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UK Authors - Sci-fi & fantasy |
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Isle of the Dead |
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I sle of the Dead byJulia Gray Little, Brown (Orbit) 410 pages, 2000 ISBN 1857239784 Reviewed by our UK Editor Rachel A. Hyde Sayer is a Seeker whose task it is to look for stones that formed part of the ruined Temple of Qara, destroyed in an earthquake. The temple must be rebuilt exactly as it was, with all the original fragments in place, or the gods will be angry. After a particularly challenging job, he receives news that his twin sister Aphra has the plague, and has been taken to Jazireh, the terrible Isle of the Dead, to die. The waters around the island are infested with dangerous tentacle-waving monsters. Nobody ever escapes. But is everyone sent to the Isle of the Dead actually sick? Sayer uncovers secrets that challenge everything he knows – and what about his mysterious new wife Kailas? Isle of the Dead is Julia Gray’s third fantasy novel and like the others, it is an entertaining tale. It loses pace slightly in the middle, when we know as much as we are going to know until the end. No new plot strands are added. Yet the characters are well-drawn enough for the reader to care about them, and the background is delineated with skill. As with most sword and sorcery fantasy, "it ain’t what you do, it’s the way that you do it". And although there is nothing new or remarkable here, since when did that have anything to do with a good story? I’ll certainly be reading Julia Gray’s next novel when it comes out. Fantasy fans should find plenty to keep them happy in Isle of the Dead. |
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