fantasy book reviews science fiction book reviewsbook review Martha Wells The Ships of AirThe Ships of Air by Martha Wells

The Ships of Air, the second book in The Fall of Ile-Rien, builds upon the strengths of the first while also improving several of the first book’s flaws. As in The Wizard Hunters, the main character’s depth and likeability is a major strength. Tremaine is a complex character, displaying a variety of emotions and pursuing a variety of actions, some of them not so clearly understood by those around her or even herself. Several of the side characters from The Wizard Hunters whose characterization suffered a bit from shallowness deepen into more three-dimensional creations here, enriching the overall flavor of the novel and allowing Wells the luxury of dipping into several enjoyable side-stories. The writing moves along crisply and often humorously, another positive carried over from book one.

Where the first book suffered somewhat from repetitive plot, villains painted in too-shallow pictures, and an over-reliance on Tremaine’s sphere as a deus ex machina, Ships of Air suffers from none of these. The villains, the Gardier, are explained more fully from inside and out. The storyline finds excitement though expanding existing tensions and adding new points of contention/crisis rather than simply repeating a pattern of capture/escape/capture/escape. And the sphere plays a relatively minor role to the advantage of both character and plot.

Some of the foreshadowing from book one is resolved here and, as is expected of a bridge novel in a series, new questions arise to tantalize the reader. If anything, these new questions are more intriguing than the old ones. This, combined with the improvements in plot and character, make this not only a better written book than Wizards, but also a much stronger lure into continuing with the series. A good recommendation.

The Ile-Rien Stories — (1993-2005) The last three books are known collectively as The Fall of Ile-Rien. Publisher: The kingdom of Ile-Rien is in peril, menaced by magical threats and court intrigue. As the weak King Roland, misled by treacherous companions, rules the country, only his ruthless mother, the Dowager Queen Ravenna, truly guards the safety of the realm. But now Urbain Grandier, the dark master of scientific sorcery, has arrived to plot against the throne and Kade, bastard sister of the king, has appeared unexpectedly at court. The illegitimate daughter of the old king and the Queen of Air and Darkness herself, Kade’s true goals are cloaked in mystery. Is she in league with the wizard Grandier? Or is she laying claim to the throne? It falls to Thomas Boniface, Captain of the Queen’s Guard and Ravenna’s former lover, to sort out who is friend, who is foe in a deadly game to keep the Dowager Queen and the kingdom she loves from harm.

Martha Wells fantasy book reviews The Ile-Rien Stories: 1. The Element of Fire 2. The Death of the Necromancer 3. The Wizard Hunters 4. The Ships of Air 5. The Gate of Gods Martha Wells fantasy book reviews The Ile-Rien Stories: 1. The Element of Fire 2. The Death of the Necromancer 3. The Wizard Hunters 4. The Ships of Air 5. The Gate of Gods Martha Wells fantasy book reviews The Ile-Rien Stories: 1. The Element of Fire 2. The Death of the Necromancer 3. The Wizard Hunters 4. The Ships of Air 5. The Gate of Gods Martha Wells fantasy book reviews The Ile-Rien Stories: 1. The Element of Fire 2. The Death of the Necromancer 3. The Wizard Hunters 4. The Ships of Air 5. The Gate of Gods Martha Wells fantasy book reviews The Ile-Rien Stories: 1. The Element of Fire 2. The Death of the Necromancer 3. The Wizard Hunters 4. The Ships of Air 5. The Gate of Gods

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  • Bill Capossere

    BILL CAPOSSERE, who's been with us since June 2007, lives in Rochester NY, where he is an English adjunct by day and a writer by night. His essays and stories have appeared in Colorado Review, Rosebud, Alaska Quarterly, and other literary journals, along with a few anthologies, and been recognized in the "Notable Essays" section of Best American Essays. His children's work has appeared in several magazines, while his plays have been given stage readings at GEVA Theatre and Bristol Valley Playhouse. When he's not writing, reading, reviewing, or teaching, he can usually be found with his wife and son on the frisbee golf course or the ultimate frisbee field.

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