Havemercy

I'm always looking to find new authors. Whether that means they are new to writing or I am new to finding them does not matter, but I enjoy finding a new author. Jones and Bennett have a great first effort here. I see one reviewer already went pretty deep into the plot so I will not bother. The characters are compelling and you will come to care about them. Honestly, I was surprised at how fast I liked many of the characters. Usually it takes a while to settle in. The world is fairly laid out but I would like to know even more about it. The story is a little slow yes, but can every book be an action novel? We have to have our dramas too. If written right, an argument can be just as climactic as an epic swordfight. I have only two complaints. One, there are a lack of female characters. The book is fairly male focused the whole time. I have no problems at all with homosexuality in novels at all but the sheer lack of female characters was a little shocking. Also my biggest complaint is . . . I want to know more about these characters and what happens in their future. Hopefully the sequel is a direct continuation of the same characters. If not, hopefully we get some more details on them at least. If you are a fan of fantasy and don't need a ton of action in your story (and you don't mind same sex pairings) I would recommend you pick this book up.

Very nicely done! It's always a pleasure to run across talented new fantasy authors, and that's what we've got here. Ms. Jones and Ms. Bennett have put together a highly entertaining first novel that fans of the genre ought to take a look at; I doubt many will be disappointed. The plot of the book isn't terribly original, as another reviewer has noted, but the authors are so good at making you care about what happens to their main characters that you hardly notice. Royston and Hal are an appealing pair, and the spiky relationship between Thom and Rook reminded me of nothing so much as the interaction between the two leads in the movie _Ravenous_. They're all fun to watch, even when nothing much is going on. Maybe especially when nothing much is going on. The only real complaint I have about the book is the rushed feel of the ending. The authors should have taken an extra 30 pages or so to tie up all the loose threads in a more leisurely and satisfying fashion. That's just a quibble, however. I bought the book on the strength of Ellen Kushner's recommendation, and I had a lot of fun reading it. You probably will, too.

HAVEMERCY is a laudable effort by two young, new writers, containing everything you'd want in a good fantasy: an interesting world with believable societies, tech and magic; finely drawn, memorable characters; epic battles as well as romance and moving relationships; and most of all--talking, fire-breathing, metal dragons and the special corps of men who ride them! The kingdom/empire of Volstov, ruled by the Esar, has been in a nearly endless war with the Ke-Han Empire across the Cobalt Mountains to the south-east. Volstov has maintained the edge during the conflict because they alone have a small but effective air force consisting of 14 metal dragons flown by the daring pilots of the elite Dragon Corps, who are praised and feted throughout Volstov and particularly in their home base in the captial city of Thremedon (near the border, by the Cobalt Mountains). Unfortunately, during the long, drawn-out war, there are periods of inaction. The tale opens during such a stretch, which has led to the Dragon Corps being at loose-ends and therefore in trouble. Rook, pilot of one of the fleetest, strongest dragons, Havemercy, has insulted the wife of an Arlemagne diplomat. Skilled and daring, but also wild and uncontrolled, Rook is the uncouth, uncaring, outrageous, foul-mouthed product of Molly, the lowest tier of Thremedon City, and he has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. Rook is one of the four first-person narrators of the tale. His voice is reminiscent of the swearing, tough-talking anti-heroes in a number of recent books--he reminded me a bit of Sarah Monette's Mildmay character (maybe in concert with the use of Bastion for castle/fortress area of the Esar and the tower of wizards, the Basquiat, and the upper-class, erudite voice of the wizard, etc.?). There is also Margrave Royston, a wizard who also happens to land in trouble with an international incident. He's awaiting arrest and/or punishment for having indiscreetly had relations with an Arlemagne Prince who then blamed Royston entirely. (Volstov's society is a bit more forgiving of M/M relations, whereas Arlemagne is not, and the Prince was heir to the kingdom, and Volstov was hoping to make Arlemagne an ally in the war.) Royston's title of Margrave had been awarded him by the Esar himself, meaning that he was a magician who had performed great service, in Royston's case, in battle, even though he is already of the aristocracy and has a Talent and is therefore one of the elite magicians. Thom is the third narrator, a scholar of the 'Versity who has the thankless task of trying to reign in the behavior of the Dragon Corps, a group of men closer than brothers. He goes to live among them, to find out what makes them tick. Rook seems to lead them all on, and Rook makes life for Thom unbearable. But Thom does, gradually, get to know about these men, the battles they fight--and the dragons! Hal is the fourth narrator. He's a lover of romans, although he gets to read few enou

Havemercy starts a little on the slow side as you jump between the four characters who narrate the tale. However, once the momentum builds this becomes a complete page turner. It's hard to categorize the book. Fantasy? Yes. Romance? Well, sometimes. Humor? It's laugh out loud funny at times. Action? Entirely, but you'll wish it had more by the time you weather your way through the final portion of the story. The dragons you'll encounter are unlike the usual dragon-fantasy-fare. But the wildest creatures in the book are by far the Airmen who man them. While the plot contains male/male romance, it comes across very naturally. It's sweet and well-crafted and shouldn't limit this story from being shared with a broad audience. Ms. Jones and Ms. Bennett have crafted an amazing first novel. The dialogue is fresh, funny, and very witty. You'll find that each of the four main voices comes across unique--to the extent that it's amazing that the characters sprung forth from two minds and not four. (Or more.) At the story's end, you'll be craving more--especially since a handful of very minor characters are absolutely begging to have their stories told.