James Nicoll Reviews

1989’s Delan the Mislaid is the first volume in Laurie J. Marks’ The Children of the Triad trilogy. 

The large and ungainly Delan has always been a poorly tolerated, genderless freak. When Teksan offers to buy Delan from the isolated Walker community that he calls home, the Walkers are more than happy to accept. 

Slaving for Teksan is an unappealing prospect. So is remaining in a village that sees Delan as either a burden or a commodity. It would seem that life is going to offer Delan very few favours. 

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2019’s Air Logic is the fourth volume in Laurie Marks’ Elemental Logic secondary universe fantasy series. 

After years of brutal occupation of Shaftal by the invading Sainnites, Karis — the new G’Deon — has brought Shaftalese and Sainnites to the brink of reconciliation. Alas for long-suffering Shaftal, not every Shaftalese accepts that Karis is the new G’Deon. They see her as the False G’Deon, a poseur fit only for death for misleading the nation.

Thus, the night of the assassins.

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2007’s Water Logic is the third volume in Marks’ Elemental Logic quartet. It is also, somewhat to the distress of Marks fans, the most recently published volume in Marks Elemental Logic quartet. To quote the series’ publisher, Small Beer Press:

March 2014: We don’t have any update yet on Air Logic. But, we have seen a very early draft of the manuscript. Once it is finished and actually delivered to us, there will be at least one round of editing and then we’ll get the book out as fast as we can. We love these books and are so glad that there are so many readers out there, just like us, waiting 

I have heard that there are others who have seen early drafts; I myself am not among those people. Until then, fans of the series will just have to be satisfied with the three books that do exist. 

~oOo~

The problem with negotiating an end to a bitter war is 

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Second in the Elemental Logic series, 2004’s Earth Logic answers the question ​“Was Fire Logic a fluke or can Marks write that well consistently?” Answer: ​“Marks can write that well consistently.” So yay, one more review for 2015 without hitting a dud. 

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I think Fire Logic is my first Marks novel. It is certainly not my last. Normally my Rediscoveries are books familiar to me but not to others. In this case, I am the beneficiary of someone else’s experience. 

Fire Logic begins rather like Harris’ Seven Citadels quartet (or The Lantern Bearers, or indeed a lot of secondary world series). For the last generation, Shaftal has suffered a continuing invasion from the Sainnites, an aggressive warrior people of unclear origins. Despite the wise guidance of Harald G’Deon, Shaftal has done nothing effective to drive the invaders back into the sea. Two grim bits of news mark the end of Harald’s era: Harald has died without naming an heir and the Sainnites have taken the holy city of Lilterwess, leaving none alive. 

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