This is an outstanding piece of writing for somebody who has never written SciFi before. The technology is plausible, the world-building excellent (and there's a lot of it too), and the characters seem like a logical extension of their environment.

The only reason I can't give it a five star is that she goes a little too over-the-top at the end of the book for good logical reasons. Confused? Read the book and you'll understand what I mean.

I hope that Ms. Lisle continues to write SciFi as I thoroughly believe that she will become even better in time.

I'd never read anything by Holly Lisle alone before, only collaborations (The Rose Sea, Serrated Edge books), and I wasn't sure what to expect. I was blown away - this book is terrific! I have to read more of her stuff. Since I read Laurell K. Hamilton's Nightseer, I particularly think this book should appeal to her many readers: it's fast-paced, funny, and scary as hell.

With HUNTING THE CORRIGAN'S BLOOD, acclaimed fantasy novelist Holly Lisle makes her first foray into the treacherous waters of science fiction. And in this novel, those waters are treacherous indeed.

As is common is Ms. Lisle's books, we feel that there is much more to the setting than just the glimpses we are getting as Cadence Drake speeds through them in search of the missing ship, Corrigan's Blood. Her world-building has always provided Lisle's work with a sense of depth that makes it almost impossible for the reader NOT to suspend their disbelief. But in CORRIGAN'S BLOOD, the background feels even deeper than in her Arhel novels, and the reader has the sense that the author is not yet finished with this setting.

Yet in many ways this novel, despite the trappings of hard SF, is more of a thriller. It has the headlong pace, compulsive readability, and enormous stakes that characterize the best of thrillers. Lisle's novels have always had their dark side, but HUNTING THE CORRIGAN'S BLOOD doesn't seem to have any other side. Her prose is leaner, cut closer to the bone than is her usual wont, and yet perfectly appropriate in a novel that hurtles towards the denouement at a pace that would require an origami drive to achieve. I found myself literally unable to put the book down, walking into things as I read on my way from room to room.

Though the almost-inevitable ending of this first volume was less than perfectly satisfying, if Lisle can bring the same emotional intensity and driving pace to future works in this milieu, one can hardly imagine that Cadence Drake's future adventures would fail to meet with increasing success.

It's a crime to see a book this good go out of print so quickly, but this one is well worth the time and effort to hunt down a copy -- you will not be disappointed. One can only hope that Ms. Lisle's new publisher will take an interest in Cadence Drake's escapades, and give them a better home than Baen did.

Holly Lisle's Secret Texts trilogy (Diplomacy of Wolves, Vengeance of Dragons, Courage of Falcons) gave fantasy readers the darkly beautiful world of Matrin, where epic battles between the visionary Falcons and soul-stealing Dragons kept everyone all turning pages far into the night. I know those books ruined at least a week of sleep for me. Now Vincalis the Agitator takes us back a thousand years before the time of the Secret Texts, to rediscover this incredible world through the extraordinary events that led to the creation of the Falcons. Better set a couple of alarm clocks before you start reading, because this one isn't going to let you go, either.

Born into mindless servitude, a boy named Wraith discovers he alone among his people is unaffected by the magic that enslaves them, and can leave the ghetto of the Warrens to enter the fabulous air city where his masters live out their pampered, hedonistic lives. There he finds Solander, a young wizard in training, who is stunned and intrigued by Wraith's incomprehensible abilities. For Solander, the chance to study the only person alive unaffected by magic is too tempting to resist. For Wraith, the opportunity to escape the horrific confines of the Warrens and study the ways of the Dragons means a chance for him to save all of his people someday. Both boys are completely unaware that their friendship sets the stage for intrigue, rebellion, betrayal and faith, leading to a future cataclysm so shocking and all-encompassing that it will shape and change the world as they know it forever.

I'd willingly stay up until dawn to read a Holly Lisle novel, and Vincalis the Agitator was no exception. You don't want to miss this one. As an author, I can appreciate her meticulous plotting and consummate world-building, but as a reader I just lost myself in this book. From the first page, Holly Lisle drops you into the heart of Matrin, and lets you see all sides, through the eyes of its heroes and its monsters, and she doesn't let you go. It's really the kind of novel that requires someone to yell at you or smack you to drag you away from it -- so while reading, you'd better avoid cooking, operating heavy machinery, and just go get a babysitter for the kids.

For three millenniums in Hars Ticlarim, Dragon magic has used slaves as a combustible material to keep the mansions in the skies and seas functional while looking aesthetically beautiful. The Inquestors secretly run everything keeping the elite happy with their starry homes while drugging the masses known as Warreners before incinerting them body and soul as the fuel source of choice.

Now after three thousand years of unchallenged control, a Warrener lad Wraith resists the Dragon magic that keeps his people docile. Wraith escapes and meets Solander, son of a Dragon magic practitioner. They form a friendship and soon ally with the rebel leader VINCALIS THE AGITATOR in a quest to lead a rebellion to end the unnatural order dependent on genocide.

VINCALIS THE AGITATOR is an enjoyable fantasy novel that never quite attains the heights of The Secret Texts Trilogy (same place a thousand years later). The story line is exciting as the forces of good challenge the forces of evil. Though intriguing, the technology employed by the key players hinders the magic they also use rather than enhancing it. Still the adventures of the heroes are fun to watch as Holly Lisle entertains her audience with an action packed tale that never slows down until the reader finishes the story.

Harriet Klausner

This is a prequel to the Secret Texts trilogy and answers a lot of questions left open in Diplomacy of Wolves, Vengeance of Dragons and Courage of Falcons, such as what are all those circles on the maps and how did they get there? Who was Vincalis and why did he write the Secret Texts, the bible of the Falcons? What were the dragons like when they were in power? Who was Solander and why was he so revered? Who were Luercas and Dafril?

The characters are deep, each with their own conflicting agendas, desires and motives, and they're as mixed up about life as we are. The plot and subplots are rich and complex and flow very well. Actions have logical consequences, but with surprises, too.

Overall, this is a great book and well worth buying and reading!...

This book is a good, engaging read, without the sometimes- overwhelming depth of Stirling's "5th Millenium" books. In a well-fleshed out, approximately Renaissance-level setting, a well-to-do rancher's daughter, a disgruntled army officer, a lawyer who's more than he seems, and an exotic catwoman are thrown together on a quest for a power object which can defeat an evil tyrant. They're helped along the way by a hilarious near-forgotten fertility god, and hindered by a villainous comrade who has dire plans of his own for the rancher girl and her family. This book has a plausible, imaginative setting and strong, believable female characters on both sides of the struggle. This isn't a wildly original, groundbreaking work, but it's a well-constructed, satisfying read.

It's a pretty standard setup - the Tykissian Empire (a Romanalog) is invading Tarin Tseld (Aegypt). The XIXth Imperial Foot is understrength, so a press gang rounds up some recruits in a tavern --The battle-gore gets pretty graphic, but the heros are smart & sassy, the villains are, well, villainous, and the action is non-stop. Full review at

This was a very amusing little novel. It certainly doesn't compare with S.M. Stirling's best work (I haven't read enough Holly Lisle to say how it measures up to hers) but it makes for pleasant light reading. The cultures are reasonably well worked out, the magic is believeable (in context), the primary characters are likeable (the villains come off just slightly flat, but this novel doesn't pretend to such weightiness that all sides must be equally fleshed out), and the writing is excellent. The most refreshing aspect is the fact that this fantasy world is not the usual quasi-Medieval setting. Instead, the protagonists are representatives of a culture which seems to be, roughly, Renaissance-equivalent, in both social structure (seems to be some antipathy between traditional landed elites and rising urban ones) and technology (mid-to-late sixteenth century firearms, with a few changes). As an added plus, the authors have even included some rather pleasant humour (the bit about the ensorcelled flask "ever-full of fresh spring water, with little bubbles and a hint of lemon in it" is a near-classic.)

this is a good book to read if you are in the mood for a lighter tounge in cheek fantasy. it keeps moving, and i didn't guess the ending, has plot to keep you going. worth a volume two!

Although not as good as the Mind of Magic or Secret texts series, this work is quite good, and makes a great read! As always, Ms. Lisle delivers compelling characters that seem to just jump off the page at you and a great action-packed storry line. If you ever read Tania Huff's bardic series, I can tell you this book is much better. I am ordering the sequel to this one and can't wait till it gets here!

"The Secret Texts" is actually three seperate novels: "The Diplomacy of Wolves," "The Vengence of Dragons," and "The Courage of Falcons."

"The Diplomacy of Wolves" sets the stage for something very profound; i.e. should we love someone IN SPITE OF their problems, should we love someone BECAUSE OF their problems, or should we just love?

My major complaint about these books is that nothing is explored adequately (for my tastes, at least). Each book is around 300-400 pages in length, but each book could have been 900 pages easily. I feel that Lisle explains the ACTION of the novels quite well, but I don't feel that she explains the MOTIVES of each of her characters in much detail at all. Our heroine, Kait, is explored more thoroughly than anyone else... until you start to question if Kait is really the hero.

Overall, the series is worth reading. But the reader needs to be willing to read it rather strenuously in order to touch upon the better themes in these novels.

I bought this as soon as I heard about it. I skimmed a couple of pages and thought it was new and that what little I read was just a reprise - but there is nothing new about this book; it's just two of Ms Lackey's already published books (Wheels of Fire (I think), and When the Bough Breaks), both from the SERRAted Edge Series. I should have suspected the possibility since this is not the first time Ms Lackey's publishers have done this (they published Knight of Ghosts and Shadows and Summoned to Tourney as a 'new' title and republished a couple of the Bardic Voices books as 'new'.) However, the fact that I have been suckered before doesn't make me any less mad! It was like getting set for a gourmet meal and finding you have been served left-overs, or worse. I ALREADY have BOTH these books, and this sort of thing just is not fair to fans!Having said that, if you have NOT read these stories in their previous incarnation, you should get this book. The stories are probably two of the grimmest and most thought provoking of Ms Lackey's tales because of their core subject matter which involves Child abuse. However, the subject is handled well and, allowing for some of the fantastic aspects of the stories, pretty accurately . There is plenty of action and, if you enjoyed the other SERRAted edge books - or even the Urban Fantasy books- where Elves occupy center stage - you will probably enjoy these stories. I would give them 3 stars for content and -3 stars for conning the fans!

Luckily, I had read the reviews before purchasing this title along with "When the Bough Breaks" and "Wheels of Fire." I like having two books in one! (I also own "The Chrome Borne") I've read many of M. Lackey's novels and these were most enjoyable especially because they were so DIFFERENT from the Valdemar series.
I especially like how M. Lackey and her co authors deal with modern day social grievances - in this case, severe child abuse and cult tendencies.
I used to teach emotionally disturbed adolescent females and I feel that more books like these are needed in order for society at large to understand what non-intervention does to exacerbate the problems. This is a wonderful tale of Elves, Magic, and human emotion. If only we could find the Seleighe court to help us with our society's problems! But since we can't, Lackey and her coauthors provide contact numbers and associations that can help stop the abuse in the back.
Not only a wonderful read, but also a great social commentary and it even gives you the tools to take some action!

Yes, I know these books are a reprint. That's because I read the back and it says in not so tiny letters: Publisher's Note: Formerly published in parts as Wheels of Fire and When the Bough Breaks.

The books are some of the best I've ever read. When you can't put the books down, when they make you cry, when they make you feel sick, that means that you are reading some darn-fine material. Both of the books deal with the matter of child abuse and torture, a subject most people don't even think about on their own time. Mercedes Lackey deftly combines Urban Fantasy with a real social issue, something I admire greatly.

Wheels of Fire is the story of the kidnapping of a young boy, a medium, and his rescue. He has been kidnapped by a fanatical cult but with the help of the elf Alinor (a race car driver) and his human mechanic/mage friend Bob, they try to save the day. It's a pretty fast-paced book and the characters are absolutely amazing. It's not a book you can put down with ease. You HAVE to know: does Jamie get out? It's postively gripping.

As for When the Bough Breaks, this book is even tougher to read than Wheels. It's a story about child abuse and the results. It deals with several young girls and a gaelic witch trapped together in one body, multiple facets of her personality. It's up to Maclyn, an elf, and Amanda's schoolteacher Lianne to save her from destroying herself and the elfhame with her out of control magic and fury.

If you like urban fantasy, stories that deal with elves and whatnot in the present day, you'll like these books a lot. They are gripping and the characterization is astounding. If you like urban fantasy but can't stomach the sometimes horrifying child abuse, read her other reprint: The Chrome Born. Chrome stars the powerful human mage Tannim and a cast of elves, kids, and kitsune.

These are my favorites of Mercedes lackey's books, even surpassing her Valdemar series. They are excellent

Enjoy!