T. R. Thompson (1)

Wilt is now a wraith - in addition to transforming himself into a cat, he can turn into a black smoke that emanates cold and passes through objects. This book, like the first, is well written, with engaging characters. The author excells at creating detailed world's; this second book in the series introduces the reader to another fully developed society as the protagonist explores a new part of his country. Likewise, the complex magical system developed in the first book continues to be expanded.

I received book three (A Flame of Song) in this series through the Library Thing Early Reviewer program. The publisher sent this book (number two) and the first book, The Blood in the Stone, for context.… (más)

The Blood Within the Stone is well written with compelling characters in a believable (although fantastic) setting. In the first half of part 1, we are introduced to Wilt, a young thief in Greystone who has the ability to read minds. Although Wilt eventually leaves the town and it's people, Greystone is not merely a two dimensional world serving only as the 'before' of Wilt's life. The characters and social structure of the town are fleshed out in detail; this is a complete world.

Thompson has created a complex magic system for his world. Halfway through part 1, Wilt is recruited by a delegation from Redmondis, a school of magic. There are wielders, also called Black Robes, who can read and control minds; crafters like Higgs who apply magic to mundane skills such as blacksmithing, stone carving, etc; and guards selected because they can be easily controlled by mental powers. The story focuses on WIlt's studies, using "welds" to connect his mind to that of others. There is a darkness within each wielder, a desire to drain the life out of those to whom one connects. But within the darkness, beneath the welds, is a malevolent force. And things aren't as they seem at Redmondis.

I received book three in the series through the library thing early reviewer program; the publisher included the first two books for context.… (más)

This is book three in the Wraith Cycle, and book one was the author's first novel. This series is outstanding for the first series ever written by an individual. It is well written and complex, and its world consists of multiple detailed societies as well as a complex magic system.

When you get to the end of the book, the overall plot seems straightforward. The characters each belong to defined groups, and it is easy to summarize what each accomplished throughout the novel. However, the plot is much more complex on the first read through because none of the characters posess a compete picture of what is happening until the end. As the novel shifts between characters, each discovers pieces of the picture, and their experiences are processed through their incomplete understanding. Since they are discovering both what is happening and how the magical system works, it can be rather confusing at points, especially if you are trying to chart all the details as they happen. The reveals are not dramatic enough for me to feel the excitement of figuring out what is going on, as I have experienced in other novels. But the final explanation creates a coherent world.

I received this book through LibraryThings' early reviewer program.… (más)