…courtesy of T.E.J. Johnson, who gives it 91%. Read the whole thing, but here’s an excerpt:
This is a rich book, and Chane sets the plot zipping through a crackling political landscape. The land of the Evenfels is wonderfully realised…The way Chane describe the use and abuse of magic makes sense, you can feel the characters make a spell, or draw on energy and it is with this careful kind of craft with which he weaves the lands behind the barrier.
The books principle characters are strong and Mother Goodwind (sic; it’s actually Northwind, but, oh well – Ed) is a particular standout. A dotty, forgetful Miss Marple kind of character, looking like a harmless old woman, with a somewhat inappropriate sense of humour. This exterior and lewd banter masks her ruthless true nature and terrifying powers…She is awesome, and complex; you will be in turns rooting for her and hating her. Chane does away with any flat archetypal hero/villain characters, each one is complex, rational and occasionally irrational.
The prose is tight, Chane has a great vocabulary, and it is an easy read. It is long, I thought it great value; for $10 it lasted me three weeks and I thought I was a quick reader! The last hundred pages of the novel absolutely fly as the story reaches its crescendo.
The novel is often very funny, and I defiintely LOL’d when reading. Chane has a good risque sense of humour, often at the expense of the main characters which I really enjoyed.
