The Sleeping God

It strays from classic sword and scorcery type books in that it has very little real conflict of arms. The makings are there for subsequent books that may have more but this one is about intrigue and a curious relationship between the two main characters. Both Parno and Dhuyn are interesting in their own rights, but their relationship is the bright light of this book.

Reviewed by Christina Wantz Fixemer on 09/22/2007 Members of the Mercenary Guild, Partners Dhulyn Wolfshead and Parno Lionsmane are accustomed to danger. Their fighting spirit is summed up in their ritualized parting: "In Battle," to which another Mercenary replies "Or in Death." When they arrive in the land of Parno's birth, they are shocked to find homicidal hostility toward the Marked--people born an ability to Find, Mend, Heal, or See. Historically, the Marked have been treated as everyday tradespeople, paid for appreciated services. Now, they're being persecuted by priests of the Sleeping God. Dhulyn has a secret Mark, that of Sight, which is the rarest of the four. Guided by her ability to See, she and Parno take on a commission to deliver a young girl to her family in a city Parno both misses and would rather forget. Their arrival triggers a series of events that could change everything. In this fully realized fantasy, Violette Malan blends traditional elements with her characters' unique perspectives. Not only are the settings vivid, but the social structure and climes are understandable and believable. Readers will experience this journey as if they were part of it, a sure sign of good fantasy writing. This novel is a fun read with a great combination of danger, intrigue, humor, and more. The pace only slows long enough for readers to catch a breath before picking up with more action. Violette Malan's THE SLEEPING GOD is a great choice for good fantasy reading. 4.5-Books

The two Mercenary Brotherhood members, psychic Dhulyn Wolfshead and former noble Parno Lionsmane, are assigned a relatively simple task. They need to escort orphaned Mar-eMar to her royal relatives at Tenebro House in Gotterang, Imrion. The pair expects a quick trip with no issues. Instead the supernatural magical Marked have reasons known only to them to prevent them from succeeding. Meanwhile the zealous New Believers think that the Marked are conjuring a way to awaken the Sleeping God and consequently destroy the world. They too want Parno and Dhulyn stopped. None of these two groups of adversaries or the Mercenary Brotherhood is aware that the diabolical Green Shadow is playing everyone for a fool; regardless Parno and Dhulyn know their mission could prove lethal, but they will continue to press forward in order to keep Mar safe until they can drop her off with her kin. This exciting sword and sorcery fantasy is fun to follow because of the camaraderie of the Mercenary Brotherhood tandem, who each knows to trust one another and no one else. Although somewhat typical of the sub-genre, the lead heroes and the diabolical Machiavellian Green Shadow bring freshness to a simple escort task that turns into a series of potentially deadly escapades as Violette Malan disproves that your enemy's enemy is your friend; Dhulyn and Parno know first hand that their enemy's enemy is also their enemy. Harriet Klausner

I really enjoyed this book. On the surface, it is a standard sword-and-sorcery novel with incredible swordsmen, barbarians, snivelly townsfolk, and evil magicians plotting destruction. But it's more than that: each character is solidly portrayed, with development and growth that is believable. Each character makes a choice/choices, both good and bad, that have consequences. Some of the decisions of the characters are agonizing to read, because you know they will regret them later. Other decisions are so right, fit so perfectly with the character, that you simply agree with the character and continue reading. The world is mapped out more by caste than by geography, which is unusual. The various castes are not explicitly defined, but instead are shown to the reader by each character's actions and beliefs. Figuring out exactly what each caste's role is adds another layer to the story. An improvement over The Mirror Prince, which was also enjoyable but more uneven, this book is good escapist fiction that also shows strong characters with distinct personalities acting according to their nature.