The Second Guard

This fresh fantasy from Vaughn (a pseudonym for writers Julia Durango and Tracie Zimmer) imagines a South American civilization that was never destroyed by European incursions. In prosperous Tequende%E2%80%94where the customs and rituals of the mercantile Sun Guild, intellectual Moon Guild, and laboring Earth Guild underpin a structured society%E2%80%94families must send their second-born children to serve as soldiers or servants when they turn 15. Talimendra Sanchez Kalloryn of the Magda River Traders is eager to prove herself in the Queen's army, along with her friends Zarif, an "Arabite" of the Moon Guild, and Earth Guilder Chey, who is aware of inequities the others are not. As Tali's training intensifies, she begins to see clues that the queendom may be flawed beneath a seamless surface, and that treachery threatens the throne, the Guard, and the integrity of Tequende itself. The narrative benefits from excerpts from a contemporary history of Tequende that open each chapter, and although the detailed worldbuilding slows the pace somewhat, this is a promising start to an innovative fantasy series. Ages 10%E2%80%9314. (Apr.)