When a new fantasy author is being compared to such standouts as George R. R. Martin, China Mieville, and Philip Pullman, there's bound to be quite a bit of buzz. Redick proves himself worthy of such buzz, but leaves plenty of room for improvement in the sequel to this nautical adventure fantasy. The book centers on a handful of characters human and animal sailing on the great ship Chathrand. These include Pazel, a teenage tarboy with the power to understand any language; the Arquali daughter of the ambassador to the other superpower, Mzithrin, whose marriage to one of the Mzithrini princes is meant to bring about a lasting peace; a sentient rat; and the queen of a race of tiny humanoid stowaways hoping to return to their home across the sea. As it gradually becomes apparent to these characters that the ships's captain and others in league with him are conspiring to somehow begin a war rather than induce peace, the various heroes must band together to thwart the conspiracy or risk the unleashing of an ancient evil upon the world.
The Red Wolf Conspiracy has two major strengths - it is a fine nautical adventure (from which comparisons to Meiville's The Scar spring, although Redick is nowhere as wildly imaginative or skilled at worldbuilding) and a complex, sympathetic teenage lead in Pazel (the Pullman comparisons). As other reviewers have commented, this is a good, fast-paced book that is hard to put down, but it fails to be a great book for several reasons. First and foremost, too much of the plot is revealed and advanced through huge chunks of character dialogue, especially limiting the appeal of what would otherwise have been an excellent tale of intrigue. There's a lot of "telling" rather than showing here, and at no point does this book rate anywhere close to George R. R. Martin's skill at court intrigue. Second, most of the characters, both good and bad, are rather one-dimensional and hard to distinguish, aside from Pazel, the ambassador's daughter Thasha, and Captain Rose. Overall, the book has its exciting moments and promises more in the following sequels. Here's to hoping Redick fixes the leaks in this literary ship and finishes the voyage with more favorable winds. Moderate violence, mild allusions to sex. Ages 13+.
The Red Wolf Conspiracy has two major strengths - it is a fine nautical adventure (from which comparisons to Meiville's The Scar spring, although Redick is nowhere as wildly imaginative or skilled at worldbuilding) and a complex, sympathetic teenage lead in Pazel (the Pullman comparisons). As other reviewers have commented, this is a good, fast-paced book that is hard to put down, but it fails to be a great book for several reasons. First and foremost, too much of the plot is revealed and advanced through huge chunks of character dialogue, especially limiting the appeal of what would otherwise have been an excellent tale of intrigue. There's a lot of "telling" rather than showing here, and at no point does this book rate anywhere close to George R. R. Martin's skill at court intrigue. Second, most of the characters, both good and bad, are rather one-dimensional and hard to distinguish, aside from Pazel, the ambassador's daughter Thasha, and Captain Rose. Overall, the book has its exciting moments and promises more in the following sequels. Here's to hoping Redick fixes the leaks in this literary ship and finishes the voyage with more favorable winds. Moderate violence, mild allusions to sex. Ages 13+.
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