solid
The narrative is split between three main characters over what appears to be around a year. Grasping a time-frame is complicated by the use of a fictional calendar, while occasionally confusing it adds to the worldbuilding and really adds to an underlyng plot point regarding the difficulty of ascertaining what time of year it is, a great and detailed consideration in what is a very medieval-esque setting.
While each character has their own story linked to their concerns they all centre on the effects of a series of raids from a faction that i assume was loosely based on the Barbary pirates. It is a testament to the author's skill that one event can cause a wide variety of effects for three different characters. Furthermore when the three meet they often clash with well reasoned views.
It is also evident that there are many other books set in this world, which I have not read, it did not stop me enjoying this book. I suspect greater knowledge if there is some sort of order may enhance the enjoyment of this books.
This may also help with the very dense world building, which is ultimately good, but it took a very long time for me to get fully invested in the events un characters beyond one individual. I found it slow to get going, partially because it took me a while to wrap my head around the many, many characters and factions at play. Fans of a dense fantasy setting will likely enjoy it.
Overall, very much enjoyed it probably should be 4 stars but I would've liked just a little push of the fantasy envelope so to speak.
The narrative is split between three main characters over what appears to be around a year. Grasping a time-frame is complicated by the use of a fictional calendar, while occasionally confusing it adds to the worldbuilding and really adds to an underlyng plot point regarding the difficulty of ascertaining what time of year it is, a great and detailed consideration in what is a very medieval-esque setting.
While each character has their own story linked to their concerns they all centre on the effects of a series of raids from a faction that i assume was loosely based on the Barbary pirates. It is a testament to the author's skill that one event can cause a wide variety of effects for three different characters. Furthermore when the three meet they often clash with well reasoned views.
It is also evident that there are many other books set in this world, which I have not read, it did not stop me enjoying this book. I suspect greater knowledge if there is some sort of order may enhance the enjoyment of this books.
This may also help with the very dense world building, which is ultimately good, but it took a very long time for me to get fully invested in the events un characters beyond one individual. I found it slow to get going, partially because it took me a while to wrap my head around the many, many characters and factions at play. Fans of a dense fantasy setting will likely enjoy it.
Overall, very much enjoyed it probably should be 4 stars but I would've liked just a little push of the fantasy envelope so to speak.
April 11, 2013
High magic in fantasy is inherently problematic as it can be used heavy-handedly to solve all plot problems. Juliet McKenna makes this the whole point in her world: wizards can be so powerful they are prized by those without such powers ('Muggles'?) as potential super-weapons…to use heavy-handedly to solve all their plot problems! This conundrum is well thought-through and well-executed: in demonstrating just how powerful such wizards can be the use of magic of course becomes the single determining factor in almost every scene in which it is used, but in so doing magic creates new crises with every resolution delivered—it never provides ‘neat and tidy’ closure to situations.
Reading one of the author’s titles for the first time, I knew I was in the hands of an experienced world-builder, because this restraint is built into the 'rules' of this world. Magic is not rare because of a scarcity of wizards -- there is a whole island full of them -- but due to the restrictions these spell-casters place upon themselves, vowing not to intervene in the conflicts between the non-magical mainlanders and the raiders from the archipelagos. The continuing challenges to their objectivity drives the narratives but also ensures that overt demonstrations of magic are limited in frequency, ensuring that these moments have impact in the book.
This then allows for the inclusion of a rogue practitioner who ignores such vows, and also for the possibility of a more instinctive 'wild' magic that is not so much studied as inherent, both of which set up intriguing possibilities for the rest of the series; magic itself becomes the contested resource, which enables power to be exerted, lands to be defended and so on, reminiscent of the ‘value’ of dragons in ASOIAF. One quibble was the vague motivation of 'money' as a reason for the wizard Minelas to go rogue: might not a magic-user have easier means of amassing wealth then simply becoming a mage-for-hire? The seeming lack of a darker purpose, together with his prolonged absence for much of this book, reduced his impact as an antagonist.
Whilst on characters, I noted in Juliet McKenna's highly readable blog that she has received grumblings about the ‘weak’ character of Lady Zurenne, when fantasy could do with more strong women. Lady Zurenne isn’t a strong character, but is a real character, limited in her actions by her need to protect her daughters. She is powerless, but through situation rather than nature. And not every female character has to be strong, even when depicted by a female author...and besides, perhaps compromising to make the best of a bad situation (created by men) is strength of a different, less obvious sort.
Jilseth, a female mage, is similarly subtle. She is less demonstrative than her powers could enable her to be, because she is tasked with an observation-only mission, but struggles with the desire to intervene. For this reader, her development in both action and character will be a key thread to look out for in the next part of the series.
The plots are deftly handled and the variations in pace blend action with more reflective moments necessary to seed-in longer arcs. There is a reassuringly immersive quality to the world here, painted in detail and colour rather than hurriedly sketched. The glimpses of the history, culture and politics ring true; for example, the depictions of ancient sea-faring and piracy demonstrate authorial research and enrich the atmosphere and action without excess 'history buff' verbiage just for the sake of it. Time is taken to show how this world works, so if you're impatient for hack 'n' slash thrills this probably isn't for you, though this is not to say the book lacks action: it has enough blade work for all but the most bloodthirsty Grimdarks.
There was a sense of entering a world one should already know something about; much about Caladhria and its neighbouring lands having been well established in previous sagas by the author. Whilst I cannot blame her for not wishing to re-build something I hadn’t read, nonetheless I needed several pauses to check the map. I am used to this as a seasoned reader of fantasy but a glossary/cast list might be needed as the series expands.
A rich booty of plot lines, PoVs, context, detail and some real gold in the dialogue make for a rewarding and engrossing read.
Reading one of the author’s titles for the first time, I knew I was in the hands of an experienced world-builder, because this restraint is built into the 'rules' of this world. Magic is not rare because of a scarcity of wizards -- there is a whole island full of them -- but due to the restrictions these spell-casters place upon themselves, vowing not to intervene in the conflicts between the non-magical mainlanders and the raiders from the archipelagos. The continuing challenges to their objectivity drives the narratives but also ensures that overt demonstrations of magic are limited in frequency, ensuring that these moments have impact in the book.
This then allows for the inclusion of a rogue practitioner who ignores such vows, and also for the possibility of a more instinctive 'wild' magic that is not so much studied as inherent, both of which set up intriguing possibilities for the rest of the series; magic itself becomes the contested resource, which enables power to be exerted, lands to be defended and so on, reminiscent of the ‘value’ of dragons in ASOIAF. One quibble was the vague motivation of 'money' as a reason for the wizard Minelas to go rogue: might not a magic-user have easier means of amassing wealth then simply becoming a mage-for-hire? The seeming lack of a darker purpose, together with his prolonged absence for much of this book, reduced his impact as an antagonist.
Whilst on characters, I noted in Juliet McKenna's highly readable blog that she has received grumblings about the ‘weak’ character of Lady Zurenne, when fantasy could do with more strong women. Lady Zurenne isn’t a strong character, but is a real character, limited in her actions by her need to protect her daughters. She is powerless, but through situation rather than nature. And not every female character has to be strong, even when depicted by a female author...and besides, perhaps compromising to make the best of a bad situation (created by men) is strength of a different, less obvious sort.
Jilseth, a female mage, is similarly subtle. She is less demonstrative than her powers could enable her to be, because she is tasked with an observation-only mission, but struggles with the desire to intervene. For this reader, her development in both action and character will be a key thread to look out for in the next part of the series.
The plots are deftly handled and the variations in pace blend action with more reflective moments necessary to seed-in longer arcs. There is a reassuringly immersive quality to the world here, painted in detail and colour rather than hurriedly sketched. The glimpses of the history, culture and politics ring true; for example, the depictions of ancient sea-faring and piracy demonstrate authorial research and enrich the atmosphere and action without excess 'history buff' verbiage just for the sake of it. Time is taken to show how this world works, so if you're impatient for hack 'n' slash thrills this probably isn't for you, though this is not to say the book lacks action: it has enough blade work for all but the most bloodthirsty Grimdarks.
There was a sense of entering a world one should already know something about; much about Caladhria and its neighbouring lands having been well established in previous sagas by the author. Whilst I cannot blame her for not wishing to re-build something I hadn’t read, nonetheless I needed several pauses to check the map. I am used to this as a seasoned reader of fantasy but a glossary/cast list might be needed as the series expands.
A rich booty of plot lines, PoVs, context, detail and some real gold in the dialogue make for a rewarding and engrossing read.
June 15, 2013
You can read the full review over at The Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/06/...
Shadowhawk reviews the first novel in the Hadrumal Crisis series from Solaris Books.
“Outwardly a traditional fantasy story about mages and pirates and nobility, Dangerous Waters is far more than that and there’s a strong undercurrent of political deviousness in the book, which helps to set it apart from others in the genre.” ~The Founding Fields
As part of my “25 Series To Read In 2013” reading challenge for the year, I read Juliet E. McKenna’s Dangerous Waters last month. The book, the first in the Hadrumal Crisis series, is set in a much larger world that McKenna has already written about before, such as the Chronicles of the Lescari Revolution and the Tales of Einarinn series. The reason I picked Hadrumal Crisis over the other series was that this series just had its third book released recently and I’d read somewhere that you didn’t need to know a whole lot of prior backstory to start reading these books. So I took the plunge, tempered with the expectations that the book just might be too “advanced” in the setting for me to be able to catch-up. But you know what, I had almost zero problems. The way that the author has written this book, it really is no different to how Raymond E. Feist has written all his Midkemian novels. You can pick up, say, the first Riftwar Legacy book or the first Serpentwar novel and you won’t have a problem following along and you won’t have to worry about not having read the Riftwar trilogy because these books are all written as entry points.
Ultimately, that’s a huge, huge plus for a series like this. Compare it to Robert Jordan’s (and Brandon Sanderson’s) Wheel of Time and that one is worth a few headaches. I want to read the first book, but I dread at the thought of it being little more than a token effort since the books are, first and foremost, so huge, and they all supposedly tell a story that takes place over a period of some ten years or so and feature all the same characters for the most part. Its just not fun.
Back to Dangerous Waters, one of the things that I really liked was how the book opens. Each of the first three chapters are from the perspective of one of the primary protagonists, so the first chapter is the magewoman Jilseth, the second is the former Halferan soldier Corrain, and Lady Zurenne Halferan. The chapters are short and they give a quick and engaging intro to each of the characters and play up to the core of who they are and how their arcs will play out. Jilseth’s chapter in particular is very evocative and quickly sets the stage for what is to follow.
My favourite character in the novel is definitely Jilseth. As a magewoman, she is almost an automatic hit with me, especially since we get to see a lot of the Hadrumal wizard society from her perspective and she gets some suitably cheeky and awesome scenes where she puts down the various Caladhrian nobles. Additionally, good female mage characters just aren’t that common in fantasy, not in my experience at least. Certainly not as leading protagonists. So Jilseth has a lot going for her, and McKenna takes the time to really develop her character. We get to see her character growth in detail, even as the world around her begins to change, and she is increasingly shaped by those events. Jilseth is a much more nuanced and deep character by the end of the book, and its fantastic.
Corrain and Lady Zurenne on the other hand, I have a love-hate relationship with them. There were several times in the novel when I wanted to give both of them a good earful on the mistakes they kept making, and the lessons that they failed to acknowledge. Even then however, upon a bit of reflection, I thought they were still realistic. Corrain is a man driven by revenge and a new-found bias, whereas Lady Zurenne is someone so far out of her depth that she is flailing all the time and yet no one can really “rescue” her. She has to do everything by herself, and she is doing the best that she can, despite all her missteps. That does create a bit of sympathy for both of them, and in that respect, McKenna has certainly hit the mark.
http://thefoundingfields.com/2013/06/...
Shadowhawk reviews the first novel in the Hadrumal Crisis series from Solaris Books.
“Outwardly a traditional fantasy story about mages and pirates and nobility, Dangerous Waters is far more than that and there’s a strong undercurrent of political deviousness in the book, which helps to set it apart from others in the genre.” ~The Founding Fields
As part of my “25 Series To Read In 2013” reading challenge for the year, I read Juliet E. McKenna’s Dangerous Waters last month. The book, the first in the Hadrumal Crisis series, is set in a much larger world that McKenna has already written about before, such as the Chronicles of the Lescari Revolution and the Tales of Einarinn series. The reason I picked Hadrumal Crisis over the other series was that this series just had its third book released recently and I’d read somewhere that you didn’t need to know a whole lot of prior backstory to start reading these books. So I took the plunge, tempered with the expectations that the book just might be too “advanced” in the setting for me to be able to catch-up. But you know what, I had almost zero problems. The way that the author has written this book, it really is no different to how Raymond E. Feist has written all his Midkemian novels. You can pick up, say, the first Riftwar Legacy book or the first Serpentwar novel and you won’t have a problem following along and you won’t have to worry about not having read the Riftwar trilogy because these books are all written as entry points.
Ultimately, that’s a huge, huge plus for a series like this. Compare it to Robert Jordan’s (and Brandon Sanderson’s) Wheel of Time and that one is worth a few headaches. I want to read the first book, but I dread at the thought of it being little more than a token effort since the books are, first and foremost, so huge, and they all supposedly tell a story that takes place over a period of some ten years or so and feature all the same characters for the most part. Its just not fun.
Back to Dangerous Waters, one of the things that I really liked was how the book opens. Each of the first three chapters are from the perspective of one of the primary protagonists, so the first chapter is the magewoman Jilseth, the second is the former Halferan soldier Corrain, and Lady Zurenne Halferan. The chapters are short and they give a quick and engaging intro to each of the characters and play up to the core of who they are and how their arcs will play out. Jilseth’s chapter in particular is very evocative and quickly sets the stage for what is to follow.
My favourite character in the novel is definitely Jilseth. As a magewoman, she is almost an automatic hit with me, especially since we get to see a lot of the Hadrumal wizard society from her perspective and she gets some suitably cheeky and awesome scenes where she puts down the various Caladhrian nobles. Additionally, good female mage characters just aren’t that common in fantasy, not in my experience at least. Certainly not as leading protagonists. So Jilseth has a lot going for her, and McKenna takes the time to really develop her character. We get to see her character growth in detail, even as the world around her begins to change, and she is increasingly shaped by those events. Jilseth is a much more nuanced and deep character by the end of the book, and its fantastic.
Corrain and Lady Zurenne on the other hand, I have a love-hate relationship with them. There were several times in the novel when I wanted to give both of them a good earful on the mistakes they kept making, and the lessons that they failed to acknowledge. Even then however, upon a bit of reflection, I thought they were still realistic. Corrain is a man driven by revenge and a new-found bias, whereas Lady Zurenne is someone so far out of her depth that she is flailing all the time and yet no one can really “rescue” her. She has to do everything by herself, and she is doing the best that she can, despite all her missteps. That does create a bit of sympathy for both of them, and in that respect, McKenna has certainly hit the mark.
December 30, 2011
Some might think it strange that I haven't really read “the big names” of epic fantasy. I've no real desire to read George RR Martin's doorstops or Patrick Rothfuss's material and I have stalwartly refused to read the Wheel of Time because I know my attention span (while improving) just isn't up to the task. Nonetheless, I do find things that intrigue me in the epic fantasy subgenre, without taking the road more traveled. So I decided to read Dangerous Waters.
The story centers around the woes of the small duchy of Halferan. You see their baron decided to get around the Hadrumal wizards' policy of non-interference with everyone else's politics and hired a non -affiliated wizard to help deal with his problem with pirates. Clearly wizards seem to organized like Builders' unions, because that plan falls over and blows up. Most of the book deals with the political aftermath of that unfortunate decision.
I really liked how politics worked and how aware the Mages of Hadrumal were of the power of angry peasants with pitchforks... and how respectful of that potential peril they were. Moreever, one of the places in the world had just had a class revolution and it was interesting to see how that event was seen by the neighboring duchies and the wizards. The Archipeligans' omen searching and the sheer prevalence of it through their society and culture was a surprising effective way of making them into an Other.
I thought that Corrain was something of a dolt. Granted, he had several moments of clever and moments of gumption, but his insistence that magic could fix all problems when they were partially the cause of the mess he was in seemed more than a bit bull headed. I had hoped that the reactions, opinions and facepalms of the people around him might have had an effect, but this was not the case until very late in the book. At least it finally got through his thick skull. I hope.
Baroness Zuranne of Halferan was an interesting character, even though I found I didn't like her particularly. She would keep trying to stay within the little cubbyhole that Caladhrian society had deemed suitable for women of noble rank (ie useful for making babies and carrying on dynastic lineages) except that for the mess her husband had gotten her into kept dumping manure into that little cubbyhole. It was good to see that she did realize that this wasn't precisely the best means of dealing with the situation, but I found it kind of disturbing how she kept pushing her eldest daughter Illysh into the same social cubbyhole that had effectively hamstrung Zuranne from having any agency at all. As a look at how one can thoroughly internalize artificial restriction on what an otherwise reasonably intelligent person can do, it was very good. Personally though, I really. really wanted to have someone start giving Illysh some self defense and politics lessons and the useless social strictures be damned because I see the potential for awesome there.
Jilseth made for a good foil to Zuranne. I liked her and her ability to make the most of her limitations and the fact that she had at least a better idea of the mainland politics going on and how she fit into them. I liked how she kept trying to do something helpful within the political strictures by bending them as far as she could yet keeping her personal morals mostly intact. Actually of all the characters, I liked the wizards best.
Considering that I really don't like a few of the main characters, I suppose it might seem strange that I plan on getting a hold of the next installment of this series. However, I really want to see if Illysh grows into some potential and if Jilseth recovers from the strain she was put under and how everyone deals with how the political part changed.
The story centers around the woes of the small duchy of Halferan. You see their baron decided to get around the Hadrumal wizards' policy of non-interference with everyone else's politics and hired a non -affiliated wizard to help deal with his problem with pirates. Clearly wizards seem to organized like Builders' unions, because that plan falls over and blows up. Most of the book deals with the political aftermath of that unfortunate decision.
I really liked how politics worked and how aware the Mages of Hadrumal were of the power of angry peasants with pitchforks... and how respectful of that potential peril they were. Moreever, one of the places in the world had just had a class revolution and it was interesting to see how that event was seen by the neighboring duchies and the wizards. The Archipeligans' omen searching and the sheer prevalence of it through their society and culture was a surprising effective way of making them into an Other.
I thought that Corrain was something of a dolt. Granted, he had several moments of clever and moments of gumption, but his insistence that magic could fix all problems when they were partially the cause of the mess he was in seemed more than a bit bull headed. I had hoped that the reactions, opinions and facepalms of the people around him might have had an effect, but this was not the case until very late in the book. At least it finally got through his thick skull. I hope.
Baroness Zuranne of Halferan was an interesting character, even though I found I didn't like her particularly. She would keep trying to stay within the little cubbyhole that Caladhrian society had deemed suitable for women of noble rank (ie useful for making babies and carrying on dynastic lineages) except that for the mess her husband had gotten her into kept dumping manure into that little cubbyhole. It was good to see that she did realize that this wasn't precisely the best means of dealing with the situation, but I found it kind of disturbing how she kept pushing her eldest daughter Illysh into the same social cubbyhole that had effectively hamstrung Zuranne from having any agency at all. As a look at how one can thoroughly internalize artificial restriction on what an otherwise reasonably intelligent person can do, it was very good. Personally though, I really. really wanted to have someone start giving Illysh some self defense and politics lessons and the useless social strictures be damned because I see the potential for awesome there.
Jilseth made for a good foil to Zuranne. I liked her and her ability to make the most of her limitations and the fact that she had at least a better idea of the mainland politics going on and how she fit into them. I liked how she kept trying to do something helpful within the political strictures by bending them as far as she could yet keeping her personal morals mostly intact. Actually of all the characters, I liked the wizards best.
Considering that I really don't like a few of the main characters, I suppose it might seem strange that I plan on getting a hold of the next installment of this series. However, I really want to see if Illysh grows into some potential and if Jilseth recovers from the strain she was put under and how everyone deals with how the political part changed.
September 15, 2012
There are corsairs raiding the Caladhrian Coast, enslaving villagers and devastating trade. Barons and merchants beg for magical aid. But all help has been refused. This is no comfort to Lady Zurenne whose husband has been murdered by corsairs. Now a man she doesn't even know stands as guardian over her and her daughters. Corrain, former captain and now slave, knows that man is a rogue wizard, selling his skills to the corsairs. If Corrain can escape, he'll see justice done. Unless Jilseth, magewoman and Archmage's confidante, can catch the renegade first, before the full extent of his villainy is revealed.
i liked this - it was a fast-paced story, focusing on 3 main areas (Corrain, Zuranne and Hadrumal) but interweaving them deftly. previously with Ms McKenna's books, i've found them a bit confusing - mostly too many names to keep track of - but with this book i managed to get everyone's names and their relationships to each other sorted fairly quickly which meant i could concentrate on the story.
Zuranne is a great character, who grows and becomes more sure of herself by the page, and Corrain's dismay when his plan doesnt quite work (or rather, has unexpected consequences) was palpatable.
i liked this - it was a fast-paced story, focusing on 3 main areas (Corrain, Zuranne and Hadrumal) but interweaving them deftly. previously with Ms McKenna's books, i've found them a bit confusing - mostly too many names to keep track of - but with this book i managed to get everyone's names and their relationships to each other sorted fairly quickly which meant i could concentrate on the story.
Zuranne is a great character, who grows and becomes more sure of herself by the page, and Corrain's dismay when his plan doesnt quite work (or rather, has unexpected consequences) was palpatable.
August 15, 2016
This was okay, but not stand out. I haven't read any previous books by the author, so this may account for some of my problem with the book.
Namely, the set-up and the world-building. We're really ditched into the middle of the action and it took me a long while to get 'settled' and understand the parameters of Hadrumal and magic and just the general set-up for the world. It left me a bit disconnected from the characters, which was a shame.
The writing was good, but I struggled to really care about the characters and what was going on. I also, incidentally, found all the characters a little dislikeable. Corrain I was all set up to like... and then he went all crazy. Zurenne, similarly. Jilseth seemed to be the 'main' character and yet was worrying incessantly about mage politics that I couldn't quite understand and care about.
Hm. Perhaps I just need to read some earlier books first or something. Not quite sold.
Namely, the set-up and the world-building. We're really ditched into the middle of the action and it took me a long while to get 'settled' and understand the parameters of Hadrumal and magic and just the general set-up for the world. It left me a bit disconnected from the characters, which was a shame.
The writing was good, but I struggled to really care about the characters and what was going on. I also, incidentally, found all the characters a little dislikeable. Corrain I was all set up to like... and then he went all crazy. Zurenne, similarly. Jilseth seemed to be the 'main' character and yet was worrying incessantly about mage politics that I couldn't quite understand and care about.
Hm. Perhaps I just need to read some earlier books first or something. Not quite sold.
October 2, 2011
Well written but really feel like I was missing a lot of knowledge probably in previous books.
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