The First Weapon (Bevan McGuiness, HarperVoyager, $20.99 pb, ISBN 9780732285500, February 2008) ***
The second volume in ‘The Triumvirate’ returns to the three protagonists of the first: Shanek, Hwenfayre and Aldere. As more is revealed about the powers of the Triumvirate it appears that the fears of those who know the ancient tales may not be entirely misplaced. The insect-like Skrin Tia’k continue their war against humanity with new and powerful allies as well as a dark magic of their own. This volume has more intrigue than the first as plot threads that appeared to be separate in the first book now merge into a larger purpose. While the reader learns much more about the Triumvirate and their origins, there are more questions asked than answered. The real star of this volume is not one of the Triumvirate, but one of their foils. It’s been a while since I read a fantasy where the villain steals the show. Cherise, also known as Assassin, is compelling and repugnant at the same time. He is given a depth of character equal to any of the protagonists. The strength of both volumes has been the time spent making characters, even those with brief appearances, credible. Leave your preconceptions about fantasy behind with this one because McGuiness continues to do the unexpected.
Stefen Brazulaitis is a customer service manager with Borders Perth
This review from Australian Bookseller & Publisher magazine is reproduced by kind permission of Thorpe-Bowker, a division of R R Bowker LLC. © Copyright 2007, Thorpe-Bowker