I’m taking a page from Jay’s book and re-running some old reviews from my now-defunct personal review blog. For the most part they are unchanged in content, except for removing things that no longer apply and actual editorial scouring…no, not even my prose is immune. 
The Nine Kingdoms series is another offering from a writer who normally writes romance. Despite the fact that these books are placed in the romance section at bookstores (along with the rest of Kurland’s work, which belongs there), they are fantasy. Not fantasy-romance like Shana Abé, but romantic fantasy–the difference to my mind being that in fantasy-romance, the plot and the events of the book are based on the love story (like traditional romance novels), while in romantic fantasy there is a larger story in which the romance is neither the main/only plotline nor the focus of the storytelling.
The basic storyline involves the mercenary sword-master Morgan (a woman, so perhaps I should call her a sword-mistress), who loathes magic, setting off on a quest to bring a magical dagger to the hidden magical kingdom of Tor Neroche. On the way she and her usual traveling companions meet up with several unlikely companions, including the dispossessed-of-his-magic king of Tor Neroche and his mage-master brother; their party becomes the target of several magical attacks, which seem to be aimed not at the king or the prince but at Morgan. Her murky heritage might just be more dangerous than she realized, and she might just be the key to saving Tor Neroche…and the happiness of its mage.
I discovered Kurland’s foray into fantasy through the inclusion of a Nine Kingdoms piece in two novella collections (both stories fall in the past of the world compared to the time of Star of the Morning), so I went into the book with a pretty clear idea of what to expect from the writing, as it relates to the manner of storytelling, dialogue, and characterization. In this case, foreknowledge was important to full enjoyment of the book, mostly because the tone seems for the most part a light-hearted mockery of quest or sword-and-sorcery fantasy. Either that, or it is an appalling conglomeration of the worst clichés of the form, and while I find that interpretation a stretch, I must acknowledge the possibility. It does not take itself too seriously, despite the weight of the story (fate of the world, end of times if the evil sorcerer can’t be conquered, etc., etc.); the tone is whimsical, even if the story is not.
The hero–Miach, the king’s mage brother and chief advisor–is the best-developed and most sympathetic character, followed by Morgan’s long-time admirer. Morgan herself is a bit too prickly and un-read for my tastes; she’s a jock not a scholar, or “a fighter not a lover,” to use the language of the marvelous “What’s My Pirate Name” quiz. Furthermore she can’t seem to decide between arrogance herself and crippling self-doubt, BUT she kicks some serious ass (literally, she’s a vicious sword-wielder) and so is nonetheless at least a nice departure from conniving females or wilting females. As far as the rest of the characters go, there is little to say. They are stock characters chosen to fill a role, and while they play those roles with aplomb they don’t really offer anything unique or even individual. Often the characters’ waffling on decisions or balking at accepting the logical conclusions seems contrived. I’m guessing this is a failure of the author to sufficiently cloak the truth so that it surprises the audience and allows the reader to ponder the shocking possibility with the characters.
Despite my occasional cringe at an especially stilted exchange of “witticisms” and the well-trodden paths of destiny (arrogant young king to be put in his place, daughter of mysterious lineage to come into her legacy, strangely omniscient and omnipotent evil-doer to create problems at just exactly the worst moments), I found this book thoroughly entertaining. It is a quest story with the high stakes and drama required for a good quest story, and it wove together the elements fantasy readers have seen many times before into something fresh, if not revolutionary. I had a smile on my face throughout, and I was certainly captured by the mystery of who Morgan is, why the king lost his magic, what exactly is coming after them, and how they can save the world. I also enjoyed the sparks between Morgan and Miach, which–never fear for any of you who don’t also like to read romance–never take over the story or become the point of the events.
Star of the Morning is the first book of a trilogy, and it ends on a bit of a cliff-hanger note. I enjoyed it very much and expect to like the sequels just as well. But this book is not for everyone, not even every reader of quest fantasy. It has to be taken as a tongue-in-cheek legend of a fantasy world, akin perhaps to our glorifications of the Old West, and as a vehicle for a story of predestined lovers in a world where Fate undeniably exists. As such, it succeeds. But even my eyebrows went up in a few places, so it is definitely walking that fine line between discretion and disaster…
I had never seen any of these before and I just recently picked up one of the latest in this series on a whim – I don’t think it is subtle mockery at all. I had to put the book down as I felt that the plot, characterization and dialog were all very poorly executed.
the latest one being a tapestry of spells? i have it but have not read it yet, so i can’t judge on that one. but i can’t shake my thought that it’s meant to be tongue in cheek (maybe i just can’t accept that somethign so bad could get published, if it’s all serious?), but that impression was probably formed by the novellas and carried over into the novels. for me it was just a sit back and enjoy the yarn, not one to get too emotionally involved in or pick apart too hard. i can see where someone going in blind would find it…less than.
Yes, that was it. Perhaps I needed to start at the beginning to see it. But, there are so many books out there that I try not to take too much time on those that aren’t doing it for me.