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Fierce Vowelless One
Mark Robson, husband, father and RAF pilot, began writing to defeat his own boredom. His first series, The Darkweaver Legacy, is a fantasy tale. Originally rejected by publishers, Robson published it himself. As much due to his determination and persistence as to his skill as a storyteller, those books garnered him a publishing contract for a new series. The first of this new series is titled Imperial Spy and it is set in the same world as his first, yet we have a new range of characters to discover and enjoy.
Imperial Spy, picking up the story began in Darkweaver, tells of the aftermath of the events from those first four books. However, we now move from Thrandor to Shandar and the story of Femke, a young and successful female spy in the employ of the Empire. Femke has just unmasked the Shandian Emperor as an imposter and a sorcerer. Her quick thinking has resulted in the death of the sorcerer and she then arranges events so that the General Surabar takes over the business of managing the Empire. Much to her initial dismay, her service to Shandar has made her the prime candidate to help smooth relations with Thrandor after their recent military conflicts, the result of the imposter’s sorcerous intrigues.
Reluctantly taking on the role of a Shandese Ambassador, Femke travels to Mantor with a few attendants and coffers of gifts for the Thrandorian King. King Malo welcomes her arrival and his retinue until shortly after her arrival, the man intended to take over the throne of Thrandor, Baron Anton, is murdered in the palace. When his body is discovered, killed by Femke’s own knife and holding in his hand her brooch, Femke is immediately suspected as the murderer. Faced with the evidence against her, Femke chooses to flee the palace and find the killer herself; thus clearing her name and resolving the renewed tension between the two lands. Making her task more difficult is the appearance of an old rival, Shandese assassin Shalidar. Since her work in Shandar has ruined the assassin’s plans, he has determined to kill her in retribution. Femke must now elude the Kings men, search out the killer as well as avoid being killed by a trained assassin out for her blood.
Mark Robson’s characterizations define this story. His well-crafted cast can easily be seen to be real people we may meet on the streets. Here, we have no cardboard hero with supernatural strengths and convenient acquaintances. These are people like those we see and deal with everyday. They are real people with real feelings and inclinations. It is clear that Robson’s strengths are the well-rounded characters and their true to life dialogue. Unlike many genre writers, you could pull these characters out of this story and they would fit in anywhere. While there are a couple of minor points that seem illogical, it is quite possible that these will be cleared up in the next in the series, and they don’t take away from the story itself.
While it is clear that this story is intended for a younger audience, perhaps those in their teens, it is easy to see that it will appeal to people of all ages. And while his first series was much more geared toward fantasy readers, this new story could appeal to a much broader audience.
Imperial Spy is no doubt the harbinger of a fantastic new series for young readers. Mark Robson is a new talent to keep an eye on. His female spy is at once confident, strong and vulnerable. Her travails against wrongful accusations, imprisonment and being marked for death show us her character, strengths and weaknesses. The author has created a character we all can relate to. Old, young, female or male, we can understand the drive to right an injustice. As well we understand the drive for survival. His human and witty dialogue will keep readers engaged until the end. And yet, it isn’t the end, as you’ll see when you get to those last pages. There is definitely more to this tale and I, for one, wait its full telling. This will make a great addition to anyone’s bookshelves.
Imperial Spy, picking up the story began in Darkweaver, tells of the aftermath of the events from those first four books. However, we now move from Thrandor to Shandar and the story of Femke, a young and successful female spy in the employ of the Empire. Femke has just unmasked the Shandian Emperor as an imposter and a sorcerer. Her quick thinking has resulted in the death of the sorcerer and she then arranges events so that the General Surabar takes over the business of managing the Empire. Much to her initial dismay, her service to Shandar has made her the prime candidate to help smooth relations with Thrandor after their recent military conflicts, the result of the imposter’s sorcerous intrigues.
Reluctantly taking on the role of a Shandese Ambassador, Femke travels to Mantor with a few attendants and coffers of gifts for the Thrandorian King. King Malo welcomes her arrival and his retinue until shortly after her arrival, the man intended to take over the throne of Thrandor, Baron Anton, is murdered in the palace. When his body is discovered, killed by Femke’s own knife and holding in his hand her brooch, Femke is immediately suspected as the murderer. Faced with the evidence against her, Femke chooses to flee the palace and find the killer herself; thus clearing her name and resolving the renewed tension between the two lands. Making her task more difficult is the appearance of an old rival, Shandese assassin Shalidar. Since her work in Shandar has ruined the assassin’s plans, he has determined to kill her in retribution. Femke must now elude the Kings men, search out the killer as well as avoid being killed by a trained assassin out for her blood.
Mark Robson’s characterizations define this story. His well-crafted cast can easily be seen to be real people we may meet on the streets. Here, we have no cardboard hero with supernatural strengths and convenient acquaintances. These are people like those we see and deal with everyday. They are real people with real feelings and inclinations. It is clear that Robson’s strengths are the well-rounded characters and their true to life dialogue. Unlike many genre writers, you could pull these characters out of this story and they would fit in anywhere. While there are a couple of minor points that seem illogical, it is quite possible that these will be cleared up in the next in the series, and they don’t take away from the story itself.
While it is clear that this story is intended for a younger audience, perhaps those in their teens, it is easy to see that it will appeal to people of all ages. And while his first series was much more geared toward fantasy readers, this new story could appeal to a much broader audience.
Imperial Spy is no doubt the harbinger of a fantastic new series for young readers. Mark Robson is a new talent to keep an eye on. His female spy is at once confident, strong and vulnerable. Her travails against wrongful accusations, imprisonment and being marked for death show us her character, strengths and weaknesses. The author has created a character we all can relate to. Old, young, female or male, we can understand the drive to right an injustice. As well we understand the drive for survival. His human and witty dialogue will keep readers engaged until the end. And yet, it isn’t the end, as you’ll see when you get to those last pages. There is definitely more to this tale and I, for one, wait its full telling. This will make a great addition to anyone’s bookshelves.
