Customer Reviews

The Death of the Necromancer

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Nicolas Valiarde is a thief; but is he a thief with a noble purpose? His true goal is to discredit and eventually lead a Count to execution in vengeance for the wrongful death of his foster father. Meanwhile, unexplained deaths are discovered in Vienne--deaths which may have something to do with Nicolas's foster father's experiments into necromancy.

Wells's narrative immerses the reader into her world. The world of Ile-Rien is painstakingly designed and researched, a world not unlike late 19th century Europe. She invokes all of the senses to realize the ruined noble houses, the depths of the sewers, and the activity of the streets.

I can only describe this novel as a mixture of Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, with a bit of sorcery thrown in for good measure.

Wells reveals hidden information about her characters throughout the novel, thus revealing their motivations and personalities like peeling back an onion. It's not until the end of the book that the reader sees into their core.

I probably would not have picked up this book on my own since I usually read books in the space opera or pure fantasy genres, but this was selected for my SF Book Club. I'm glad I didn't miss this one.

Have you read "The Alienist" by Caleb Carr? Add magic, and an imagined world as textured and rich as our own, and you end up with "The Death of the Necromancer."

First, the good: Wells creates a fantastic setting that strikes closer to home than most fantasy offerings. Instead of knights and dragons traipsing around castles, she presents us with ghouls chasing gentlemen in the depths of a prison catacomb or the heights of society in a setting resembling the late 1800's. Everything good can be said about the author's ability to construct a fantasy world and populate it with interesting ideas, magicks, and a fearsome grimoire.

Now, the less-than-adequate: Nothing happens to the characters. Not quite true (they do have some exciting things happen to them), but on an emotional, spiritual, or psychological level the cast remains virtually unchanged at the end of the book. I understand that this is an adventure book, and as such I shouldn't compare it to "The Great Gatsby", but I would've liked more character development, not just characterization (which was excellent, by the way). For example, the lead character Nicholas begins the story with a cool head and a predatory disposition, and he ends the story the same way. The only thing he seems to learn from 300+ pages is that revenge is bitter.

Ultimately, I am trying to find something wrong in a book that is exceedingly original and well-written. The humor in the book is exceptional and dry, and the plot is paced like a freight train. Despite my one complaint, I highly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy, mystery, and horror.

Don't judge this book by its title or cover. I read one other review that was "disappointed" because there was no true horror in the book, as well there should not be because this is a hero, or perhaps anti-hero book. What can I say, it is one of my favorite books read this year, but I would not have picked it up if I hadn't just read the other Wells' books and been impressed with them too.

Our main man came from the wrong side of the tracks years before and when his adopted father was killed, began using all of those old skills in an adopted identity to avenge the death (hello Bruce Wayne). Moving through society and having a loyal set of helpers who he has "saved" in various manners through the years (hello Lamont Cranston), he has a noble heart, but uses whatever methods work for him.

In his role as the great dark figure of the underworld (Moriarty), there is only one inspector who has gained his respect over the years (hello Sherlock) and who he might be willing to grudgingly cooperate with.

Now, someone is using devices very similar to those invented by his late adopted father, and he may have to choose between revenge for the past and justice in the present?

Strong characterization and a gothic (Gotham?) setting, with some magic and mystery thrown in, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I've previously read three of Martha Wells' other novels and thoroughly enjoyed them all, but she really outdid herself in "The Death of the Necromancer". This is the one of the most fast-paced, unpredictable, and exciting books ever written in any genre. The hero Nicholas is a thief in the Victorian-era city of Vienne. He and his gang of associates are working on a complex plot to bring down Rive Montesq, the criminal overlord who killed Nicholas' foster father. However, in this story little ever goes as planned. For instance, during the very first chapter, our heroes attempt a carefully organized robbery of a noble house during a party, but things go awry because some other seemingly supernatural force want to carry out a robbery in the same house on the same night. Virtually every plot event in the book has a twist of that sort, thus keeping you truly on your toes for the length of the book.

And how 'bout those characters, eh. Like George R. R. Martin, Wells has the ability to sketch unforgettable personalities in just a few strokes, rather than wasting long passages on character development. Her characters are suave, confident, and sexy, while at the same time being unquestionably real. For instance, leading lady Madeleine is a famous actress, and her experience in the theatre helps her work with disguises and assume different roles as she navigates the intrigues of Vienne. The relationship between Nicholas and Madeleine isn't a typical fantasy coupling where the characters swoon for each other and never experience any problems. It is, rather, and real relationship, complete with bickering and arguments, but there's real love there as well. Wells does a magnificient job with the minor characters as well. I particularly like how Reynard, who is gay, isn't treated as some sort of joke or curiosity, but rather as a three-dimensional human character.

Let's all hail Wells for getting the details right. Descriptions are short and effect, infodumps are nowhere to be found. Martha Wells understands that the reader doesn't need lengthy lectures, and that supernatural elements are actually more creepily effective if they aren't fully explained. Dialogue is sharp, and lines that are supposed to be funny actually are funny. Fantasy, you see, need not be entirely ponderous multi-thousand page bricks of clichéd characters and trite sayings. It is, in fact, possible to have fun with imaginative novels. And though the number of authors with the courage to do so may be small, that can't stop us from enjoying books like "The Death of the Necromancer" when we find them.

READ THIS BOOK! It is so fun! This book combines Mission Impossible, Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson, Scotland Yard, sorcery, magic -- absolute non-stop action and adventure from beginning to end. The dialogue was great -- wit and sarcasm abound. Characters were developed well -- I connected even with the minor characters. And I swear I could actually smell those sewer tunnels. The Prefecture/Magistrates courtyard riot and prison escape scenes were some of the best action I have read ever. Thank you Martha Wells for a great experience. This book would make a great movie.

In recent years a new style of fantasy has emerged - one that combines a somewhat more technologically advanced setting with the magic of high fantasy. Paul J. McAuley's Pasquale's Angel and J. Gregory Keyes' Newton's Cannon both spring to mind as contemporary examples of this fusion of technology and fantasy.

Martha Wells has proven herself to be one of the queens of this genre by managing to subtly and ably combine the genres of the Victorian/Sherlockian mystery with that realm of fantasy, by combining steam and sorcery.

Wells has managed to craft a delightful world that has a Victorian feel while retaining it's own flavour. The overall seeming of a fantastic version of turn-of-the-century Paris (Vienne, in this novel) is augmented by the sorcerous powers that the chosen few have access to.

Her main character has a wonderfully Moriarty-esque flavour complete with a Sherlockian adversary), an essentially noble bearing, and a marvellous supporting cast to bring him through the worst of his adventures.

Evil stalks the gaslit streets of Vienne in the kingdom of Ile-Rien, and it falls to her greatest criminal mastermind to expunge it - or die trying.

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

I didn't choose this book expressly. I was in a shop with a limited selection of English books and it looked like the best option I had. I didn't, frankly, know what to expect from it. It looked a bit like an Anne Perry novel + magic from the back cover. I hoped for reasonably entertaining at best.

I ended up with a book that I couldn't put down. The characters were well-crafted, the world they moved in was richly detailed. The system of magic Wells created was so well worked-out that we didn't need everything explained-- the characters moved through the world in a natural way and everything became clear enough (while still leaving much room for information about this society in later novels.)

Excellent example of the genre. Not great literature, but certainly high entertainment.

Completely different from the author's previous "City of Bones," but even more exciting as she interpolates magic and mayhem into a belle-epoque European-style city. Since the occult was a popular fad in our real world at that time, it's not hard to make the leap to the fictional world of Ile-Rien. The references to a university city much like Oxford and other parts of that world that bring to mind visions of India or the Arabia of the 1001 Nights with all their mystery and intrigue added to the complete naturalism of the fictional world of this book. I used as a bookmark a postcard of Caillebotte's "Place de l'Europe on a Rainy Day" which matched the atmosphere perfectly. The combination of magic and technology was fascinating, and for a reader not a big fan of sorcerers and elves made the story all the more credible. Fast paced action all the way.

This book is brilliant. There is almost nothing in it that I didn't like or that I skipped over. In fact, this may well just be one of my favorite books ever. Yes, it was that good.

First of all is the plot. It never got boring and it never stalled. From chapter one the ride takes off and it doesn't stop until the very end. As the book opens we find ourselves in one of the most lavished mansions where a ball is taking place. Unbeknownst to the attendants, not one but two robberies are occurring simultaneously in that very house. As luck would have it, Nicholas and his friends have a rather nasty run in with a ghoul sent by a powerful necromancer and they barely manage to escape.

From that moment on their lives are complicated beyond belief as they try to put their well thought out plan to bring down the ruthless man who is responsible for Nicholas father's execution as well as trying to escape the clutches of the mad wizard who is after them.

The other thing I loved about this book were the characters. Nicholas is one of the most genuine heroes I've come across in a very long time. Ever since his father was executed he has spent his life building a double persona. One is of a respectable nobleman whom everyone knows as Nicholas Valiarde, son of the late scientist Edouard Viller. The other is Ile-Rien's infamous underworld crime-lord Donatien. He is very adept at keeping the two personalities separated to everyone but his closest friends and allies: Madeleine and Reynard. Only they can see how his vendetta is slowly consuming him and the lines between his two personalities are beginning to blur.

Nicholas comes across effectively as a tortured hero without going over the top. His is a quiet manner yet you never have a doubt that he is anything but a doomed man because of his obsession with revenge. I loved the way that Wells portrays him. Not once does the author trying to convince you the man is tortured or that he is the very best at what he does overwhelm you. It's there in the way he acts or thinks or the way others see him.

Another treat was Madeleine who quickly became one of my favorite heroines. The woman doesn't have one TSTL moment. Ever. Not once does she make a rash and stupid decision. Not once does she falter and wait for everyone to come to her rescue because she got into trouble. She actually thinks before she acts, she is good under pressure and she doesn not doubt the Nicholas' abilities. At the same time you feel the love and the bond she shares with him even without having to read pages of the two declaring their love for one another. I thought this was one of the best things about the novel.

The secondary characters are all brilliant as well. From Nicholas opium addicted wizard friend to his seemingly debauched allied Reynard to even his bodyguards. They all fit their roles perfectly without fading in the background.

The villains are amazing as well. Wells doesn't shy away from showing you just how evil these people really are and that's what makes the danger to our heroes all the more believable.

The one thing I found somewhat lacking is the way in which one of the two villains meets his end. We are lead on a wild chase and the suspense builds up only to be over and done with in the blink of an eye. I would have liked to see exactly what happened but I was satisfied with the way the other, and more important villain, met his demise.

One last thing to note is the setting in which the story takes place. I am a sucker for steampunk type stories where the settings are reminiscence of Victorian, Edwardian or turn of the century Europe. Ile-Rien reminds you of an 18th century alternate France where wizards and magic are a common sight. I absolutely loved it and Wells does a helluva job painting each scene so vividly you feel you are practically there.


This is damn near perfect and I dare say anyone that enjoys a good story will be glued to the book until the very end. A wonderful, wonderful ride.

I give it a solid 5 out of 5!

This was the first Martha Wells book I read, some years ago. I needed something to read while traveling, liked the cover enough to read the inside blurb, and liked the blurb enough to buy the book. So I went in with no preconceptions, never having heard of the author before, and emerged amazed at how entertained I was by the book.

What is there to like? The setting, for one. The city of Ile-Rien and the surrounding areas are wonderfully imagined and carefully described. Wells is an expert at selecting places/eras/ideas from our own Earthly history as archtype backdrops in forming her fantastic worlds, and then adding unique details that make those places seem perhaps even more real. In this case it's a 1800s France-that-never-was, where science (gas lamps, trains, pistols) and magic have intersected -- at times smoothly and at times not so smoothly.

Indeed, it is this intersection which drives the plot, which surrounds mechanical "spheres" created by Edouard Viller that are designed to allow non-magicians to do magic. The wrongful execution of Edouard for the forbidden magic of necromancy during the construction of the spheres drives his adopted son, Nicholas, to the criminal underground in an effort to punish those responsible. While the story broadens to include a threat to the whole city -- indeed, the whole country -- it always remains at heart a very personal one, of Nicholas struggling between his need for revenge and his (at times skewed) sense of right. Along the way we get to explore the sewers and dungeons of the city, the lairs of criminals, the street cafes of the demi monde, and the royal palace, while meeting a fascinating cast of characters at all points.

The best and worst part of the book are the characters. I found them to be varied, interesting and likeable -- Nicholas with his inner struggle, Madeline the actress as a very female foil to him while also having her own ruthless practicality and high level of capability, Arisilde the flawed but powerful mage, Reynard the disgraced soldier, Ronsarde the aging police inspector, etc. They have enough flaws that we can relate to, they have a complex inner mental life that we're allowed to peek into, and dialog sparkles between them: the way they talk is the way I wish people talked today. The drawbacks to the characters are that at times Nicholas, Madeline and Ronsard all seem a little too capable, meaning their success is seldom in doubt; there are some pretty blatant parallels to other literary figures (Nicholas the crime boss = Moriarty, Ronsarde and Halle = Holmes/Watson) which makes them instantly comprehensible but not overly imaginative characterizations; they are in some ways treated with kid gloves (we never see Nicholas the city crime boss hurting anyone in his crimes, and he never steals from anyone who doesn't deserve it); and, finally, having read Wells' other books, there are a lot of similar romantic dynamics in nearly all her books, a certain wry uncertainty in the relationship between the lead male and female characters.

None of the drawbacks, it's important to note, were things I noticed while reading the book: I was having too much fun. Wells is simply miles ahead of the Jordan/Brooks/Rowling/etc. crowd at crafting sentences that describe just enough to let your imagination take over, without being either overly mechanical or overly flowery in her use of language. This is not a highly allegorical, deeply thoughtful book filled with tremendous inner meaning and complexity; nor is it a multi-volume prophesy-driven coming-of-age epic fantasy with the usual cast of elves, dwarves, and orcs. This is something there is all too little of, a single-volume story of a fantastic world well-imagined and carefully crafted, a smaller tale of individuals and their personal goals. If that sounds appealing to you, I can recommend this (as well as most of Martha Wells' other books) to you wholeheartedly.