Review: fabulous characters, plot, world, unexpected consequences - a few flaws
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 19, 2014
First, I've never read anything by this author so this review is not based on comparison.  Several reviews classify the novel as "steampunk" which I never heard of and had to look up.  That is a mis-classification.  The only steam powered device is the laundry.  While there are some airships, the most effective flyers are powered by a trivial piece of ancient energy ... lighting fixtures from a destroyed complex.The plot melds two strong archetypal themes ... the military hero who succeeds because he doesn't give a damn about military protocol and makes his own way, and the sleeping beauty or rip van winkle motif - a gifted lady who takes a nap and when she wakes up everything has changed.  I am a sucker for either one alone, and to combine them is sheer genius.  To further the bargain, the writing is colorful, brisk, detailed, and never, ever lags.  The magic is also well done, strong but not overwhelming and spiraling out of control.A third motif that  appears over and over in the story is that of unintended consequences.  The back story is that all but one wizard has been destroyed out of a misguided fear of all wizards based on the actions of an evil few, and now this civilization is having trouble defending their continent against outside wizards.  Well, duh, they should have thought of that.  And the evil wizards should have thought of that.  And the heroine, who is pleasantly human and not at all arrogant, finds herself creating awful consequences from seemingly innocent misjudgements in the application of her power.  But she does not freeze up or decline to use it.Five stars says I loved it, not that it was without flaw.  Some of the antagonists are overly one dimensional.  The ending leaves a lot to be done, with no hint of a sequel and no declaration that anyone is intent on doing it, which is out of character for both leading characters.I want to address the comments made by several reviewers about intimate scenes.  Yes, the story could have been developed without these.  In a way I wish it had so I could recommend the book to my nephew.  But they are among the most tasteful I have ever seen, and they do in fact make a contribution to the story.  The author is obviously exploring the dilemma of a love interest between two people of vastly different power.  Oh, the colonel has his own power to be sure, and is nothing like the wizard's previous lovers.  But how in the world could he have broken the ice with Sardelle if he had known who she was?  He could not.  Sexual intimacy is not nearly the most intimate part of herself she has to give, holds none of the physical consequences for her that it does for us mortals, unless she permits them, and so while proceeding with due care she still holds back until the very end that which is most vulnerable within her.