The Fall of Ile-Rien

by  Martha Wells

Once again, a much-beloved author produces a VLN (Very Large Novel). The thing about VLN's is that they are usually published in more than one volume (fiendishly locking readers into purchasing more than one book to read a single novel), they take forever to finally be in print, and they are either excellent beyond description -- or they stink like being down-wind from a slaughterhouse. Fortunately, Ms. Wells is the consummate writer and her novels are well thought-out, the characters believable and developed, and the story fascinating -- or is it?

Don't get the wrong idea. I LOVE this book (or books as you see fit). But in producing a work this large, it becomes incredibly difficult to seamlessly join all the plot twists and the multitude of bit characters that simply are required if the story isn't to become boring. The result is a confusing number of characters that do little to advance the plot while increasing insight into the main characters, or vice versa. Ms. Wells gets caught in this conundrum that very, very few authors I know have managed to avoid in writing a VLN. What was wrong with the single volume novels that were so fantastic? Has it become a benchmark of good writing that one must produce an opus? Have we forgotten that some of the most incredible stories ever written were actually less than novel length? But enough of my chest-thumping....

The Fall of Ile-Rien takes the reader back to where Ms. Wells started, oddly enough that is Ile-Rein. Her last book set there was Death of the Necromancer and its villainous hero was Nicholas Valliarde. In Fall, Ms. Wells goes back to a central heroine which she does remarkably well. Our heroine is none other than Nicholas' daughter. Which neatly lends further continuity to the time line of Ile-Rien in a firmly established fantasy tradition (ά la Mercedes Lackey, Anne McCaffrey, et al.). Unfortunately, Ile-Rien is under bombardment from an enemy from outside the world of Ile-Rien, and they are at least as magically savvy as the magicians of Ile-Rien, using both unfamiliar and horribly effective spells to squash all resistance -- except for Nicholas' spheres...

Its a good story, well told with the required plot twists and a surprise ending. The denoument was no surprise, but then again, its not really supposed to be. If you have a few uninterrupted days to kill, this is a great way to do it.