Left-Hand Gods

Lackey (Triangulation: Beneath the Surface) doesn’t quite manage to combine the many elements of her brief fantasy tale to form a satisfying whole. Her story begins on the borders of the Wasteland at the home of Elizabeth Avigaline, who is performing forbidden blood magic in order to escape from her dreary life. Her prayer is answered almost immediately with the arrival of Solas Brightwind, the King’s Sorcerer, who has come to invite Beth to Cadarnfel’s capital, Velmorn City, because she is kin to the king. She rapidly becomes the avatar of a goddess, is tasked with discovering a would-be assassin, and trains with the rest of the palace to defend against an attack by dragons. The excitement that these plot lines should generate is muddled by the silliness. Beth and Solas spend most of the book mooning over each other but failing to admit their feelings. Comic elements such as a crying dragon and a goddess hoping for a date just don’t seem to fit, and Beth comes off as more of a fool than a heroine. (July)