Sisters of the Raven is a novel of magic and mystery, with political and religious intrigue. As usual, Hambly sets the scene very well, and it was nice to get away from the characters she's known for and to get to know some other people. With an interesting world and good characters to populate it, Hambly recovers from her last fantasy debacle (Dragonstar) to hit one out of the park.
Ahhhhh, a stand-alone novel from Barbara Hambly. I've been waiting for this for a long time. Hambly has such a good touch with characters and setting that I've been wanting to see something original from her for a long time. She has two long-running series (Benjamin January and the series that takes place in the world of Dragonsbane) that I was beginning to wonder about her. But no more. Here, she shows off her creative talents once again. The world she creates lives and breathes. The characters leap off the page in full three dimensions (except when it's not necessary). Her descriptions of everyday life are scrumptious. As characters walk down the street, you get the feeling that you're walking down the street with them. She is a wonderful scene-setter, and you never know what detail is going to be important because she provides you with so much. The setting is so rich that I have no complaints, but if you don't like a lot of description, you may find yourself skimming this book (and most of her others) at times. Personally, though, I think that'' one of her strengths.
As I've pointed out before, though, this only works when the story she's telling is good and the characters are interesting. It can really drag when the rest of the book doesn't support it. However, that's not a problem here. Even the bit characters are distinctive, even if they don't truly have a third side. She has created a very interesting society, where women generally don't even have their own names, but instead titles: the Summer Concubine, Corn-Tassel Woman, Pomegranate Woman. Even so, you can always tell them apart. The only time it's difficult is if they don't appear on the page but are only talked about. But even then it's not too bad. Oryn and the Summer Concubine have a wonderful relationship based on love and trust. She acts as she does because society demands it, but she also wields great power behind the scenes, and Oryn trusts her completely. Raeshaldis is the other main character, and she's remarkably drawn as well. Hambly does a wonderful job of crafting her. We see the naivete of a young woman who's a little bit out of her element, but she is confident in some of her spells (such as the cloak that hides her when she walks around sometimes). She's ridiculed and hazed by the other male students at the college, and it hurts her. But she's strong-willed and willing to do what it takes to learn her trade. She's courageous when she has to find out what is stalking her and the other female mages around the city. And she's intelligent. Hambly puts all these character traits together and produces a character that you want to read about.
The villains aren't badly done either. Mohrvine, Oryn's uncle, is power-hungry, but he's practical as well. He'll use whomever he needs to use in order to take over the throne, but he's not afraid to side with the good guys when he has to. He's the ultimate opportunist, but he does believe he's doing what's best for the realm. Oryn has always been a bit of a dandy and Mohrvine doesn't think that he's strong enough to be king. Lohar is not as well drawn, and he's more of a plot device then a true character. He's fairly one-note (though instantly recognizable when he's on the page), and his religious rantings did grow a bit tiresome after awhile. Thankfully, while he does appear a lot as the unrest in the city gets worse, his parts are in small doses so he doesn't outstay his welcome. And the way Oryn finally gets him is priceless, and perfectly in character for Oryn.
The plot is small and local, which is a nice change of pace from the threats to the entire world that inhabit so many other fantasy novels. There is great magic involved, but it's all done on a small scale, with individual characters and one society being affected. As I stated before, Hambly's descriptions are wonderful, but her prose in other areas is good as well. There isn't a whole lot of action, but what's there is clearly described. The final confrontation is breath-taking. The dialogue is good as well. The only thing that mars it just slightly is some of the repetition involved. I know it's there for effect, but it grated a bit after awhile. This repetition is mainly when characters think the same thing over and over within the section that they're in. It's used to show how important what they're thinking about is, and how it weighs on their mind, and can be effective in small doses. I think Hambly overuses it just a little bit.
Still, that doesn't detract from what is a wonderful fantasy novel. The best thing about it is that it's self-contained. I don't see any sequel coming out of this one, and I think that it would be forcing it to produce one. The story ends, the society goes on, and the conclusion seems natural. As much as I loved the book and the characters in it, I really hope Hambly doesn't revisit them. I think, like what happened to Dragonsbane, further books would only cheapen the magic that this one carries.
If you're a fan of magic and creativity, you owe it to yourself to pick this one up.
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