The Well-Favored Man: The Tale of the Sorcerer's Nephew - Softcover

Strange, complicated fantasy with confusing, science-fiction- ish intrusions: Willey's agreeable, often impressive debut. The near-immortal, magic-touched extended family that rules Argylle is missing a few key members: grandfather Prospero has gone visiting; father Gaston vanished more than 20 years ago after his wife, Freia, fell into the Spring, the source of Argylle's magic, and was absorbed by it during a magical battle; uncle Dewar, the family's most powerful sorcerer, has also gone mysteriously missing--leaving young sorcerer Gwydion reluctantly in charge. A huge dragon manifests itself, beyond Gwydion's powers to kill, requiring huge magical effort even to dislodge. Then young, timid Ulrike arrives involuntarily, by magical means; she claims to be Gwydion's long-lost sister. And Argylle's Battlemaster, Thiorn, shows up, bearing complaints: someone has stolen a copy of Freia's genetic makeup--and Gwydion wonders anew about Ulrike. What's really going on? Well, uncle Dewar knows that Freia is still alive, as a sort of inspirational ghost within the Spring; she's unhappy and not doing a good job, but the Spring's previous patron, a powerful ancestor, is striving desperately to hang on to Freia. Gaston absented himself because he couldn't bear to remain among the family without Freia; Dewar, once considered mad, has been engrossed in sorcerous attempts to provide Freia with another body. The air is thick with international and inter-family intrigue, as everybody is willing to meddle in everybody else's business. The template here--much too obviously--is Roger Zelazny's Amber series. Withal, Willey's construction offers a splendid cast, well-considered magicking, and a weak, sprawling plot. Assured, different, superior. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Willey's first novel is an entertaining, though meandering fantasy strongly reminiscent of Roger Zelazny's Amber books. Lord Gwydion has been ruling the Dominion of Argylle since his mother, Freia, fell into the family's magical Spring during a sorcerous battle. Following that conflict, Freia's grieving brother and husband went into a self-imposed exile, leaving Gwydion and his four siblings without the help of their elders' prodigious magical and leadership skills. Alone they must face numerous tribulations: a gigantic dragon of immeasurable age and magical power who threatens their borders; an untrustworthy cousin from a neighboring realm; and most disturbingly, a young woman who arrives claiming to be a lost sister. Meanwhile, Gwydion stumbles across some highly sensitive secrets--including hints about his mother's true fate--which could exact a terrible price from his family. This book is an occasionally bewildering but interesting amalgam of medieval gentility, high-tech alternate worlds, family drama and the sometimes jarring inclusion of SF elements in a fantasy framework. Willey's characters and their interactions, if a bit derivative, are appealing; her potential as a fantasist makes her atmospheric tale worth reading.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.