Smith, Sherwood ~ Treason’s Shore ~ Daw, 2009 ~ 35 chapters + afterward, 691 pages, substantial list of characters and ships, front matter map of Sartoran Continent and Lasca Leror’s Empire ~ cover art by Matt Stawicki ~ Audience: adults, teens ~ Rating: excellent....
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Smith, Sherwood ~ Treason’s Shore ~ Daw, 2009 ~ 35 chapters + afterward, 691 pages, substantial list of characters and ships, front matter map of Sartoran Continent and Lasca Leror’s Empire ~ cover art by Matt Stawicki ~ Audience: adults, teens ~ Rating: excellent.
Opening:
“The arched window over Tdor’s bed glowed with the faint blue of impending dawn. She rose, pushing down the covers on the inside so no cold air would disturb Inda, her husband of one night. Inda slept on, an unmoving mound under the quilt.”
Publication History:
This is the forth and concluding volume in the Inda series. The earlier volumes were: Inda, the Fox, and King’s Shield. This is a substantial series that builds to a fitting conclusion. The story should be read in order.
Setting:
The larger setting is essentially the same as in the earlier volumes. Here, there is more emphasis on the Viking-like Venn, both their home land and their invasion fleet. Inda and his colleagues from earlier volumes will be severely tested in attempting to defeat a much larger fleet, especially one with so much war magic. At the same time, there is more focus on Inda’s homeland, especially on Evred who is now King and responsible for keeping the homeland organized and focused.
Too, more attention is given to the military school where reforms are needed to insure that more qualified applicants are admitted and that drills become more innovative. Females will play a larger role than before. Inda will be involved in both efforts.
As before, there are a variety of tensions and conflicts both at home where feudal legacies remain strong and abroad where allies are needed if Inda’s fleet is to be large enough to make a difference. Both Inda and even Fox must add diplomacy to their skill set. Tau already has these skills, but must convince others including the King.
There are quite a few different settings, including sailing and naval warfare [which the author handles very well] and oceanscapes that are quite realistic. Creating persuasive, interesting settings is one of Smith’s several strengths.
Plot:
For much of the series, Inda was exiled and forbidden to return home. He has finally been able to return home, marry his true love, and settle down. However, his naval skills need to be translated into military ones, beginning with the way that the future officers in the army are to be better trained and educated [one of the best parts of the story]. With the Venn fleet soon to invade for the second time, Inda and his colleagues must gather, prepare, and plan for a victory against a much larger naval force. They also have little to use against Venn war magic.
At the same time, not all is well in the Venn Kingdom. An evil mage [Erkric] dominates the prince who will soon be king and many there are frightened for themselves and the future. In fact, there is a small underground at work to defeat the mage and end the war. This adds another, and quite interesting, dimension to the story. Note that the back matter list of characters and ships requires nine substantial pages so many are involved in the story.
Major Characters:
1. Inda or Indevan from the Algara-Vayir family, is the heart of the story. He had begun military school just before being falsely accused and exiled. He gradually developed the skills and experience to become the legendary pirate and naval leader skilled at both strategy and tactics.
2. Evred from the Montrei-Vayir family is now the King. He is young and untried. Eager to do what is right and protect his kingdom, he must learn from a small group of friends, especially Inda.
3. Savarend from the Montredavan-An family, is called the Fox [he too has been exiled]. He is a brillant naval captain, strategist, and sometimes seen as Inda or the Legendary Fox. He is both an ally and sometimes a competitor to Inda. He will be second in command of the fleet of the great fleet against the Venn
.
4. Tdor of the Marth-Davan family is Inda’s wife. She is thoughtful and has an excellent political sense.
5. Taumad [Tau] Dei, is a diplomat, fixer, and escort. Tau is elegant, sophisticated, graceful and with many unique talents.
6. Jazha Signi Sofar is a Venn sea dag or sea/water magician. She is part of the Venn underground attempting to stop the war and change the Venn government. She became Inda’s lover in the previous volume.
This story is packed with an unusually large number of interesting characters -- each with his or her own story, features, appearance, habits and goals.
Physical Book:
The character list is quite helpful. While the map is a nice touch, it is not detailed enough to really help in following the story line as it moves from place to place. A brief summary of what has gone on before would help readers who cannot clearly recall what happened in the earlier volumes.
The story is quite readable. Print is dark and large enough for continuous reading. See-through is a bit better than average.
Recommendation keys:
Story length: The series is substantial and this volume is no exception. The plot, characters, and settings are good enough to keep the pages turning. Certainly, not too long for the serious fantasy reader. In fact, I wished that it was even longer!
Mood: While serious threats abound, there is enough time and space to learn more about characters, culture, and how governments work. It is the depth of Smith’s world that makes the story so successful.
Approach: People from a wide variety of cultures, situations, and places can come together to do what is needed even if at great personal cost.
Sex: There is no explicit or detailed sex. However, this is a world where same sex relationships are common at all levels of society are fairly common, including some major characters.
Violence: Naval warfare on a large scale and magical violence receive attention. Both are well-handled and realistic rather than shocking.
Reading difficulty: The substantial length of the series and the unusually large of characters requires some patience and referral to the list of characters in the back matter.
Focus: Compromise may be difficult, but it is often the best choice.
Summary: One of the best fantasy series that I have read in many years.
Smith has written many well-regarded fantasy novels for adults, young adults, and even children. So far, this is her very best. It should be in all fantasy collections.
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