For a novel about thieves, grotesque black magic, and undead sorcerors, Martha Wells's The Death of the Necromancer is surprisingly plain. There is a good guy, and his friends; they discover an evil guy, and his friends; and, ignoring a few minor complications, good triumphs over evil in the end.

I guess that's already something of a spoiler, but here's more: that's about as complicated as the plot gets in this novel. I was disappointed. For reasons mysterious even to me, I usually enjoy "gaslight speculative fiction," i.e., fantasy or science fiction set in Victorian times. And as I began reading Death of the Necromancer, I admit that I was immediately drawn into its world, with its rigid social structure, strange customs, and slightly shady history (cf. multiple references to the dastardly reign of the devilish Unseelie Court).

The book's characters are also likeable. There's Sir Nicholas, dashing nobleman by day and daring thief by night, who is driven to crime by the noble desire to avenge his father's death. There's Madeline, Nicholas's true love, and the rest of his gang. And there is Ronsarde, an obvious Sherlock Holmes parallel, who even has a medical friend who tags along Watson-like. To my great relief, the characters are supremely competent, absolutely avoiding anything irrational or stupid. Unfortunately, they're also completely static: the motivations in place at the start of the novel are carried through to the end, with the one exception of Ronsarde's switch in loyalties (though even that is consistent with his basic character).

The plot is decently exciting, with a few gruesome discoveries popping up here and there, and a couple of thrilling escapes from authorities and/or golems. But it all seems to unfold according to some formula. Nicholas & Co. have early suspicions about who the real villain is; and you quickly discover that he is, indeed, the real villain. This villain sends several obstacles toward Nicholas & Co.; they dispatch with them and move on. They find the villain; they close in around him; there is a final battle; hooray.

The Death of the Necromancer is decently written and sufficiently atmospheric. But with its inert characters and predictable, almost simplistic plot, it never quite gets off the ground.

Copyright © 2004 Steven Wu