Known for her lush, intricate worlds and complex characters, acclaimed author Martha Wells has delighted readers with her extraordinary fantasy novels of daring and wit. With The Wizard Hunters she launched her most ambitious undertaking yet -- the return to the beloved world of the Nebula Award-nominated The Death of the Necromancer and The Fall of Ile-Rien. Now the saga continues in a triumph of suspense and imagination.
Despite a valiant struggle against superior forces, the country of Ile-Rien has fallen to the onslaught of the relentless Gardier, a faceless army of sorcerers determined to conquer all civilization.
To save the remnants of her country, former playwright Tremaine Valiarde undertakes an epic journey to stop the Gardier. Rescuing the proud ship Queen Ravenna from destruction, Tremaine and a resolute band of sorcerers and warriors set sail across magical seas on a voyage of danger and discovery. For the secret to defeating the enemy -- and to rescuing the world from the Gardier's inimitable hatred -- lies far beyond the walls of the world, and only the tenuous ties of friendship and honor will keep the band together.
But the Gardier are not the only evil in this tumultuous world, and an ancient terror stalks the ornate rooms and shadowy decks of the Queen Ravenna -- a force so malevolent and enigmatic that even the growing power of the sorcerer's sphere may not be enough to save Ile-Rien from utter ruin.
“Fascinating…A vastly entertaining and refreshingly different fantasy adventure with a surprisingly satisfying conclusion.” (Locus)
About the Author
Martha Wells is the author of five previous novels: The Wizard Hunters, the first book of the Fall of Ile-Rien, The Element of Fire, City of Bones, Wheel of the Infinite, and The Death of the Necromancer, which was nominated for the Nebula Award. She lives in College Station, Texas, with her husband.
Description:
Known for her lush, intricate worlds and complex characters, acclaimed author Martha Wells has delighted readers with her extraordinary fantasy novels of daring and wit. With The Wizard Hunters she launched her most ambitious undertaking yet -- the return to the beloved world of the Nebula Award-nominated The Death of the Necromancer and The Fall of Ile-Rien. Now the saga continues in a triumph of suspense and imagination.
Despite a valiant struggle against superior forces, the country of Ile-Rien has fallen to the onslaught of the relentless Gardier, a faceless army of sorcerers determined to conquer all civilization.
To save the remnants of her country, former playwright Tremaine Valiarde undertakes an epic journey to stop the Gardier. Rescuing the proud ship Queen Ravenna from destruction, Tremaine and a resolute band of sorcerers and warriors set sail across magical seas on a voyage of danger and discovery. For the secret to defeating the enemy -- and to rescuing the world from the Gardier's inimitable hatred -- lies far beyond the walls of the world, and only the tenuous ties of friendship and honor will keep the band together.
But the Gardier are not the only evil in this tumultuous world, and an ancient terror stalks the ornate rooms and shadowy decks of the Queen Ravenna -- a force so malevolent and enigmatic that even the growing power of the sorcerer's sphere may not be enough to save Ile-Rien from utter ruin.
From Publishers Weekly
In Wells's fine follow-up to 2003's The Wizard Hunters , Tremaine Valiarde emerges as one of the fantasy genre's more distinctive heroines—intelligent, wry, bitingly funny and impossible not to like. With Ile-Rien overrun by the merciless Gardier, Tremaine's motley band of Rienish and Syprian fighters may be her country's only hope of survival. Luckily for Ile-Rien, Tremaine—with the help of Syprians Illias and Gillead—might just be resourceful enough to find a weakness in the seemingly impervious Gardier's military machine. But first, she has more important things to worry about, like convincing the rest of the Rienish contingent that she's competent to lead them. A nice twist at the end will leave readers eager for the next installment in this strong series.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
The country of Ile-Rien has fallen to the Gardier, a mysterious enemy whose sorcerous weapons more than match rifles and artillery. Tremaine Valiarde, a notorious sorcerer's dilettante daughter, has begun to unlock the powers of her father's magical sphere, the only weapon that may work against the Gardier. But she is on the run and doesn't know who may be an enemy spy. Moreover, the Gardier operate in more than one world. As this book begins, Tremaine and her comrades are trying to return to their homeland the Gardier captives rescued at the end of The Wizard Hunters [BKL My 1 03] and form an alliance with them. Differing customs across and between worlds make this tricky, and since the Gardier occupy Tremaine's homeland, information and assistance is hard to come by. Wells has wrought characters and cultures well, but here they multiply so that one hopes that lists of both will appear in the next Ile-Rien book. Otherwise, this sequel is well done, though easier to appreciate with its predecessor under one's belt. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
“Fascinating…A vastly entertaining and refreshingly different fantasy adventure with a surprisingly satisfying conclusion.” (Locus)
About the Author
Martha Wells is the author of five previous novels: The Wizard Hunters, the first book of the Fall of Ile-Rien, The Element of Fire, City of Bones, Wheel of the Infinite, and The Death of the Necromancer, which was nominated for the Nebula Award. She lives in College Station, Texas, with her husband.