The gimlet eye by James Roy
Quentaris, Series 2, Book 3
Ford Street Publishing, 2009
ISBN 9781876462772226
(Ages 10+) Recommended. Quentaris is still floating in the sky
even though the Archon is dead. His corrupt nephew Florian is the
unscrupulous ruler. Tab Vidler, an apprentice magician, who as
part of the Navigator's Guild has sought and entered new vortexes, now
finds many of her friends have been 'demoted, corrupted or simply
vanished' (p9). Using her mind reading ability and with the help
of a rat, she speaks with Skelka, now in prison. It is up to Tab and
her friends who have been kidnapped to find the Yarka, and gather the
treasure for the corrupt ruler. As in much fantasy, the story becomes
convoluted and exciting. An interesting read for lovers of this genre.
The novel can be read alone (as I have), but I suspect the overall
enjoyment comes from the whole series. That different well
established authors have written the previous books can be an
interesting challenge for the current reader.
I hope readers will be enthused to go on to read Isobelle Carmody and
the Obernewtyn series (still not finished), but an enchanting ride into
other worlds as is Phillip Pullman and his Dark Materials.
Sue Nosworthy