Tigrallef isn't supposed to be a hero - his brother has that job. But then an accident means that he is next in line to reclaim his homeland. Years ago, an ancestor of Tig's family brought peace and prosperity to Gil that lasted more than 900 years. Then came the Sherkin invasion that destroyed their ways of life and sent the royal family into exile; only a member of the royal family has the power to restore Gil to its former glory, but so far, many have failed. No one expects Tig to succeed - he's a memorian who spends all his time in the archives, not a knight in shining armor. But when Tig arrives in Gil, he discovers that while many things are worse than he expected, an underground group called the Web has been established inside Gil and just might give him the keys to save the country after all.
Overall, this was a decent book. Everything seemed very realistic - I liked that the characters were all very human and the situations in Gil were described rather graphically. I don't think I would count this amongst my favorite books, but it was pretty good. The plot was definitely not predictable which made it an interesting read, but it was not a fluffy book - it's about a lot of the negative aspects of humanity with explicit descriptions of poverty and life under hostile rule. I would, however, recommend this to fantasy readers who are looking for something serious and a little different.
Note: There are at least two sequels: Scion's Lady and Lady Pain, although I have not read those yet. I'll be sure to comment on them if I do.
- If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Fly By Night, Poison Study, Keys to the Kingdom, or Annals of the Western Shore
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