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416 PAGES · £11.99
Author:
Katharine Kerr
Publisher:
Voyager
ISBN:
0-0071-2870-3
Rating: 3/5
Picture a peaceful village razed to the ground by eeevil raiders. Finding the mangled bodies as they ride in on a rescue mission, a group of soldiers have nothing to do but dig graves. Miserably, they gather to honour the dead. “Ah, horseshit,” says their leader, after a few moments. “There's only one thing to say: vengeance!”
And so the twelfth book of Katharine Kerr's Deverry series lays down its gauntlet – although frankly there’s not much fighting to be found in this tale full of starcrossed lovers and pretty elves fretting over the state of the world. With two of the stars of previous books reincarnated into unsuspecting bodies – teenager Neb now housing Nevyn, the great master of dweomer (that’s magic to you and me), and Lady Branna the spirit of his true love, Jill – this is the story of how they come to terms with their new-found memories while their one-time friend, Salamander, figures out what those village raiders were really up to (clue: no good).
Kerr’s writing is unashamedly girlie, her conversations positively overflowing with people gushing, “Truly!” and “True spoken!” Though this can get annoying, there’s still something rather warm and fuzzy about the way she spins her yarn, ensuring it sucks you in with its very simplicity. If fantasy can be “nice”, The Gold Falcon fits the bill: undemanding, pleasant and friendly. No, truly, it is!
Jayne Nelson
