Customer Reviews

The Ships of Air: The Fall of Ile-Rien (The Fall of Ile-Rein)

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Martha Wells's beautifully written "Ships of the Air," the second in the author's "Fall of Ile-Rien" trilogy (and you really have to read the first novel, "The Wizard Hunters," before you tackle this one) surpasses the first in its utter looneyness. We meet once again the spectacularly neurotic Tremaine Valliarde (who has, thankfully, gotten over her suicidal impulses), as she and the companions she met in the first volume explore the world she now finds herself in as they attempt to learn more about the Gardier, who have been wreaking havoc on Tremaine's world. In order to do so, Tremaine engineers an alliance between one of the tribes of this world, the Syprians, and the Rien, after which they attempt to discover just where the Gardier are coming from.

At the end of the volume, after quite a trip, they do.

Once again Wells's elegantly flowing prose style smoothes out the rough spots caused by her tendency, as was the case in the first volume, to write herself into a corner, creating problems for herself that don't really matter. (I suspect that, like her heroine, Ms. Wells makes things up on the fly--perhaps working from only the loosest of outlines. And that's not a complaint.)

Whatever. The completely dysfunctional quest is bizarre fun. Tremaine has leadership foisted on her after she gets married mainly on a dare, and although she hasn't a clue, she's certainly plucky and lucky. The tale, which features sorcery and electricity in equal proportions, moves quickly from land to a converted luxury liner and thence to "flying whales," which is what some of the characters call this world's version of hot-air balloons. (They're filled with hydrogen, not helium. Oh. Oh.) And despite the fantasy elements, much of the novel is grounded in reality. Wells describes perfectly what is bound to occur when a group of ill-assorted people are forced to go sallying forth together. They quarrel; they fight for dominance; they all think they're right. It's quirky fun. For readers anyway.

For a mid book in a series, this book moves along well, tells a real story and develops the overall theme sharply. Nothing moves too slow or too quickly, and none of the interactions is forced.

The whole series of the books in this story line are awesome. Catches you and takes you into the incredible world that Martha Wells has created.

I loved the story, kept me interested throughout. Wells is a good author who has a good idea how to keep the reader turning the pages. I hope there will be more from her as I look foward to experiencing more of what she has to offer.

Another book readers of Ships of Air would possibly like is The Unsuspecting Mage by Brian S. Pratt. Slightly different from hers, still not too bad.