Conqueror's Moon (2003)

I'll have to reread this to write any review! ( )

a disappointment. the author's intricate sci-fi gave me high hopes for her fantasy (bujold jumps between the genres with astonishing skill) but this series clunks.

BOREAL MOON

This is the first book in a new fantasy trilogy. The setting is actually a bit interesting, a large island in the north of the world that is divided into 4 kingdoms. Along comes a king who wishes to reunite the island and return it to its former glory. Intertwined with his efforts are the users and abusers of sigil magic. Sigils are either minor or powerful items that are granted power by the Beaconfolk, who extract a price of pain each time they are used. While the efforts of the prince are the obvious plot, the main theme is the effect of the sigils and the effort of some to get rid of them. The hero is meant to be one Snudge, the prince's Intelligencer. Snudge is a great character, but his master the prince is an amoral idiot, which for me detracted from the story quite a bit. ( )

I enjoyed this book a lot. The story takes place on an island that is broken up into four kingdoms: a fertile area, a mountainous one, a swampy one... well, you get the picture. It is the kind of generic world that I would expect from a video game (think Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion), but May elevates the story above those generic beginnings. The magic system in the world also has a video game feel to it, but again May brings more depth. She does this by presenting a large cast of three-dimensional characters and letting us look at the world and events through their eyes. I will definitely be moving on to the second book right away. ( )