Review: Interesting Prequel Short
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 12 16, 2012
The Elantra books have been sitting on my shelf for a while.  I own four of the seven currently out and I keep meaning to read them, but something always comes up.  I like Sagara (who also writes under the name "Michelle West").  Her Sun Sword books were some of the first long fantasies I read independent of my father's book shelves (I picked up the first two the same day I picked up Janny Wurts "Daughter of the Empire" trilogy) and part of why I love politics in fantasy books today.The Chronicles of Elantra are a different beast.  Lots of fantasy, lots of gutsy women...less of the politics I loved in the Sun Sword books.  Well when I saw this up for sale independent of the anthology it was part of (Harvest Moon), I figured why not give it a try?  Its a prequel, depicting the Elantra books main character Kaylin's first introduction to the Hawks.I enjoyed this.  I kind of doubted Kaylin's age (she's meant to be 13), she doesn't react like any 13 year old I've ever met or read about.  Her reactions are measured--even when in extreme pain she barely let's it show.  Her distrust is monumental, but her loyalty is just as fierce.Some of it is cute--Clint (an Aerian, he has wings) having a soft spot for orphans like Kaylin, Caitlin's warm efficiency as she tries to get Kaylin started out, Teela's vicious sense of humor.  But this is a violent novella that deals with kids being hurt, so it sometimes was jarring.The series proper is set 7 years later, when Kaylin is 20 and is a full fledged member of the Hawks (a sort of elite militia/police that patrol and protect Elantra) so I imagine her interactions with people are more frequent.  She spends much of this novella either bitterly accusing folk, depressingly silent or reluctantly helpful.I think as a taste of the world of Elantra this was a good start.  We get an idea of the hierarchy, some of the magic system, what makes Kaylin (almost too) special and a lot about the people.