From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Jun 24 14:00:32 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!newspump.monmouth.com!newspeer.monmouth.com!worldfeed.gte.net!eecs-usenet-02.mit.edu!ai-lab!news.media.mit.edu!not-for-mail From: harstan@ix.netcom.com (Harriet Klausner) Newsgroups: alt.books.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: The Death Of A Necromancer, MarthaWells Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.written Date: 22 Jun 1998 15:56:17 -0400 Organization: Netcom Lines: 39 Approved: wex@media.mit.edu Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: tinbergen.media.mit.edu X-Newsreader: Gnus v5.3/Emacs 19.34 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se alt.books.reviews:46458 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1934 The Death Of A Necromancer by Martha Wells Review Copyright 1998 Harriet Klausner In Ile-Rien, nobleman Nicholas Valiarde has only one passion in life: to kill Count Montesq. The count deceitfully set up and then accused Nicholas' godfather of being a necromancer, a crime punishable by death. To fund his quest, Nicholas has become a thief, but he is not just an ordinary criminal. Nicholas is the master thief Donatien, who seems to be just one step ahead of the great Inspector Ronsarde. The police have a bigger problem than a master thief. People are disappearing at an alarming rate. Some corpses have turned up with parts of the body missing and even bones have been found to flow through the sewage system. Overwhelming evidence indicates that necromancy is being practiced. Meanwhile Nicholas is robbing an estate when he meets ghouls and a sorcerer in the cellar of his intended victim. He soon becomes partners with his "enemy" Ronsarde in an attempt to uncover the identity of and stop a necromancer who has no moral boundaries. In her third fantasy novel, THE DEATH OF A NECROMANCER, Martha Wells continues to demonstrate tremendous writing talent. Like her first two books (CITY OF BONES and THE ELEMENT OF FIRE), her third work of fiction is filled with wondrous characters and a fully developed setting. The necromancy rings true as a form of science on this world. However, what makes this novel a cut above most others is Ms. Wells' ability to make her environment extremely complex and genuine without taking away from a well written fantasy. Harriet Klausner %T The Death of the Necromancer %A Martha Wells %I Avon %D Jun 1998 %O $23.00 %P 359 pp. %G ISBN 0-380-97334-0