Mystic and Rider

Mystic and Rider (2005) Sharon Shinn

I really liked this book. It’s a good, solid, and lovely fantasy.

Senneth is a mystic, leading a group through the country of Gillengarin upon the orders of King Baryn. In her group are two King’s Riders, sent along, but unsure of Senneth and where her loyalties lie.

First and foremost, the writing and storytelling are superb. The story grabbed me from the first page. Here’s first paragraph:

Kardon stood at the back of the tavern, surveying the night’s clientele, and smiled in brutal satisfaction. A chilled and rainy night, so he hadn’t expected too many customers, and he’d been right. There were a handful of regulars playing chess in the corner or drinking at the bar and eyeing the newcomers with a speculative sideways interest. Kardon wasn’t really a charitable sort, but he almost fount it in him to feel sorry for the four strangers scattered throughout the long, low-beamed room. The chances were good that one or all of them would lose his money–or his life–before the night was over.

See? Lovely and well done.

Several times during the course of the story I said, “I didn’t expect that!” Of course there were a few things that I expected, but they were good thing, so I was happen when they turned out as I had hoped they would.

The female characters were strong and interesting, yet when we saw anyone’s thoughts or speculations, they were the thoughts of Tayse, one of the King’s Riders, and second in command of the group.

The magic was interesting, in that different mystics had different strengths, and they all couldn’t do the same things. I also wasn’t left with the feeling that mystics could do anything, and that there were no consequences to using magic.

I particularly like the way that she tried to keep things realistic. The fighters got tired. Different people in the group had different strengths. When people were hurt, they had to be healed, and couldn’t just shrug off their wounds and go on.

Sharon Shinn also did an excellent job with the backstory. She set things up so that the world building and history of each character came out in a way that was both realistic, and very well done. We didn’t get into the history of most of the characters until we were well into the story, so those histories didn’t come as an interruption to the tale, but as learning more about characters about whom we were interested.

Most importantly, although this book is part of a series, the story arc is completed in this book, and although there are other story arcs that will obviously continue, there is a sense of completion. I want to read the next book not because this book left me hanging, but because I want to read more about these characters and this world.

I also loved the cover. The magic is subtle and understated, yet there. The woman on the cover–Senneth–looks like she’s been traveling for several weeks, and is actually dressed for travel. The cover doesn’t portray any single scene in the book, but does do a good job or portraying how Senneth came across in the book. Excellent cover.

If I were to describe a fantasy book that was near perfect, it might be this story. Everything is done well, I put down the book thinking, “that was great!” and I want to go and read other books by Sharon Shinn.
Rating: 9/10

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