The Gambler’s Fortune

The Gambler’s Fortune (2000) Juliet E. McKenna

The third book in Juliet E. McKenna’s Einarinn series, The Gambler’s Fortune was a mixed bag for me. Some parts of the story I liked very much, other parts I did not like very much at all.

In The Gambler’s Fortune, the point-of-view switches back to Livak, who is searching out the past and history of the Artifice sorcery in an attempt to learn more to hold off the Elietimm, as well as to gain enough coin that she and Ryshad can retire in peace, together. She goes on her search with Usara the mage, and her friends Sorgrad and Sorgren, Mountain Men who work in the lowlands.

As with the previous books, I enjoyed the story and the characters, and the plot kept me reading long past my bedtime. I really like Livak, and think that Juliet McKenna does a very good job keeping her true to how she gets things done–often not in a legal manner.

What I did not enjoy about this book was the subplot about the Mountain Men (not Sorgrad and Sorgren). I understand that telling their story was necessary, but I really disliked Jeirran, found it hard to find any sympathy for him, didn’t want to read about him, and found myself skimming through parts where he appeared. Perhaps if the focus had shifted a tiny bit more towards Keisyl or Teiriol I might have found those parts easier to read, but as it was I disliked Jeirran so much that I just didn’t want to read about him, regardless of how important he was to the story.

Luckily, the rest of the book made up for the subplot. I really liked Sorgrad and Sorgren, and I like the discoveries that Livak makes about the Artifice and the Forest Folk, although it seems to me that her discoveries should have impressed people far more than they did. As it was, people seemed to ignore or gloss over her discoveries, which I found odd.

Although I didn’t like this cover anywhere near as much as the cover for The Thief’s Gamble (parts of it are a little too odd) I still love that fact that Livak is dressed reasonably, with the exception of her hair. (Running around in the forest with loose hair is a recipe for tangles so bad that you have to cut out the knots.) You can tell she’s female, but she is dressed for the type of adventure she’s having. I hope that this trend in fantasy covers continues.

Additionally, as with the previous two books, the book ends well, with the current story resolved, while the mystery of the Elietimm remains.

In summation, this is not my favorite book in the series, however, the writing is still strong, and aside from Jeirran, I enjoyed the characters immensely, as well as the story. I’m looking forward to the fourth book.
Rating: 7/10

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