The Queen Of Sinister: The Dark Age (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)

Although I agree with the previous reviewer that this book is perhaps not as pacy as some of Chadbourn's earlier works, in his defense this new trilogy is a very different kettle of fish. The Age of Misrule carried on directly into one another, whereas here, bravely I thought, we move on from the events of The Devil in Green with no mention at all of Mallory or Sophie. Instead, we are given an entirely new cast, and what a delight they are.

Readers of the Age of Misrule will recognise Jack as the boy whose mother Shavi met briefly in Darkest Hour, mourning the loss of her son - an interesting plot point to counter those who accuse Chadbourn of 'too much junk.' Having said that, Carlton feels underused and the revelation regarding Matt towards the end of the book could be seen as a little rushed, and Caitlin's brief jaunt to our world doesn't seem to have that much impetus for anything, really, other than introducing Thackeray and Harvey.

So perhaps, a little rushed with two or three too many characters - but it raises interesting questions about the nature of the Brothers and Sisters of Dragons and what is in store for the rest of the quest, as well as offering tantalising teasers about what has really happened to Church . . .

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It's fair to say the bar was set rather high for the Queen of Sinister.

The plotting is familiar Chadbourn territory - the isolated protagonist, a looming and indistinct threat, and rattles along with a pack of misfits hurled into the heart of a divine war.

The concept work is good, building on familiar characters and situations (watch out for Lugh, amongst others) to show how the original Brothers/Sisters of Dragons' actions have affected the Golden Ones as well as mankind. Some of the individual sequences (esp. the Morrigan in Birmingham) are visceral and compelling reading.

However, the tale feels oddly disjointed. Dialogue is often forced and one of the more interesting characters (Mahalia) in particular is poorly-drawn, at times seeming like little more than a stand-in for Laura (from the Age of Misrule) - all sharp comments and internal damage. Caitlin too would have benefited from a little more attention, although the MPD sequences are riveting.

The cutaways to Mary do not gel well with the main storyline, and her actions combined with the deus/dea ex machina make the ending feel shoe-horned. With no real surprises, by this point in the narrative I found I honestly didn't care what happened to any of the characters.

All in all, it felt as though the book was rushed - this is a good basis, but a lot more could have been done with it.

On the strength of this novel, I would not read any of the others. However, having read and enjoyed the other 4, I will give this one another chance and hang out for the Hounds of Avalon.

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