Rating: 
Summary: Praise for THE DEATH OF THE NECROMANCER
Review: "Wells continues to demonstrate an impressive gift for creating finely detailed fantasy worlds rife with many-layered intrigues and immensely personable characters." -- Publishers Weekly "One of the best new writers the field has to offer." -- C. J. Cherryh "The vivid setting of a gas-lit city, equal parts decadence and elegance, would eclipse lesser characters than these. Character construction and setting are so deftly interwoven with the swiftly moving plot that the prose literally swept me away. The reader should be warned in advance, it is difficult to close the covers of this book." -- Robin Hobb "An enchanting blend of detection and sorcery, it features a memorable cast of characters and a wealth of 'period' detail. Highly recommended." -- Library Journal (Named one of their Best Science Fiction books of 1998) "Charming characters, a twisty plot with lots of bodies,and the colorful alternate-world setting add up to thoroughly entertaining high adventure." -- Locus "A seamless blend of fantasy, history, magic and mystery. This is the kind of world that you come to believe exists, somewhere; a place you leave only reluctantly." -- Sean Russell "Wells never fails to intrigue, amuse, and fascinate with her imaginative world, wonderful characters, and expert grasp of narrative style. I highly recommend anything by Martha Wells--and I wish she wrote faster!" -- Jennifer Roberso
Rating: 
Summary: An Entertaining Fusion of Gaslight and Glamour
Review: A first class fantasy mixing elements of victorian adventure with elements of fantasy and magic. Engaging characters, crackerjack dialouge (she ought to write screenplays) and a fast-moving plot make this one of the best fantasies of last year.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Stuff
Review: A fun read. Fantastic setting, interesting characters! Much better than City of Bones.
Rating:
Summary: Too Clever By Half
Review: As much as I respect the skill of writing displayed here, and found elements of the setting original, often inventive and always descriptively well rendered, the story nonetheless never completely engaged me. In part this was due to the adroit cleverness of the evolving plotline and its characters. While this at surface might seem a strength, and certainly contributed to a smooth and fast paced narrative, somehow over time the story's resolution, despite the character's expected and temporary setbacks, became predictable, in the same way so many scripts become when watching an action film. Perhaps I have read too many mysteries, which in part this is. The evolution of the storyline seemed far too familiar, and this was compounded by the use of characters and setting readily recognized by anyone who has read Caleb Carr or Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. In terms of the latter, one can essentially read Nicholas Valiarde --aka the arch criminal Donatien--as Moriarty, and Inspector Ronsarde as Holmes, with his sidekick Watson, here played by Dr. Halle. Fog drifts through the littered and dark cobbled streets of Vienne--or should I say London--and gaslight flickers. While elements of sorcery and the undead create a tone absent in the earlier mysteries, the borrowings are nonetheless at times far too obvious. Further, everyone populating this tale are as clever as the plot. Obstacles are placed in their way, but there is never any doubt that the heroes will outsmart their opponents. This tends to keep the characters at the surface of events, making them more set pieces in the plot game being carried out, than characters with actual depth and dimension. As with many mysteries, the narrative evolves into a contest of wits developed through action in which one event leads inexorably to another, each a piece of the puzzle that will become clear to all at the conclusion, which here seems a trifle glib. Nonetheless, this was an entertaining if not particularly memorable book, and, based upon the descriptive skill of the writing, as well as the ability to weave a tightly crafted, if somewhat derivitive, plotline, is probably deserving of a higher rating than I was able to give it above. I will look for the author's other books, as her writing skills cannot be faulted, and there was, despite the borrowings mentioned above, evidence of creativity and originality in her incorporation of magic and invention of the 'Unseelie Court.' Perhaps in the absence of the usual mystery storyline, her tales may escape the familiar conventions that in part hobble her narrative here.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting thriller in a belle-epoque city
Review: Completely different from the author's previous "City of Bones," but even more exciting as she interpolates magic and mayhem into a belle-epoque European-style city. Since the occult was a popular fad in our real world at that time, it's not hard to make the leap to the fictional world of Ile-Rien. The references to a university city much like Oxford and other parts of that world that bring to mind visions of India or the Arabia of the 1001 Nights with all their mystery and intrigue added to the complete naturalism of the fictional world of this book. I used as a bookmark a postcard of Caillebotte's "Place de l'Europe on a Rainy Day" which matched the atmosphere perfectly. The combination of magic and technology was fascinating, and for a reader not a big fan of sorcerers and elves made the story all the more credible. Fast paced action all the way.
Rating:
Summary: Moriarty, The Shadow and Batman
Review: Don't judge this book by its title or cover. I read one other review that was "disappointed" because there was no true horror in the book, as well there should not be because this is a hero, or perhaps anti-hero book. What can I say, it is one of my favorite books read this year, but I would not have picked it up if I hadn't just read the other Wells' books and been impressed with them too. Our main man came from the wrong side of the tracks years before and when his adopted father was killed, began using all of those old skills in an adopted identity to avenge the death (hello Bruce Wayne). Moving through society and having a loyal set of helpers who he has "saved" in various manners through the years (hello Lamont Cranston), he has a noble heart, but uses whatever methods work for him. In his role as the great dark figure of the underworld (Moriarty), there is only one inspector who has gained his respect over the years (hello Sherlock) and who he might be willing to grudgingly cooperate with. Now, someone is using devices very similar to those invented by his late adopted father, and he may have to choose between revenge for the past and justice in the present? Strong characterization and a gothic (Gotham?) setting, with some magic and mystery thrown in, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Rating:
Summary: Moriarty, The Shadow and Batman
Review: Don't judge this book by its title or cover. I read one other review that was "disappointed" because there was no true horror in the book, as well there should not be because this is a hero, or perhaps anti-hero book. What can I say, it is one of my favorite books read this year, but I would not have picked it up if I hadn't just read the other Wells' books and been impressed with them too. Our main man came from the wrong side of the tracks years before and when his adopted father was killed, began using all of those old skills in an adopted identity to avenge the death (hello Bruce Wayne). Moving through society and having a loyal set of helpers who he has "saved" in various manners through the years (hello Lamont Cranston), he has a noble heart, but uses whatever methods work for him. In his role as the great dark figure of the underworld (Moriarty), there is only one inspector who has gained his respect over the years (hello Sherlock) and who he might be willing to grudgingly cooperate with. Now, someone is using devices very similar to those invented by his late adopted father, and he may have to choose between revenge for the past and justice in the present? Strong characterization and a gothic (Gotham?) setting, with some magic and mystery thrown in, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Rating:
Summary: Hot setting, tepid character development
Review: Have you read "The Alienist" by Caleb Carr? Add magic, and an imagined world as textured and rich as our own, and you end up with "The Death of the Necromancer." First, the good: Wells creates a fantastic setting that strikes closer to home than most fantasy offerings. Instead of knights and dragons traipsing around castles, she presents us with ghouls chasing gentlemen in the depths of a prison catacomb or the heights of society in a setting resembling the late 1800's. Everything good can be said about the author's ability to construct a fantasy world and populate it with interesting ideas, magicks, and a fearsome grimoire. Now, the less-than-adequate: Nothing happens to the characters. Not quite true (they do have some exciting things happen to them), but on an emotional, spiritual, or psychological level the cast remains virtually unchanged at the end of the book. I understand that this is an adventure book, and as such I shouldn't compare it to "The Great Gatsby", but I would've liked more character development, not just characterization (which was excellent, by the way). For example, the lead character Nicholas begins the story with a cool head and a predatory disposition, and he ends the story the same way. The only thing he seems to learn from 300+ pages is that revenge is bitter. Ultimately, I am trying to find something wrong in a book that is exceedingly original and well-written. The humor in the book is exceptional and dry, and the plot is paced like a freight train. Despite my one complaint, I highly recommend this book to lovers of fantasy, mystery, and horror.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I read last year!
Review: I choose this book for our book club and was not disappointed at all. The plot moved along so quickly and convincingly- I actually felt like I was there. The characters seemed so real and well developed, not to mention very likable- how can you not like a thief who's stealing for all the right reasons? Martha Wells did such a great job in developing her world where this took place- not to mention the great witty dialog between the characters. Can't wait to read the rest of her books!
Rating:
Summary: Really Enjoyable Fantasy
Review: I didn't choose this book expressly. I was in a shop with a limited selection of English books and it looked like the best option I had. I didn't, frankly, know what to expect from it. It looked a bit like an Anne Perry novel + magic from the back cover. I hoped for reasonably entertaining at best. I ended up with a book that I couldn't put down. The characters were well-crafted, the world they moved in was richly detailed. The system of magic Wells created was so well worked-out that we didn't need everything explained-- the characters moved through the world in a natural way and everything became clear enough (while still leaving much room for information about this society in later novels.) Excellent example of the genre. Not great literature, but certainly high entertainment.
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