I picked up the book Wolfblade, by Jennifer Fallon, a couple of weeks ago in an op-shop in suburban Melbourne and it did not take long to get engrossed in the story and finish all 620 pages.
I had never come across this writer before but was very impressed, especially when I found out that she is an Australian author. She is the author of more than 2 dozen full-length bestselling novels, a number of published short stories in genres ranging from horror to science fiction, and a bestselling series on writing. I put her up there along with Trudi Canavan as one of our best in the fantasy genre.
Wolfblade is the first book in the Hythrun Chronicles, an epic fantasy told in 4 trilogies: The Wolfblade Trilogy, The Demon Child Trilogy, The War of the Gods Trilogy, Slave Queen Trilogy, and a novella (First Kill). There are also 2 connected companion books, Elezaar's Rules of Faining and Weilding Power and the very tongue in cheek, The Magic Word.
The Wolfblade Trilogy follows the life of Marla Wolfblade from the age of 15 until she is in her 40s. It also follows stories of various characters intertwined with that of Marla Wolfblade and explains much of the history in the following Demon Child history (which was published first) as it follows Damin Wolfblade and Marla's other children growing up and how the state of affairs presented in The Demon Child Trilogy came to be.
Ok, I've only read the first book but the others beckon. I found that my subscription to Everand gives me access to ebook versions of most of them.
And now onto Wolfblade itself. Unlike many other fantasy books, it is not huge on magic which is there but not as a huge factor. Rather, the book focuses on political intrigue, multiple characters with believable and opposing agendas and surprises, along with the deaths of major characters.
I found it really difficult to put down once I started and the political intrigues and maneuvering kept me interested right up until the end. You are left in no doubt that, while the men hold the official power, it is the women you need to watch out for. Although only a minor character, Elezaar took centre stage when his character was invoked. He was obviously my favourite character.
Definitely 5 stars.
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