Wells, Martha
THE DEATH OF THE NECROMANCER
Martha Wells
Avon Eos 1999
PB 513 pgs
ISBN 0-380-78814-4
Do you like ghouls? Well, there's no end to
them in DEATH OF THE NECROMANCER. Actually, this book isn't about a
necromancer's death, it's about a long dead necromancer who is
trying to come back to life. And he has a lot of ghouls to aid him!
But there's some nasty living people too, the
worst of whom is Count Montesq who manages to hide his dirty deeds
behind layers of lackeys. A police inspector is on the case, but
ahead of him is our gang of heroes who hold Montesq as their worst
enemy--each for his or her own personal reasons--but cannot work
with the police because their own backgrounds are suspect (for other
reasons).
The characterization in DEATH OF THE
NECROMANCER is fair, but it is not the author's primary focus. The
setting appears to hold first position here, while the
characterization dribbles out later. It feels like the gaslight era
in England where you follow a group of detectives through sewers and
into houses full of dismembered bodies. And you're attacked by
ghouls, too.
There's magic and a fast moving pace in this
story of Ile-Rien where Ms. Wells has other books set. The writing
is good . . . but it is recommended most for ghoul fans. Did I say
there are ghouls in this book? Yeah. Lots of ghouls.
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