Review: A refreshing variation on fantasy tropes
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 17, 2012
I often pick up - and quickly put down - fantasy novels that sound as if they've been stamped out of a mould somewhere out the back of the Harper Collins offices. Barbarians threaten the empire or evil empire threatens the free lands, Dark Lord, Chosen One, blah blah blah blah. I call them "fantasy phone books" - thick, boring and full of names. (Or "elf operas", if they're shorter.)The Spiral Tattoo is something different. Not completely different, because it has a lot of the fantasy tropes, including trolls, dwarves, elves and a couple of other races, a medieval-style world and, of course, magic. But at the same time it's a police procedural mystery with a likeable and entertainingly ill-assorted pair of partners. The interaction between Elanor and Gurt is well-judged and doesn't get bogged down, and the story moves along at a liesurely but engaging pace. The threat, the villain (who isn't the usual dog-kicking moustache twirler) and the incidental characters are all believable (given the fantasy premise, of course).I listened to this on Podiobooks, rather than reading the Kindle version, but I do recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy but is tired of reading bad Lord of the Rings knockoffs. You won't regret spending your dollar. In fact, I'm going to buy it simply because I've already received so much enjoyment from it.