I have to admit up front that I did not realize this was the sequel to Mairelon The Magician until I had done some research upon finishing the book. The reason I picked it up in the first place was that I had read the first chapter on Del Rey's Internet Newsletter (free plug!) and had liked it so much that I spent two weeks scouring my local Barnes and Noble stores to find it. It actually took me several months before I found a copy lying on the shelf and decided that I was still fascinated with what I had read so long ago that I bought it. That's how well I enjoyed the first chapter.

Picture a London where magic is practiced openly, where the Royal College of Wizards takes precedence over Parliament when it comes to valued property along the shores of the Thames. Patricia Wrede has woven together elements of history, mystery, magic and Pygmallion (the classic movie, not the myth) into a story that easily entertains. In addition, she has added a well thought-out description of the properties of magic that is sensible and adds a nice twist to the story.

It is this description of magic that is so often a challenge to many fantasy writers, myself being at the top of the list. The easy way around it is to simply make it something genetic or leave it shrouded in mystery and just have the characters "do it." That's not always a bad thing, but I find that I like to have some grasp as to the basic mechanics of magic. Wrede met this expectation of mine beautifully with explanations of why ritual is so important and why spells and incantations are verbalized in Latin or Greek.

Someone is after Richard Meril (a.k.a. Mairelon) and his young ward and apprentice Kim. It is all somehow tied to a mysterious group of French magicians who escaped France and the Terror of the Revolution and a collection of books that once belonged to that group. The story quickly reaches into both the old and new world that are Kim's. Witches and wizards from the slums begin to disappear, and a strange Russian prince steps onto the stage to add to the mystery.

I made mention of Pygmallion earlier. The rise of a young person from the slums to the higher or highest ranks of society is not a new concept of storytelling (in fact, it is common in Greek myth to have the hero realize that he or she is really a prince or princess rather than a common shepherd). David Eddings had this as the history of his hero in The Belgariad. Like the movie, a young woman is swept up into the high ranks and forced to shed her identity in order to take on a new one.

In the end, she finds a way to retain the best qualities of her old self while donning specific behaviors from the new, and also finds love in the man who raised her to her new-found status. That's not a bad story convention, but it is predictable.

Occasionally a story's strength may become its greatest weakness.Kim often falls into a form of thieve's cant, slang that is difficult to pronounce and speak even when not reading out loud and which sets her apart from the "proper" ladies of society. While it is a good convention (ask Chad about my early days of writing in high school, when I thought it was important to write out a character's accent and dialect), it can be taken too far. It can actually detract from a story and that happens here.

I did find the story entertaining, and while I mentioned weaknesses, remember that those are only weaknesses in my opinion. If you like alternative history and mystery that is a quick read and entertaining, then by all means pick up this and the first book, Mairelon The Magician. Both books are published by Del Rey.