Victor Milan TSR $5.99

War in Tethyr

If War in Tethyr were investigated by the Better Business Bureau, it might well find itself accused of false advertising. Though it’s billed as part of a series about the nobles of the Forgotten Realmssetting, protagonist Zaranda Star is about as likely a titled lady as Roseanne Barr. And while the title promises a war, there’s little in the way of straightforward military conflict within the books pages. Neither of these factors, however, pre­vents Victor Milan’s novel from being a clever and entertaining saga set in a part of the Realms far removed from the familiar paths linking Waterdeep with the Dales.

Unlikely or not, Zaranda does hold the title of Countess Morninggold, but she’s still making payments on the castle that goes with the rank. And her aides and associates are a wildly assorted lot even by Tethyrian standards — her horse talks, the castle steward is a bugbear, and one of her newest companions is an orog who claims to be a paladin of Torm.

Left to herself, Zaranda would just as soon rest in her chambers and recover from her recent travels, which have included such lively lands as Thay, and the Tuigan frontier. But circumstances won’t let her; the usual simmer of intrigues in Zazesspur, Tethyr’s nominal capital, is coming to a boil, and if Zaranda doesn’t act to protect her inter­ests, her status in Morninggold may be in danger.

Milan takes this foundation and builds on it an adventure that’s both sur­prisingly mild-mannered and more tan­gled than a ball of yarn after six cats are through playing with it. Zaranda, trained both in magic and swordcraft, must use both skills in an effort to keep the already dangerous political climate from erupting into full-blown violence. But mere political enemies may not be the most critical threat — something even more sinister is operating beneath the surface, both literally and figuratively.

Milan stage-manages both Zaranda’s group and their diverse enemies with practiced skill, displaying both an admirable grasp of tactics and a clever hand at springing plot twists. While very few readers will correctly anticipate every change of allegiance, at no time does Milan offer a revelation that hasn’t been justified by earlier events.

If there’s a criticism to be leveled, it’s that War in Tethyr sometimes feels like the second volume of Zaranda’s adven­tures — and I don’t recall seeing such an earlier tale. The origins of her talking horse are a mystery that the current book declines to explain, and the hints of prior adventures occasionally feel as if there’s something specific but unrevealed behind them. But as flaws go, this one is both small and easily reme­died; Milan simply needs to write and publish the earlier story. (Or, if my mem­ory is failing me and the prequel already exists, TSR needs to include mention of it somewhere in subsequent printings of the present book so that readers can track it down.) Zaranda Star is too like­able a heroine to abandon after just one adventure.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 849