The Dark Hand of Magic

This one is IMO the weakest of the three. I couldn't remember whether I had read it before, which is indicative. It has all of her usual gorgeous stylistic touches - I could read her describing things all day -- but there's something that feels off about this book.

Although I understand the desire to change it up from eldritch horrors, and economic motives are surely a realistic reason for extreme villainy, the main antagonist character seems to come out of nowhere and never manages to be very interesting. His supporting antagonist has the weakness that his actual conflict is with another supporting character, not our mains. On the whole there are rather a lot of characters in this one, and there's so much weather that it almost becomes show more one in its own right.

I found the overall tone of the book grim. The main characters survive with their fundamental optimism intact, but it almost feels unwarranted after everything that happens in the course of this novel; for everything they go through, there isn't much emotional payoff. A major theme of the series is that change come with a price (and is also inevitable), but the setting constricts the characters' scope for reaction. We get a whole lot of the horrors of war, and are well instructed that you can't go home again, but what you can do appears to be to struggle and suffer, even without hope.

It's been a long time since I revisited any of Hambly's work, but I recall that there was a time in her career when she got downright brutal to her characters, and I wonder if this was an early move in that direction. show less

A barbarian/mercenary turned wizard must continue to try and keep his mercenary band alive through shifting alliances and determined enemies. A lot of the action in this one takes place without Sun Wolf, as he is off, separate from the rest of the group. A bit of a departure for Hambly, as this features almost as much emphasis on warriors as wizards, though as usual the theme is still about wizards. Quite good, like almost all of her books.

Mercenary-turned-wizard Sun Wolf seeks to master his new magical abilities while battling a curse placed on his old crew, forcing him to face dangerous, mysterious enemies while his lieutenant Starhawk works to protect them.

Sun Wolf and his partner Starhawk are searching for a master wizard to help him control the magic he discovered. His former mercenary band is plagued by terrible luck and a magical curse, necessitating his return and intervention. Sun Wolf is pursued and hunted by the mysterious, dark shirdar, white-robed riders, who aim to enslave him.

This was an interesting book, though starting a series at the third book doesn't bode well with this author. Perhaps if I read the first two my rating will rise.

Too much of this seemed to have the main character as reacting. Rarely did he push and act first. Rarely did he put the enemy on its heels. I was disappointed in that. He seemed lost and confused. I felt no sympathy, and in fact expected him to lose his sight entirely.

Plot could definitely use some work.

Grammar and functional structure seemed good, no issues there.

Difficult to get into the story when I didn't read the first two books.

Conclusion of a series involving a mercenary named Sun Wolf and the women of Mandrigyn.

NIL