Sorcery Rising (Book One of Fool's Gold) by Jude Fisher
01/10/2002 . Source: Phil Jones 
Pub: Earthlight/Simon and Schuster. 502 page hardback. Price: £17.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-7432-2091-9. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. Check out website: www.earthlight.co.uk
 The
book centres round the Allfair - a huge gathering on neutral ground
with merchants, stalls, games, fortune tellers and more. The Allfair
brings together the Eyrans from the North, a seafaring people from
inhospitable isles. From the South come their old enemies, the slave-owning
Istrians with very different beliefs and customs.
Also from all over Elda come the nomadic people - a gentle race
who peddle charms and trinkets which until this gathering were harmless
items.
This is Katla Aransens first visit to the Allfair along with her
family who have sailed to the fair to trade their goods. The Vingo
clan from the Istria in the South come to buy a bride for their
egotistical eldest son. Tycho Issan has come to the fair to sell
his daughter to the highest bidder and the King of the North, Ravn
Asharson, comes to seek political alliances while unbeknown to him,
others seek his downfall.
As the Allfair progresses strange events occur, conflict and unrest
gradually creep in as magic which has laid dormant for many years
starts to affect the land and its people.
I must admit my heart sank as I read the prologue and the first
chapter. It seemed stilted and difficult to read but all of a sudden
the pace changed and you are thrown into a fast-paced bubbly book
with some really good characters full of personality. The character
of Katla is one that you really start to get attached to and Tanto
is a character you just love to hate.
This book really delves into the undercurrent of hatred between
the Eyrans and the Istrians. Their cultures are so different as
are their religious beliefs. The truce between the two becomes sorely
tested. Also the question of what is civilised behaviour is also
examined.
Is it right to put a girl to death by burning her if she climbs
a sacred rock or are people barbaric because they do not worship
your female god or women should be shrouded from men's gaze in public?
This aids the development of some wonderful scenes and set pieces.
Some fans of fantasy may see this book as a bit on the light side
but its does cover quite explicitly the areas of sex and violence
along with a whole host of other human traits such as jealousy,
lust, greed, love and so forth and there are moments where Jude
Fisher really shines when dealing with human emotion.
The one major problem is the climatic events that occur well before
the end of the book, leaving about 150 pages of post-analysis and
tidying up. You know it's just sorting events out for the next book.
This causes a sharp change in pace and although the writing is just
as good, it just makes the ending feel a bit of a let down.
Overall, it's a good book and ideal for those who are new to fantasy
but it will also appeal to a wider audience, especially those who
are not normal drawn to the fantasy genre with its careful examination
of the human condition and easy accessibility.
This is a very enjoyable book.
Phil Jones
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