The Dark Hand of Magic

Barbara Hambley's Sun Wolf series is one of her best, and this book is a thrilling end to it. Sun Wolf returns to his old troop of mercenaries to help them against a dark wizard who is bent on their destruction. Again, a vividly written book where the characters are just like you and me. Multiple themes run through this book, some of the more prominent ones include things we all face as human beings. Sun wolf returns to the group of people (like family) he recruited, trained, and led for 20 years as a mercenary, but now he is a wizard, not a merc. Also, he is no longer the leader. Each character must deal with those changes in their own way, and Hambley is up to the task of showing us that the question, "Can we ever go home again?" is as real to mercenaries and wizards as it is to you and me. Hambley again displays her skill at both fantasy and mystery here, as Sun Wolf struggles to find out who put the curse on the troop, and why. The climatic finish is worthy of high fantasy, and will grip the reader to the thrilling end. The aftermath is bittersweet, and satisfying. I encourage fantasy fans everywhere to find the three books of this series and read them. You won't be disappointed, and I suspect they will find their way into your library to read over and over.

In this book, the erstwhile wizard Sunwolf and his lover, Starhawk, find that even when they are trying to find a teacher for 'Wolf's talent, the way is treacherous. Their old friends in the mercenary company are in trouble from a powerful wizard and ask for Sunwolf's help in defeating him. Faced with past loyalties and the need to find a teacher, Sunwolf dubiously accepts in the hope of placating both sides of the conflict. A Dark Hand of Magic deals with both magic and morality - a curious yet nevertheless attractive basis for a book.