The Queen's Necklace

May 21, 2001
In this tongue-in-cheek fantasy, Edgerton's first since 1995's The Moon and the Thorn
(the concluding volume of her Chronicles of Celydonn trilogy), ancient Maglore Goblins and humans battle for control of the Lesser Goblin Jewels, artificial gemstones that can absorb and channel the Universal Magnetism. Set in a vaguely Franco-British world of court intrigue, magic and wonderfully imaginative nonsense, this sometimes charming mishmash unfortunately concentrates on cardboard characterizations of an assortment of humans, such as Captain Wilrowan Krogan-Blackheart, his somewhat reluctant wife, Lilliana Brakeburn-Blackheart, a Specularii magician-in-training and their cohorts. The problem: the goblins (and the religious zealot, Raith, who may or may not be evil) are far more interesting. The Maglore royalty, thought long-since dead and without power over their former human slaves, are represented by Ys, a petulant goblin orphan princess rescued by the imperious Valentine Solange and Lady Sophronispa. Whenever they take the stage, the story sizzles. The result is that the reader finds the longing for Maglore victory almost irresistible. Convoluted plotting and multiple flashbacks, flashforwards and extraneous details slow the pace and make for impatient reading. Edgerton, author also of the Green Lion trilogy (The Child of Saturn, etc.), is capable of better. Nonetheless, fans who've long been waiting for a new Edgerton should gobble this one up.

July 1, 2001
When the ancient race of goblin sorcerers begins a new onslaught on the humans they once enslaved, Wilrowan Blackheart, captain of the Queen's Guard, must undertake the dangerous task of preserving the freedom of his people. The author of The Moon and the Thorn crafts a detailed fantasy world in which goblins and humans vie for power and a strange Chaos Machine threatens the balance of the world. For most fantasy collections.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2001
Centuries ago in the world of this lavish and enjoyable swashbuckler, humans overthrew the empire of the goblins who had enslaved them. Now the human kingdoms are divided and decaying, and the opinion is spreading that the goblins were a myth. Unfortunately, this bit of politically correct revision comes exactly at the time the goblins are preparing a bloody comeback. Enter Wilrowan Blackheart, captain of the queen's guard in one of the kingdoms, who has fallen for the woman with whom he made an arranged marriage, and who is dragged into playing a key role in the war against the goblins just as he sets out to court her. The novel then proceeds to sprout subplots and characters with the fecundity of a kudzu vine, so that even the most absorbed readers will appreciate the accompanying map and cast list. If it falls short of outstanding, this is a yarn that should please anyone who likes fantasy with a strong flavor of eighteenth-century Europe.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)