Book Review: Spectyr
Spectyr by Philippa Ballantine
Genre(s): Steampunk, Sci-Fi, Paranormal, Fantasy
Publisher: Ace
Description: Though one of the most powerful Deacons, Sorcha Faris has a tarnished reputation to overcome, which is why she jumps at the chance to investigate a string of murders in the exotic city of Orithal. But it is there that her lover, the shapeshifting rival to the throne, is targeted by a cruel and vengeful goddess, unwittingly unleashed by the Emperor’s sister.
Philippa Ballantine is back and with each new work, she surpasses herself and in the process proves that she is the real deal. Her new book, Spectyr, the second in The Order series, is a fine example of genre mixing done right.
While Ballantine is a well established and highly lauded author, to most readers, Geist and her collaboration with Tee Morris, A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, are her best and most widely know works. In her work in Geist and Spectyr, she has shown an elegance and efficiency with the written word that sets her far above her peers. I have read too many authors who go to great lengths to use the biggest words they can to try to impress the reader, but in the process they say nothing. Ballantine defiantly does not fall into that category.
Spectyr picks up soon after the events of Geist, and opens with a haunting supernatural scene that sets the pace and feel for the entire book. There is a wonderful passage in the first chapter that reads “The rock was transformed into the finest sheet of rock crystal. Beyond was something that made her sit back on her heels and gape like a child that had seen her first dirigible.” This struck a cord to me and really brought it home. After reading this I had visions of how I felt the first time I flew in a plane or the feeling I had looking over the edge of an elevated platform on my first bungee jump. It is amazing how a few well placed words can have such an impact.
At the end of the proceeding book, we know that while many problems had been solved, that there were still strange happenings on the Otherside. The first supernatural scene I described heralds the resurgence of a long forgotten “little” god, who is looking to reclaim her former glory. Ballantine uses this situation to splice the frayed ends of the characters relationship rope that would make the saltiest sailor proud. Through an ill advised bonding that occurred in the last book between Sorcha, Merrick and Raed, Ballantine has developed a wonderful plot tool that keeps the reader abreast of each character without anything feeling forced.
As the story progresses, we are introduced to a society known as the Chaimo and their hive city of Orinthal. This society is ruled by an mysterious ruler who wears a beaded mask that obscures his identity to the rest of the wold. Chaimo is part of the empire but in practice is a land that in the real world would be considered an automatous region in the real world. They have a temple of the Order in which Sorcha and Merrick serve, but their traditions differ from those of the rest of the empire. Even the colors of the cloaks that their deacons wear is different from the normal green or blue cloaks worn in the rest of the empire. Ballantine has developed an eastern type culture that still maintains unique qualities that keep it from becoming hackneyed.
In my review of Geist, I felt that some of the battle scenes could have used work. As far as Spectyr goes, the battles are amazing. They felt significant and the action was appropriate to the scale of the battles. I have read many historical accounts of battles and even more fiction about battles. I know it is a good fight scene when my heart starts racing and I can smell the action. Ms. Ballantine let me feel the battlefields in which her characters inhabited. I could sense the fear and taste that familiar tang of blood. In the air. I could follow the fights and they were epic when they needed to be epic and intimate when it was called for.
During the course of Spectyr, we get to know more about already well developed characters. I was impressed by the way character development was truly integrated into the plot as opposed to gluing a plot around some great characters. The combination of great characters and an outstanding plot makes this book a winner.
If Spectyr was dinner I’m going back for thirds. I’m stuffed to the gills but I want to get “American” full on this one.
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