Mortification Scale:
- 1 TF for being a SciFi/Fantasy novel
- 2nd TF for an embarrassing title
- 3rd & 4th TF for REALLY embarrassing cover
- Fantastic polytheistic world structure. Fairly original.
- Engrossing political intrigue
- Nice Harold & Maud style romance for one of the protagonists. OK to be fair, his lady-friend is more a cougar than a Maud
A Venetian-style small country is conquered by a barbarian horde. As a condition of surrender, the Doge is required to give his wife and four children as hostages to his good behaviour and puppet governance. The book then jumps about 15 years to the now grown hostage children. They were each sent to different cities under the governance of different siblings of the leader of the horde. One is an artist in love with an older woman; another is a Stockholm-syndrome victim who has joined the army/horde (I say horde, because a condition of the armed forces in this reality is dedication to a god who confers a war-beast morphing capability in battle); another is a dedicate to the goddess of death, and a delightful young lady; the last, the eldest, has been hideously mutilated and is a seer. In this first book of a duology, the mother's fate is yet unknown.
The plot line of this book is mostly devoted to establishing and developing the characters. The siblings do not meet until the final chapters. The next book, out in March 2008, yippee! will continue with their journey to their country of origin. There, they will decide which of the four will rule after their father's death, which event is feared to be imminent. Action-packed! My fave is that each person in this reality is dedicated to one god(dess) or another. This dedication confers power and special abilities. A darn good read! So phooey on cover snobs! You're missing out.
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