Rating: 
Summary: Interesting mix of genres
Review: Nicolas Valiarde is a thief; but is he a thief with a noble purpose? His true goal is to discredit and eventually lead a Count to execution in vengeance for the wrongful death of his foster father. Meanwhile, unexplained deaths are discovered in Vienne--deaths which may have something to do with Nicolas's foster father's experiments into necromancy.Wells's narrative immerses the reader into her world. The world of Ile-Rien is painstakingly designed and researched, a world not unlike late 19th century Europe. She invokes all of the senses to realize the ruined noble houses, the depths of the sewers, and the activity of the streets. I can only describe this novel as a mixture of Edgar Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, with a bit of sorcery thrown in for good measure. Wells reveals hidden information about her characters throughout the novel, thus revealing their motivations and personalities like peeling back an onion. It's not until the end of the book that the reader sees into their core. I probably would not have picked up this book on my own since I usually read books in the space opera or pure fantasy genres, but this was selected for my SF Book Club. I'm glad I didn't miss this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Mission Impossible in 19th century Europe
Review: READ THIS BOOK! It is so fun! This book combines Mission Impossible, Sherlock Holmes & Dr. Watson, Scotland Yard, sorcery, magic -- absolute non-stop action and adventure from beginning to end. The dialogue was great -- wit and sarcasm abound. Characters were developed well -- I connected even with the minor characters. And I swear I could actually smell those sewer tunnels. The Prefecture/Magistrates courtyard riot and prison escape scenes were some of the best action I have read ever. Thank you Martha Wells for a great experience. This book would make a great movie.
Rating:
Summary: Wow!
Review: The first thing I did upon finishing this book was run to the local bookstore to see if they had any of Ms. Wells' other books (found one, luckily, but her first novel is out of print *sob*). "The Death of the Necromancer" transcends genre, combining elements of fantasy, mystery, and horror into a fast-paced, well-written, incredibly readable narrative. The mood and setting of the novel are meticulously crafted and all-pervasive--the city of Ile-Rien is almost a character itself. The characters are nothing short of incredibly drawn and multi-dimensional--there's no black and white here, folks! And the plot twists and turns, but never loses the reader or becomes difficult to follow. The mood and narrative style took me back to my Victorian Novel class in college, but had a kick that would have given the Bronte sisters spasms. Imagine the complex plots and memorable characters of Dickens, then add a few ghouls, some fey, and an undead sorcerer. What may seem an unlikely mixture makes for an absorbing, exciting novel you won't want to put down. Now, only one problem: I WANT MORE!!!
Rating:
Summary: No epic here, just great storytelling
Review: The novels of Martha Wells are a great antidote to multi-volume, universe-spanning, grand panorama stories so common in fantasy these days. All of her novels to date center on a short period of time and a few characters facing an important juncture in their lives. The action is fast-paced, the world-building is fascinating, and the focus is on telling an entertaining and compelling story. This is perhaps my favorite of her novels, because I love the atmosphere: 19th century Vienna at its peak, ghouls, demons, wizards, and scheming men of power. Fun!
Rating:
Summary: No epic here, just great storytelling
Review: The novels of Martha Wells are a great antidote to multi-volume, universe-spanning, grand panorama stories so common in fantasy these days. All of her novels to date center on a short period of time and a few characters facing an important juncture in their lives. The action is fast-paced, the world-building is fascinating, and the focus is on telling an entertaining and compelling story. This is perhaps my favorite of her novels, because I love the atmosphere: 19th century Vienna at its peak, ghouls, demons, wizards, and scheming men of power. Fun!
Rating:
Summary: Very good.
Review: This book was good reading. I didn't realize that it was a sequel while I was reading it; it's not one of those where you have a hard time following the story unless you've read everything that came before. I'm going to pick up her other books.
Rating:
Summary: Well...
Review: This book was good, but not it didn't strike me the way Ms. Wells' other two books did. The characters don't seem as real. With Khat and Thomas, I could imagine them as real people. Nicolas seems a bit stiff and cardboardy to me, too. The only character that really got to me was Arisilde, but he (nor anyone else) was given the chance to really be developed. And as a personal preference, I prefer fayres to necromancy. So maybe that's why this book didn't seem as good to me as its 'prequel,' The Element of Fire. I didn't think it was as good as the completely different City of Bones, either. A good read, but not as special as previous books.
Rating:
Summary: I was Hooked
Review: This was the first Martha Wells book I read, but I immediately became a fan of her writing. This story, set in a fictional yet very familiar setting, is a welcome change from the typical sword and sorcery fantasy fare. Ms. Wells' writing is rich in atmosphere and detail while moving along at breakneck speed. This was one of those books that hooked me into reading far later into the night than I could afford. Months later, the characters and settings stay with me as thought I had just fininshed the book.
Rating:
Summary: A great read...
Review: Though i will not go as far as to say that Ms.Well's lovely The Death of the Necromancer is unflawed, i will say it is an excellent book combining fantasy ideas, superbly interesting charecters and a dark, atmospheric city reminiscent of an 18th Cen. European city. Though over the course of the book the charecters do not undergo a change, charecter development was still a major part of the book, rather then changing the charecters she developed their histories and pasts, as well as motivations which are interesting as well. The story flows and keeps you turning the page and the developments in the plot, though sometimes predictable are never boring. Most importantly it's simply a fun book to read, go and pick it up if your a fan and enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A cross-genre novel of intrigue and skulduggery
Review: To make a comparison to movies and TV this novel is like 'Ocean's 11' and 'The Mummy' meet 'Colombo'. Its an odd mix of genres that in the end works out well. The main character, Nicholas Valiarde is a tad too much hyper competent but aside from that I enjoyed this outing in the world of Ile-Rien. If you are currently reading 'The Fall of Ile-Rien' trilogy then this book should also be read as the events here eventually do have some impact on the story in the later novels. Now we just need to get 'The Element of Fire' by this author back in print to complete the Ile-Rien sequence.
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