This review has also been posted on my blog Another World.After reading a book as good as Quicksilver Rising, one cannot help but wonder why it has failed to garner much in terms of popularity and acclaim over the years. It could be argued that High Fantasy is such a saturated genre that it is difficult for any novel to stand out. A better explanation in this instance, is the fact that the plot of Quicksilver Rising cannot be sufficiently summed up by a brief tag-line or back cover blurb.So what should prospective readers who take the plunge anticipate from the first book of the Quicksilver Trilogy? Well, readers can expect multiple, interconnected storylines from the viewpoint of multiple characters. In a world in which magic is a taken for granted, everyday reality; where a person's status within society determines the strength of magic they are able to wield; where those skilled in the Craft must be licensed to practice magic or face being hunted down and killed by the authorities; where the island state of Bhealfa remains caught between the two rival empires of Rintarah, to the east, and Gath Tampoor—the current colonial master—to the west.It's against this backdrop that Stan Nicholls introduces a diverse ensemble of characters; individuals whose journeys are inextricably linked:Reeth Caldason, a wandering, lone warrior from an oppressed and persecuted ethnic minority, in search of a cure to a personal condition he deems to be a curse. He doesn't age, he seemingly cannot be killed, he is plagued by disturbing visions, and he is prone to lapsing into deadly berserker rages.Serrah Ardacris, a bereaved mother, soldier, and captain within Gath Tampoor's feared CIS (Council of Internal Security). Her faith in—and loyalty to—the empire is shaken by the betrayal of her superiors who make her the scapegoat after a disobedient officer under her command gets himself killed during a routine operation against drug traffickers.In addition, there is Kutch Pirathon, the young apprentice of a murdered sorcerer, and possessor of a very rare magical skill that very few practitioners of the Craft ever develop; Dulian Karr, a dissident politician within Bhealfa's puppet administration; Tanalvah Lahn, a prostitute from Rintarah, forced to go on the run with the two young children of her murdered best friend; and Kinsel Rukanis the renowned operatic singer with pacifist sympathies.Due to varying circumstances, and with various motivations, this disparate group with little to nothing in common, are brought together by fate and become involved with the transnational resistance movement that operates across both empires. The goal of the resistance is to locate an uninhabited territory in which to establish a new and independent state, free from both Gath Tampoor and Rintarah.From start to finish Quicksilver Rising is a fast moving fantasy tale of political machinations, and personal quests for a better life, vengeance, or simply something to live for. The narrative always remains coherent throughout the novel in spite of the potential pitfalls inherent in having several storylines running. While some plots and characters are given more prominence than others, each character with their respective storylines are intriguing enough in their own right to eliminate the temptation to skip past certain scenes, just to get to others as quickly as possible.As the first instalment of a trilogy, Quicksilver Rising predictably does not resolve any of its main storylines; and due to the fast pace of the narrative some plot elements are not dealt with in depth and certain non-essential background details—which would have been nice to know nonetheless—are not revealed. For instance, the source of the prejudice faced by the Qalochian ethnic group that both Reeth and Tanalvah belong to, is never really explained.There is one other potentially vital plot element that is only briefly touched upon, that presumably will be elaborated on in subsequent books. This plot element revolves around the barbarian lands to the north of the empires, where mysterious warlord, Zerreiss—known to his people as The Man Who Fell From The Sun—is enjoying unprecedented success in conquering the northern wastelands.These issues don't detract from the book however, as Quicksilver Rising's many mysteries act as an incentive to read the rest of the trilogy, to discover what really lies behind those things that have not been fully revealed.Quicksilver Rising has all the ingredients necessary for a must read high fantasy yarn: tortured, complex protagonists; ruthless villains; high-stake political intrigues; clandestine activities; heroic endeavours; and copious amounts of magic and mystery. If these are constituents that you enjoy in a novel, add Quicksilver Rising to your to read list today; you won't regret it.
The only reason I gave this book a star was because I can't give it no stars. The characters were monochrome and the story just wasn't gripping. I got halfway through and I just gave up when the author threw away the one plot device he had going for him. He was telling multiple storylines and I expected him to carefully and subtly weave them together. Instead he grabbed all the subplots and ham-fistedly mashed them all together. What a let down! I couldn't finish this book. It was incredibly dull.
What do You think about The Covenant Rising (2005)?
Back in London in the early 80s, I frequented two great SFF bookstores: Forbidden Planet, and Dark They Were and Golden Eyed. In looking up the source of the latter's name (a Ray Bradbury story) the other day, I was surprised to learn that Stan Nicholls had worked at both. So that's a point in his favor right there.Covenant Rising (or Quicksilver Rising) is the story of Reeth Caldason, a tormented warrior with a secret; Kutch, a novice magic user; and Serrah, another warrior, from another country. They and a host of others are enmeshed in the machinations of two empires fighting it out through proxies on the island of Bhealfa. One of the things that Nicholls does very well is to not only create interesting, credible characters, but to keep the story moving smoothly across many fronts at once. He does this latter as well as anyone I've ever read - there are a lot of moving pieces, but it's never confusing as the narrative moves around. It would have been nice to have a map, but you can't have everything.Nicholls does less well with some other aspects of the story. Magic is related both to mysterious, vanished Founders, and to raw magic that flows around the country in underground streams. So far, so interesting. But the application of magic is sadly disappointing. Nicholls uses magic to blatantly copy modern technology, and I sometimes had the feeling what he wanted was to be writing a police procedural. Without much explanation, magic provides a visual APB for the cops, a 3D 'Wanted' poster, timed fuses, and other handy devices. Characters talk about terrorists, setting fires with accelerant, and the cell structure of the resistance movement. A secret agent is for some reason named "Geheim" (German for "secret"). But this is epic fantasy, not urban, and there are simply too many of these ill-fitting terms and tools to swallow. It's a shame about the terminology and magical technology because the story is otherwise very well done. This is my third time through this book. Once when I bought it, another re-read some years later because it had stuck in my head, and now because I've finally tracked down books two and three. Three readings tells you something right away. Even so, as I re-read it, I kept running across clever bits (e.g., the prince who fears Death so much that he and his whole court are constantly on the run), and thinking "Was that in this story?" There are at least half a dozen such clever ideas, neatly integrated into the story. If Nicholls had taken the time to work out more credible magic, the book would have been a deserved classic. As it is, it's good, but not great.Overall - well worth reading if you're looking for well-written fantasy and can overlook frequent use of pseudo-technology. For myself, I'm looking forward to reading books 2 and 3, but I'm not yet convinced that I should move on to Nicholls' more famous series, Orcs.
—Metaphorosis
