Martin Scott (1) (1956–)

An interesting entry in the series, with a more unsettled conclusion than most. Thraxas is at home as a detective in Turai, or as a soldier on the march, but being a detective in a marching army is a very different task. While the central mystery - or at least, the central *case* - seems explained by the end of the book, there's a broader wrongness at play. Thraxas is contemplative throughout, even philosophical as he muses on past events; and both he and other key players seem to have lost show more their edge. To my mind, Martin has done well in evoking some of that slightly foggy feeling in the narrative. In some ways it feels more Noir than much of the series set in the mean streets, which is quite an achievement.

It's not surprising that the atmosphere of the novels has shifted with Thraxas' (and Turai's) changing fortunes. Compared with getting a payout for a job in Turai, iesolving a murder while marching to a cataclysmic battle isn't going to leave the same closure and time-to-make-merry feeling in his or the reader's mind. The narrative ends with them heading into battle, leaving the tension of their fates unresolved, as well as the unanswered questions surrounding the case.

Despite the changing scenery and Thraxas' slow evolution, this is still the same old characters in the same old relationship - and I mean that in a positive way. While I could believe in war transforming Thraxas into a disciplined and professional warrior, this depiction of him unable to shake off lifelong habits seems more believable. show less

Touted as something rather original and a winner of the World Fantasy Award, I kinda expected this to be rather heavier on humor-meets-Noir-meets-D&D vibe than, say, a pleasant knock-off of Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar series.

In actuality, I see a lot more in common with Lankhmar and a bit of the old Private Investigator than with, say, Discworld.

Some tropes are tweaked mildly but none are taken in extreme directions. The chainmail bikini is more like the outfits at Hooters and the woman is show more working her way to a better life... versus stupid male fantasies. Okies. Nice. But brilliant? I tend to think not, but this series might need continued reading to build up a compendium of awesomeness. Discworld definitely needed it before it became super-well-beloved.

But this? I come at this from 20 years down the line from when it was originally published. Independent and self-publishing are full of works like this and they are all of comparable quality and humor. I can't say it will have stood the test of time unless we say that these kinds of genre-mashers ARE the legacy we should be looking at.

And if that's the case, then I think it succeeded quite nicely. Thank you! :) show less

Thraxas is still enjoying the fruits of his previous labours and isn't particularly looking for a new case to work on so it's a bit of a surprise when he finds himself looking into the murder of a celebrated sculptor who was found in his workshop with the knife of his apprentice buried in his back and his latest masterpiece he had just completed has gone missing. A somewhat surprising complication as it was on the large side and there was no time to remove it manually between the artists show more death and the discovery of the body. Neither was there any magic residue found at the scene. If Thraxas can find the statue then it might also lead him to the murderer. The case is further complicated when Thaxas disturbs a couple of red robed monks rooting through his office and is later visited by an abbott of a rival sect who explains that they are both in need of a likeness of Saint Quatinius, which the missing statue is, for an upcoming important religious ceremony.

This is the 2nd book in this comic fantasy series with plenty of recurring characters and expanded world-building to continue to explore. It's not a laugh out loud type of humour but it will bring out the odd smile now and again. It's a fast paced tale with plenty of twists for the mystery element for the reader to enjoy. It's not up there with the masters of the genre but it does offer up a pleasant enough diversion from the more serious fantasy I've been reading lately and I'm more than happy to continue on with the series at some point. show less

As a longstanding fan, I bought this when it came out (Martin Scott sent me an LT heads-up, no less) but have been saving it for the right occasion. That finally came round today, and I wasn't disappointed.

In Thraxas and the Ice Dragon, Scott used the opportunity of a new setting to shake up the cast and their interactions, reinvigorating a series that had been gently drifting towards a rut (simply because it's a genre series with a recurring cast). This time, Thraxas is marching to war, and show more that means another shakeup. The story shifts its focus away from investigation per se, with less gritty detective work and more intrigue. The political side of the war is a significant theme, and we have some nice worldbuilding in the form of the Oracles, and their unexpected relationship with the Sorcerers.

Once again, the change in scene affects Thraxas himself. He's always been a capable (if erratic) investigator, and his skill with a sword was never in doubt, but now we really get to see Thraxas the soldier for the first time. He casually exhibits considerable military acumen, and far greater discipline than you might ever have expected from him - he even moderates his drinking significantly. Though still confrontational and a bit of an oaf at times, he reigns it in significantly, and avoids the kind of diplomatic uproar he usually seems to relish.

Despite these changes, I found it all believable - a man who's got used to crashing around as an investigator, but instinctively sinks back into a more professional mindset when actual war is at hand. As an investigator, he often ended up with Pyrrhic victories or somehow embarrassed by events. Here, Thraxas proves his mettle time and again, and finally manages to bring about a personal triumph in the face of great difficulty.

Another shift in cast doesn't do any harm either. A couple of old minor characters turn up again, offering a mixture of light relief and character development in their interactions with the main cast. Towards the end, we also see some interesting developments between the main cast, which threatens stormy waters ahead (although it depends whether Thraxas' moral qualms win out over his desire for an easy life). I rather hope so, as I'd be very interested to see how that falls out, and Thraxas has certainly played the crusader before now.

Despite the focus on the war and some specific events, there's a strong central mystery running through the book, and its sheer stubornness helps ratchet up the tension - the fact that Scott cheerfully had Turai overrun by orcs means it's not at all clear which way events will fall out this time either. The explanation, when it comes, I found a satisfying twist; it's build on some solid foreshadowing but I hadn't put the pieces together until Thraxas explains it, even though they were there to see.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and recommend it to anyone who's enjoyed others in the series, readers of fairly light-hearted fantasy, or anyone who needs cheering up.

For form's sake, I'll note that there were a small number of minor typos I spotted. A couple were simple word substitutions (than > that and so on), most were missing line breaks. I don't know whether the latter originated in the book itself, or in the way my Kobo displays them. They didn't cause any problems for me. show less