The Still

With The Still David Feintuch makes his move from science fiction to fantasy in a tale of kingdoms, wars and betrayals. He manages to instill fear and wonder without the aid of traditional sword 'n' sorcery props such as dragons, elves, trolls, or other Tolkeinesque creatures. For the hero, Rodrigo, the magic of the Still comes at a great personal cost. Yet Feintuch refuses to cop out by using it as a solution to all Rodrigo's problems.

The kingdom of Caledon is poised to descend into civil war, and Rodrigo believes that the regent, his uncle, would see him and his brothers dead. Rodrigo starts out as a maddeningly self-obsessed brat, but becomes more likeable as he grows and learns. He escapes with the help of Rustin, his best friend, and travels the country in an attempt to drum up support. Feintuch paints a beautiful picture of a romance between two men. Without ever being gratuitous, their relationship is unambiguous. It's a central theme of the book, which is far more out than Feintuch's Hope series.

The author excels himself in his portrayals of statecraft, and the sleight-of-tongue matches are riveting. In Uncle Mar we see shades of the Richard III of popular imagination. The action is frenzied yet believable, with wounds festering and casualties never being confined to the opposition. This pace continues until the end of the book, and left me looking for the sequel. After almost 600 pages it could have done with winding down a bit more.

For all that, Feintuch brings much needed restraint and depth of character to a genre which is often hard to take seriously. It's a believable fantasy for adults with uncommon attention to detail.