Opening: The girl surprised everyone. To begin with, no one in the world below had thought her parents would have more children. Her parents’ marriage had created quite a scandal, a profound clash of philosophical extremes; for her father was the Master of the Mountain, a brigand and sorcerer, who had carried the Saint of the World off to his high fortress. It’s bad enough when a living goddess, who can heal the sick and raise the dead, takes up with a professional dark lord (black armor, monstrous armies, and all). But when they settle down together with every intention of raising a family, what are respectable people to think?
Capsule: A delightful story; whimsy delicately balanced with human insight. The tone, as should be made pretty apparent by the opening paragraph, is humorous, and while the narrative has a great deal of fun with fantasy tropes, and sometimes manages to sidestep them even while engaging them (!), it's never condescending or overtly satirical, and doesn't lose its focus. Kage Baker has crafted a fine, warm coming-of-age story with rich characters and lovely imagery. I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy, in general, but this mature tale won me over. A lot of fun.
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