When Liam came to the seaport town of Southwark, he just wanted to relax and recover from an all-too-eventful life. He befriended the local wizard Tarquin, a man
who, though pleasant, kept much to himself, as was often the case with wizards. One day, Liam arrives for a visit to find Tarquin dead, a knife in his chest. Even as he
discovers the body, something bites his ankle - and rips out half his soul.
Thus, Liam meets the little dragon Fanuihl, the late Tarquin's familiar.
When a wizard dies, the familiar's soul dies, too. Fanuilh forces a bond with Liam, and strikes a bargain with its new master. In exchange for help in tracking down
Tarquin's murderer, the little dragon will teach Liam magic - including the magic to keep the familiar out of his mind. Liam wants nothing to do with magic, but he does
share the dragon's desire to find the murderer... and with a job this dangerous, he might well want a little dragon power on his side.
Review
This is essentially a murder mystery with fantastic elements, but it's still fun, and a little different. The standard array of obscure clues, shifty suspects, and local
law enforcement officers are present. During the investigation, Liam must learn to deal with Fanuilh, who - despite sharing part of a soul with him - has surprisingly little
idea of how humans think. Nice for a change of pace.
Liam, heir to the familiar Fanuilh and thus considered by many to be a wizard, has made quite an impression with the Southwark Aedile, Cochais. When artifacts
stolen from the home of the late wizard Tarquin are used in several crimes throughout the city, he turns to the unofficial detective Liam for help. A new goddess,
a mysterious ghost, and a magical griffin all tie into Liam's latest investigation.
Review
Like the first book, this is essentially a detective story in a magical world. It's fun, it's suspenseful, and it keeps you guessing. Liam is an interesting
character who has led quite an interesting life. As in the first book, clues are dropped as to just what he has been through, without dwelling too much on it. With
goddesses appearing, miracles occuring in the Southwark streets, and other incidents, the fantastic level of the world ramps up significantly, but Liam must still
rely on good old-fashioned detective work to unravel the case.
Liam Rhenford, still fighting rumors that he is a wizard (not helped by the presence of his familiar, the dragon Fanuilh), continues trying to parley maps gleaned
from extensive travels into a lucrative business. When a magical jewel is stolen from his business partner's family crypt just before the Beggar's Banquet holiday, he
is once again called upon to use his investigational skills.
Review
Once more, mystery and magic blend in a quite satisfactory manner. It is interesting to see Liam learning more of the familiar's powers, and the magic he himself
inherited from the bonding. Southwark continues to expand, and Liam's character continues to grow more interesting.
Liam's reputation as wizard's heir and detective have spread. He is offered a place with the traveling Aeropagus circuit court, which moves from town to town
throughout the dukedom investigating and trying cases. Shortly into the sessions, he stumbles across a horrific case of death by demon, a case that will lead him
all the way to the court of the Duke himself.
Review
By taking the story out of Southwark, Hood opens up more of Liam's world to the reader. More on the growing relationship between Fanuilh and Liam is discussed in
this book, as it becomes evident that the dragon familiar is indeed living up to promise he made in the first story to teach his new master something of magic. Still,
though demons and magic figure heavily in the case, it's Liam's probing mind that ultimately solves it. Overall, this feels like the beginning of a new chapter in his
life, and I wouldn't mind seeing where he goes from here.
There is a fifth book, King's Cure, but it keeps disappearing from the reading pile, and I sadly suspect I won't be getting to it anytime soon.
