Customer Reviews

Vincalis the Agitator

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This is a prequel to the Secret Texts trilogy and answers a lot of questions left open in Diplomacy of Wolves, Vengeance of Dragons and Courage of Falcons, such as what are all those circles on the maps and how did they get there? Who was Vincalis and why did he write the Secret Texts, the bible of the Falcons? What were the dragons like when they were in power? Who was Solander and why was he so revered? Who were Luercas and Dafril?

The characters are deep, each with their own conflicting agendas, desires and motives, and they're as mixed up about life as we are. The plot and subplots are rich and complex and flow very well. Actions have logical consequences, but with surprises, too.

Overall, this is a great book and well worth buying and reading!...

If you've enjoyed "Secret texts" and you've come looking for more of the same you're in for a pleasant surprise. Holly's excelled herself this time. This novel takes us behind the scenes of the intrigues needed to keep magic going. And there we find some real heroes and truly villainous villains, people who'd consign the human soul to destruction so that they could get through a gas crisis.

In Wraith she's given us a hero worth the name, and his struggles with a vast, powerful and seemingly invincible enemy make the book an absolute page-turner. There's a sense of bereavement, of being turned out in the cold when you hit the last page that's a sign of how deeply Holly's pulled you in.

Buy it, enjoy it and be prepared to be yelled at when you're still reading at 3am.

Holly has returned to the world of the Secret Texts trilogy for this story of a different era - the time before the Mage Wars when magic use was ubiquitous, most of society was rich beyond our current standards of affluence, and everything depended on a dark core that few knew about, ruled by a powerful cadre that have completely lost track of morality.

The book opens with Wraith, a boy with an uncanny immunity to magic, leaves the under city searching for untainted food, flees guards who intend to kill him for theft, and runs into a friendly, over privileged young man, Solander. Wraith, his rescued (female) friend Jess and Solander soon form a classic love triangle - Solander is taken by Jess, Jess is enamored with Wraith, and Wraith has fallen for the first good-looking confident young woman he has ever met, Velyn.

But the main issue of the story is not love. It's how to deal with the horrible injustice that Wraith digs up when he insists on finding an explanation for the creation and maintenance of the Warrens - places that the general population think are crime-ridden, terrible cankers of ghettos, walled off from the rest of the world and guarded for the good of humanity. But the people in the Warrens are kept drugged and fattened like cattle in pens. And the Council of Dragons is not only lying about the source of the magical power that fuels their world, it has devised a new, more productive way to harvest human magical potential.

Wraith, Solander and Jess eventually split and follow individual ways of dealing with terrible injustice in their world. Jess prefers to ignore it. Solander devotes himself to looking for a magical solution. And Wraith decides to hide behind the pen name of a revolutionary, Vincalis, and expose the hypocrisy of the Dragons through plays, first a tragedy, and then a mix of tragedies and comedies...

...but none of them realize that the Dragons have been in power a very long time. They're not about to let anyone think new things, let alone try to change the world.

And no one at all realizes that their actions are leading to a disastrous confrontation that none of them would have wished for.

Vincalis the Agitator is a fascinating cautionary tale that works on many levels. Beyond the social commentary, it reaches a stunning physical and magical climax that very few novels would attempt - and it also rewards in the human dimension. Get a copy and see what a fantasy writer who's not merely imitating can do to expand your world.

Normally, I'm not a fan of prequels. In this case, I make an exception. "Vincalis the Agitator" is the best prequel I have read in recent memory, if not ever. I will go so far as say that it strengthened the whole "Secret Texts" for me.

I was ever so ambivalent on the "Secret Texts" trilogy. I suppose that's because parts of it reminded me too much of Elizabeth Haydon's "Rhapsody" trilogy, which I found to read one step ahead of a Harlequin Romance. The "Secret Texts" were not as sappy, but did share several of the same traits, including making the heroine and hero a little too perfect and invincible for my tastes. After reading "Vincalis", I feel I may or my not ever read anymore from Elizabeth Haydon, but I will certainly read more from Holly Lisle.

What did I like? I found the characters less perfect, thus more accessible and believable. Wraith had doubts. Solander had doubts. Jess had doubts. The only principal characters who did not have doubts were the antagonists, and this cocksureness is one of the things that made them the bad guys. I liked the story. It is a tale of the mostly good against the mostly bad. The world Ms. Lisle creates is a rich one based on primarily consistent principles of magic. I know there are purists out there that can cite dozens of seeming inconsistencies, but I say "Get over it." We're talking about fantasy here - you want consistency, read a physics text instead.

But what I really liked is the way that either story - the "Secret Texts" trilogy or "Vincalis" could be read first with no loss of impact. I read them in the order they were published, hence I read "Vincalis" knowing roughly how it was going to turn out. In that light, I found the reverence in which future Falcons in the "Secret Texts" were to hold Vincalis the Agitator to be somewhat ironic given the truth of Vincalis' birth and upbringing. Someone reading "Vincalis" first can enjoy a similarly ironic unfolding of the plot. In either case, the four books must be viewed as part of the same whole for maximum enjoyment. I enjoyed the "Secret Texts" as an above-average fantasy series. Throw in "Vincalis" and you have a very good fantasy series from a writer I will definitely read more of.

I was in the mood for something with a fast moving plot, and real characters I could identify with, but I wanted it divorced enough from the real world to let me zone out a little. Vincalis the Agitator did exactly that, and did it outstandingly well. I liked Vincalis from the moment I met Wraith, a hungry youngster prepared to steal food if he must to keep himself and his friends from starving. I liked it even better when I met Solander Artis, the privileged son of a Dragon Master and a member of the ruling stolti class, who had enough compassion and curiosity to hide Wraith from his pursuers.

Despite the profligate use of magic by the Dragons, Lisle's characters have a special realism. I think it's because, like everyday people, they cram their adventures and love lives in around the need to make a living. Also, the great moral issues that the Dragon Empire must address face the characters in everyday choices. Some characters fail, others succeed, and which do which isn't as obvious as it seems.

Is there a Vincalis? Oh, yes, but read the book; you'll see. Seriously, I really enjoyed this book, and recommend it wholeheartedly.

Wraith is born in the warrens, a strange halfway land where people barely live, unaware of their surroundings. When he escapes, he finds nearby cities filled with magic, art, and beautiful people. Yet a terrible secret sustains the magic of these cities--their spells depend on and consume the lives of those in the warrens--and the demands of the magic grow ever stronger. Wraith swears to end this oppression, to somehow change the system that holds so many in bondage for the joy of others.

As an adult, Wraith becomes an author and producer of plays that show the dangers of magic in an attempt to demonstrate the folly of the civilization he both admires and hates. Yet no society can survive for hundreds of years without its defenses. Wraith's growing popularity breeds suspicion against him. When the secret police swoop down, none of Wraith's defenses appear effective against such overwhelming force.

Author Holly Lisle has created a compelling magic system and culture of beauty, cruelty and reckless disregard for others. Although interesting, VINCALIS THE AGITATOR falls short in several key respects. Most importantly, it fails to grab the reader at an emotional level. Perhaps the mages are simply too evil to be credible. Too, Wraith's plot is so simplistic that it is difficult to believe that a halfway effective police force, let alone magic-dealing secret spies, wouldn't have shut it down in days.

Lisle's writing shows moments of inspiration, mixed with long narrative pages and with subplots (e.g., Faregan's plans to add Jess to his victim collection) that confuse without adding to the main narative or to the emotional intensity of the novel.

Vincalis the Agitator (2002) is the prequel to The Secret Texts Trilogy. The Empire of Hars Ticlarim has existed for three millennia, growing in might and expanding into the surrounding barbarian lands. During the last millennium, Dragon magic has powered the Empire, insuring plentiful supplies of food and other necessities for eight billion citizens, creating fantastic works of architecture, and overcoming their enemies. Unknown to the general populace, however, this Dragon magic was based on the flesh, bone, blood and life of the drugged prisoners within the Warrens.

In this novel, Wraith is a Warrener who has awakened from the Sleep. He stopped eating the Wayfare that caused the stupor and instead stole his meals from the surrounding city, sneaking out of the Vincalis gate to salvage food from the garbage. Over a period of time, he found others who are not quite lost in the Sleep and weaned them from the Wayfare, but only he can pass through the gate into the city without being destroyed.

One day, as he is searching for food for Smoke and Jess, Wraith finds a market square where people are apparently taking food without paying. He fills a basket and leaves, but is noticed and pursued as a thief. He ducks into an open gateway and is hidden by Solander Artis, the only child of the Master of Energy, third highest position in the Empire.

Solander discovers that Wraith is immune to magic; the magical force just passes through him as if he wasn't there. Solander wishes to study this immunity and conceives a plan to establish Wraith and his friends in the Artis household as remote cousins from the hinterlands. Solander involves his cousin Velyn in the plans and Wraith becomes infatuated with her on sight.

Wraith returns to the Warrens with a box of Artis edibles to find that Smoke has returned to the Sleep when the food gave out, but that Jess is still waiting for him. He tells her of the plan and then leaves to meet Solander and Velyn. They return with an official aircar and smuggle Jess out of the Warrens.

In this story, Solander and Wraith discover that the Dragon Council has discovered a new, more powerful source of magic based on destruction of the souls of the Warreners. They resolve to liberate the Warreners, with Solander working from within and Wraith writing plays to enlighten the populace to the harmful side of magic. In order to protect their identities, Solander underwrites the first play through intermediaries and Wraith pretends that the plays were written by someone else called Vincalis.

This story shows the callous disregard of the Dragons toward the people in the Warrens; the Dragons label them as inhumans and thus not to be considered when the welfare of the whole Empire is at stake. Unfortunately for the Dragons, the god Vodor Imrish disagrees with them and is helping the rebels. From the destruction that results comes the world of The Secret Texts.

This work has many of the strengths of The Secret Texts trilogy, but the storyline does not flow as naturally as the trilogy. Since this is the prequel, the ending is a foregone conclusion, but some of that inevitability appears to have crept into the development of both characters and plot, causing a sense of abruptness. Nonetheless, this story is fully enjoyable, both as a prequel and on its own.

Recommended for Lisle fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of strange societies and stranger magic together with political intrigue and a touch of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I was very excited to find out that Holly Lisle was going to reveal the interesting but rather vague series of events that led to those that took place in the Secret Texts. At the same time I was also nervous, I wanted so much to love Vincalis the Agitator just as I had loved the other three! Luckily for me, I was not to be disappointed. I have to admit Vincalis the Agitator was different from the Secret Texts Trilogy but in a very important way. The two plots took place in two different societies and therefore each deserved a slightly different approach. What was the same however, was Holly Lisle's ability to create characters that all avid fantasy readers can appreciate. Wraith and Solander were both able to capture my heart just as Kait, Ry, and the many other Falcons in the Secret Texts.
The best part about Vincalis the Agitator is that it answers all those questions that were posed in Diplomacy of Wolves, Vengeance of Dragons, and Courage of Falcons. Who is Solander? How is he able to be so pure and loving? Why was Vincalis the Agitator able to reach so many with his wisdom? If you want to know the answers to these and many other questions, I recommend reading Vincalis the Agitator, it is a marvellous prequel to the Secret Text Trilogy.

While I did enjoy The Secret Texts trilogy, I must admit that I found the writing to be lacking. The whole story felt rather empty... as did the characters.

Vincalis, on the other hand, is a stunning example of an author coming into her own. With this book, Lisle seems to really find her own voice. The characters are really fleshed-out, and I felt as though I understood their motivations and drives. It's very well written, and I think it can stand alone--without The Secret Texts.

Having read several of Holly Lisle's novels, I can only say that she continues to improve. After her beginnings with the humorous Arhel tales, the Secret Texts seem like something altogether different--a dark trilogy of novels in which good and evil vie for domination.

Holly Lisle likes to ask questions in her work, and her plots are not as character-driven as ones such as those you will find written by Mercedes Lackey or Anne McCaffrey. She usually prefers to introduce readers mostly to one character, and leaves us questioning that character's past even then, hinting at much more than she gives us. However, with Vincalis, she introduces us strongly to the protagonist Wraith and his motives. Readers are not as informed about other major characters, yet sufficiently so that the plot runs properly.

This novel is food for thought as well as intended for entertainment. It is not the sort of novel that many fantasy readers are used to, and despite its being based in a fantasy world, dealing with a fantasy situation, it can be viewed in a deeper aspect.

My main issues with the novel are but minor ones: First of all, it seems as if the minor characters in the beginning have more reasonable motives for their actions than they do toward the end. Second of all, it still leaves quite a bit in question about the Secret Text trilogy it is the prequel to, and the only answer currently available on why certain things are known, or happen, is that this information was written into the Secret Texts.

Still, having read the Secret Texts Trilogy, I found this to be an intriguing read. It isn't the happiest of novels, being rather dark due to its very plot involving human lives being sacrificed to create magic, but I believe that its plot and main character will stay in my memory, at least, for a very long time.