cover image Secrets of the Sands

Secrets of the Sands

Leona Wisoker, . . Mercury Retrograde, $18.95 (422pp) ISBN 978-0-9819882-3-8

Wisoker's epic debut attempts much and accomplishes only some. The thief Idisio chooses the wrong mark; the desert lord Cafad Scratha signs over his property to a northern king; the northern noblewoman Alyea Peysimum is given unprecedented power. As their lives meet in a complex sequence of events, a world long in balance edges toward chaos. The desert setting is intriguing, but Wisoker crams into one novel a story better spread over two or three, with multiple long-lost heirs, political power games, a strange desert religion, and Idisio's complex history leaving little room for developing characters and interesting ideas. This overambitious tale is certainly engaging, but too trite, rushed, and confusing to be really memorable. (Apr.)