I was at the library when I saw a new book being displayed, Storm Riders by Margaret Weis and Robert Krammes. It had a great picture of a dragon breathing fire on a ship. As I was reading Dragonlance, also by Margaret Weis, and liking the cover I scooped it up. Upon reading the prologue however, I realized that I was missing a who bunch of information. I had grabbed the second book in the series. I returned it but was unable to grab any new ones for while. First thing I did was find The Shadow Riders and check it out. The book was a delight with, as Amazon puts it, "swashbuckling epic fantasy." I loved the way the world blended traditional fantasy with Renaissance era technology and ideas. Also there were dragons, so that is generally a plus in my book.
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Plot: The Breath of God causes the land to float upon it. It provides the power to perform magic. And once magic has been performed it cannot be removed for it is the power of God. But it appears that someone has been removing, obliterating, magic and with almost every thing using magic this presents a very big problem. Stephano leads a group called the Cadre of the Lost: two gypys, a mercenary, a dandy who got bored with magic, and himself - the retired (forcibly) leader of the now disbanded Dragon Brigade. He receives an assignment from the Countess - the person who does all the thinking in the King of Rosia's court - to investigate a missing journeyman who claimed to have combined the Breath with metal. Such a process has been banned by the church for theological reasons, but apparently it can be done and it can do incredible things. At the same time, the personal agent of the Grand Bishop, Dubois, has returned home. When questioned why he replies that Sir Henry, the Freyan spy master and a cunning assassin, is no longer in Freya and Dubois expects him to be back in Rosia - especially since he is lounging outside of the house of a recent apparent kidnapping. Just as Dubois is watching Stephano enter the home of the missing journeyman, Father Jacob, his bodyguard, and his secretary are tracking down a depraved man who calls himself the Warlock when he receives word that an abbey of nuns has been destroyed. Father Jacob belongs to a monastic order that is responsible for uncovering plots and crimes against the church and he is the best in the business. What Stephano, Dubois, and Father Jacob and their associates learn will cause them all to fear that the gates of Hell have opened up and take each and every one of them to the bitter end of their ropes. And don't forget that Sir Henry, the greatest spy and assassin the world has seen, is loose somewhere in Rosia and he wants not more than to see it burn.
Personal favorites: I think I mentioned the dragons, so I won't repeat myself. The thing I liked most about this book was the characters. Father Jacob was Sherlock Holmes with a sense of humor, Stephano was comfortably predictable, much to his own detriment. Dubois was the perfect spy catcher. And best of all, the supporting characters were well flushed out. The Cadre of the Lost was a delightful group of delinquents who had their share of surprises. The relationship that Father Jacob had with his bodyguard, Sir Ander, and secretary, Brother Barnaby, was touching and refreshing. In short the interactions between the characters made the story a wonderful look at people trying to do what they saw as the best thing in the worst situations. The action was fun and the world building was impressive. The mix of magic with more "modern" technologies (muskets, rifles, cannon, airships, etc.) was neat and gave it a fun feel.
Considerations: The book didn't have any language to say. I there were some brief (very brief) comments of a sexual nature, but nothing explicit or that caused me concern. There were a number of what can only be termed atrocities. The Warlock is a truly depraved individual and the scene at the abbey is gruesome. With that said, the description of the Warlock and the abbey convey the horror of the circumstances but do not go into graphic detail about the events. I think it would be appropriate to describe the description as similar to David Eddings' Diamond Throne and Domes of Fire trilogies. I probably wouldn't recommend the book to a teen under the age of 14. With that said, the two instances mentioned above were just about the only ones that would be of concern in this regard.
The book was of decent size, but was a quick read. It flowed well and the characters were believable and real. Their motivations, desires, feelings, and thoughts felt organic and made them people I could relate to. The total length was 698 pages.
Personal favorites: I think I mentioned the dragons, so I won't repeat myself. The thing I liked most about this book was the characters. Father Jacob was Sherlock Holmes with a sense of humor, Stephano was comfortably predictable, much to his own detriment. Dubois was the perfect spy catcher. And best of all, the supporting characters were well flushed out. The Cadre of the Lost was a delightful group of delinquents who had their share of surprises. The relationship that Father Jacob had with his bodyguard, Sir Ander, and secretary, Brother Barnaby, was touching and refreshing. In short the interactions between the characters made the story a wonderful look at people trying to do what they saw as the best thing in the worst situations. The action was fun and the world building was impressive. The mix of magic with more "modern" technologies (muskets, rifles, cannon, airships, etc.) was neat and gave it a fun feel.
Considerations: The book didn't have any language to say. I there were some brief (very brief) comments of a sexual nature, but nothing explicit or that caused me concern. There were a number of what can only be termed atrocities. The Warlock is a truly depraved individual and the scene at the abbey is gruesome. With that said, the description of the Warlock and the abbey convey the horror of the circumstances but do not go into graphic detail about the events. I think it would be appropriate to describe the description as similar to David Eddings' Diamond Throne and Domes of Fire trilogies. I probably wouldn't recommend the book to a teen under the age of 14. With that said, the two instances mentioned above were just about the only ones that would be of concern in this regard.
The book was of decent size, but was a quick read. It flowed well and the characters were believable and real. Their motivations, desires, feelings, and thoughts felt organic and made them people I could relate to. The total length was 698 pages.
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