A collection of Patricia C. Wrede's short stories. Some are written in other people's universes, two are in the Enchanted Forest, and the rest are
stand-alone tales of magic and wonder.
Review
I gave this its rating mainly on a comparative basis with other anthologies. I don't have much luck with them. Maybe I'm picking lousy ones, or maybe
I've just read one too many fantasy anthologies that degenerated into orgies, nonsensical and/or pointless rambling, or meaning-of-the-universe tales.
Actually, those problems are some of the contributing factors to my continued perusal of Young Adult and middle grade books, where the first and last
troubles are generally absent. Anyway, as far as anthologies go, this wasn't half bad. A few stories, set in other people's worlds, I found confusing
without knowing the full background; one of my personal pet peeves is when an author uses a previously established world and fails to inform the reader,
or at least give a hint where the universe was created (i.e. what book was the first.) At worst, the stories were so-so, and some were rather good.
In a fairy-tale world, royal children are expected to get cursed at their christening, youngest sons are to succeed at quests (preferably after
two or more older brothers are lost in the process), and giants are regularly scheduled to rampage villages by evil step-parents. Naturally, this
world also has dragons, wizards, and a vast Enchanted Forest, where only the brave or foolhardy wander. But, of course, there's never a shortage of
brave (or foolhardy) heroes... and thus, never a shortage of stories.
The Chronicles include four books: Dealing with Dragons - Princess Cimorene is sick of being the proper princess. To escape an arranged marriage, she runs away and
winds up living with the dragon Kazul as cavekeeper and friend. Just as she's settling in, a task complicated by would-be rescuers and the spoiled
princesses of other dragons (who don't look kindly on Cimorene and how she actually enjoys working for Kazul), the ever-meddlesome wizards start
stirring up trouble. Searching for Dragons - Mendanbar, the young King of the Enchanted Forest, discovers disturbing patches of burned-out, magic-drained
forest in his domain... each with a number of dragon scales. Reluctantly, he heads out to talk to the King of Dragons, fearing a rogue dragon at best
and a war at worst. Arriving at last at the cavernous royal doorstep, he learns that the King of Dragons has gone missing and her princess - Cimorene
- is very worried. Mendanbar and Cimorene set out to find King Kazul and discover who is attacking the magic of the Enchanted Forest. Calling on Dragons - The good witch Morwen, longtime resident of the Enchanted Forest and friend to Cimorene, Kazul, and Mendanbar,
has to help stop an invasion of wizards seeking to destroy the Forest. An odd assortment of assistants, including her cats and a sadly mutated bunny
named Killer (who happened to pick the wrong plants to nibble in Morwen's garden), join her in her efforts. Talking to Dragons - Young Daystar grew up on the edge of the Enchanted Forest with his mother. One day, after a mysterious and
threatening visitor drops by, his mother sends on a quest to find out who he really is, a journey that leads him deep into the forest in the company
of a fire witch with upredictable - and unreliable - powers.
Review
Usually, I review books separately (as you may have noticed), but these overlap enough that I'll just lump them together. Either that, or I'm getting
lazy... or trying to save space. (And they do sometimes appear in one volume, so it's not technically cheating.)Anyway, these books are very funny, with
good stories and neat characters. Book Three was the weakest, being primarily a set-up for the fourth and final volume. As for the best... I can't really
say. The first two were all-around fun, but the fourth proved that there was still life left in the concept (after the less-impressive third installment,
I had begun to wonder.) The world is amusing, but doesn't cross the line to stupidity. Cimorene and her companions know enough about their world to work
around fairy tale conventions rather than merely be enslaved by them, and the characters come across as real people, not simple props in a story. If you're
looking for something fast and lighthearted, these books are definitely the way to go!
Eff's twin brother, Lan, is a seventh son of a seventh son - and everyone knows how lucky and powerful he'll become when he grows into his magic.
But Eff has older sisters, too... making her the thirteenth-born child. According to Uncle Earn and most everyone outside her immediate family, she
should've been drowned at birth for all the evil she'll undoubtedly unleash upon the world.
When Papa accepts a position teaching magic in Mill City, on the very edge of civilized lands, it's both a boon and a danger. Here, nobody will know
whether she or Lan was born first. But Mill City is right on the shore of the mighty Mammoth river, within sight of the great barrier spell that keeps
the monsters of the untamed West - from magical creatures like steam dragons and swarm weasels to mundane-yet-deadly beasts like mammoths, saber cats,
and dire wolves - at bay. Many of the young magicians Papa trains will be going to frontier settlements, protecting homesteaders as they push the
boundaries of Columbia into the wilderness beyond the river. Eff and her family should be safe enough, with the river and the barrier... but Eff is
still a thirteenth child, a curse no magic can thwart, so danger is bound to find her.
Review
Wrede establishes an interesting alternate history of American westward expansion in a world where magic is commonplace, used for everything from the
great barrier spells protecting settlements to housewives hastening the drying of laundry. The only ones who don't use magic are those like the
Progressive Rationalists, who consider it a corrupting crutch. Wrede doesn't stop at America/Columbia's borders, either, with three established magical
systems from around the world... each holding pieces of truth, but none able to encompass or explain the whole, mysterious force of magic, for all its
near-omnipresence in daily modern life. Within this setup, though, there isn't much of a main, driving story arc. Mostly, it's about Eff growing up with
the stigma of being a thirteenth child, struggling to become her own person and experiencing life on the edge of the frontier. Along the way, she meets
enemies and allies, a host of names that were occasionally difficult to keep straight (particularly Eff's large family and extended family). Several of
these people turn out to be other than they seemed; one of the main themes of the book is that there are many ways to view any person, thing, or event,
so nobody answers to one static description (save a few bit players). Even the Progressive Rationalists don't become bogeymen; they have clearly-stated
reasons for their beliefs, and some of their ideas - that a reliance on magic can make for laziness, and ultimately works created by mundane effort last
longer - have merit... even though some Rationalists take their beliefs to the point of prejudice. Sometimes, I found the lack of a greater arc or focus
a little trying, especially when the name tangle bogged me down. Overall, though, I liked the characters and the world, and the voice kept me reading.
I'll have to see if I can track down the next book sometime - I'm especially eager to see what other wonders and dangers lie beyond the Mammoth River,
aside from the tantalizing glimpses given here.
Seventeen-year-old Kim has had a rough life. She lives on the streets of an elder-day London, picking locks and pockets in equal measure, dressing
as a boy for protection. When a wealthy stranger offers her money to poke around a street magician's wagon, searching for any signs of a particular
silver bowl, Kim doesn't think twice. He doesn't want her to actually steal anything, and Kim is a curious creature by nature. There is something
special about Mairelon, though. The tricks he does on stage may be standard sleight-of-hand, but behind the curtain he is capable of real magic. When
Kim gets caught in his wagon, she becomes entangled in his efforts escape the wizardry police and search for various lost magical artifacts (including
the mysterious bowl) in an attempt to clear his name.
Review
I've read and enjoyed other books by Wrede, so I though this was a fairly safe bet. I was wrong. The one truly original twist here is that, despite
the obvious implications of the man's name, Mairelon is not yet another revival of Merlin. Between an overwhelming wash of characters (with accompanying
titles, relations, alliances, and servants) and the excessive use of London street-slang (which added color to the dialog but grew tedious in the
narrative), I barely made it through. Though Kim is seventeen, she doesn't act it, and this book can't possibly be pitched at a teen audience. Wrede
should've shaved some years off her age, or tightened up the writing to a higher level. Neither Kim nor Mairelon live up to their potential, and many
things I was sure would come into play didn't, meaning that large chunks of the story wound up as useless filler. The lost artifacts themselves seem to
be pushed by the wayside, and with them much of the plot. The ending sequence, in which absolutely everyone introduced in the book shows up for one of
the longest, least comprehensible, most boring, and most improbable climaxes I've ever read, took forever to get through, though the events described
don't take more than fifteen-odd minutes story time. I would say it was a disappointing waste of a good premise, but that would require caring about the
plot enough to notice the premise. This wasn't quite bad enough for my lowest rating, but it wasn't quite good enough for an Okay, either.
I've noticed that there is a sequel, The Magician's Ward. I wonder if Wrede abandons all originality and makes Mairelon into Merlin in that one.
I won't ever know, of course, because I was suitably unimpressed with this book to not buy its sequel. Highly disappointing, because I know Wrede's
capable of so much more.
