Review by Matthew Scott Winslow
With The Death of the Necromancer Martha Wells has taken another step toward being a truly great author
The story takes place in the same world as her first book, The Element of Fire, a world where sorcery and magic (carefully differentiated) exist side by side with technology. The society of these two books parallels our own European society: the first book was set in an era remarkably Elizabethan, while Necromancer takes place a couple hundred years later in the world's "Victorian" era.
Wells enhances the Victorian pastiche by giving us a story that mimics a good Wilkie Collins mystery. Nicholas Valiarde is the former ward of Edouard Viller, a scientist who was framed, convicted, and executed for the death via necromancy of a woman. Since Edouard's death, Nicholas has committed himself to bringing about the downfall of Count Montesq, the man who framed Edouard. To these ends, Nicholas has created a vast criminal network to cause hardship to Montesq. The book opens as Nicholas and cohorts are stealing gold from a noblewoman in order to complete the downfall of Montesq. In the middle of the heist they encounter a horrific death-like ghoul. Once safely back home, Nicholas is visited by a two-bit conjurer named Octave who questions Nicholas about his actions that evening. Nicholas puts two and two together and discovers that there is a mad necromancer who is using some of Edouard's discoveries to further himself. Nicholas then sets out to stop the actions and (he hopes) keep Edouard's name from becoming further sullied. The course of the book is the unfolding of the mystery of who the necromancer is, where he is operating from, and how to stop him.
Wells has always exhibited a fine mastery of pace. Her books carry the reader at a headlong clip to the end, their rhythm never faltering or stumbling. In short, they are tales well told. But my one problem with Wells is that I find myself saying, "so what?" at the end of her books. Her stories are fun and rollicking, but they lack any emotional or intellectual punch: they are the sound and the fury signifying very little. Although the reader does not want to put down her books—I wanted to know what happened to Nicholas—once having finished, there is little to meditate on. That is, the story doesn't stay with you. But what a wonderful story it is while you're reading it.
After her first two books, I had classified Martha Wells as a talent to watch. Now after her third book, I am still classifying her as a talent to watch. Maybe with the next book all her strong narrative talents will start to say something, to convey more than just the story elements. Until then, by all means read The Death of the Necromancer. It's a great story.
This review originally appeared in Mythprint, July 1998, 35:7, 196.
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