KINGMAKER
AUTHOR:  ROB PREECE
PUBLISHER:  BOOKSFORABUCK.COM PUB DATE: 
GENRE:  Spec Fiction with Romantic Elements ISBN: 
REVIEWED BY:  Elizabeth Faraday on 07/01/05 EISBN: 

Ellie Winters has known for years that her family was on the run, but from what, her parents won?t say. Nor will they tell her why it?s so important for her to become a skilled martial artist, or for her to learn the strange nonsense language that they used as a secret code. Though Ellie does what they ask to please them, she can?t bring herself to take it seriously.

Reality crashes home on Ellie?s eighteenth birthday, when her parents are brutally killed by unknown assassins. Narrowly escaping her parents? fate, Ellie makes it to the hiding place her father had prepared for emergencies. There, in addition to the money and fake passports she knew were there, she finds a strange, hand-lettered book and a pouch of odd, glowing stones. Stones like nothing on Earth Ellie has ever seen, because they are not from Earth. And neither, Ellie discovers, is she.

To elude the police and the assassins who are searching for her, Ellie takes shelter in the basement of a shopping mall and uses the stones to return to her native planet. When she does, she gains an accidental passenger, mall security guard Mark Heath. Fortunately, Mark ? former Eagle Scout, part-time college student and full-time history and science fiction buff ? is intrigued enough by the strange new land of Lubica to stick by Ellie as she sets off to find out who she is and who is responsible for having her parents killed.

Ellie?s quest leads her through a labyrinth of politics and destiny into the heart of civil war. By assuming the figure of a Lubican legend, she can use her training to bring the uncrowned king Sergius to his throne, which would not only put an end to the war but also deliver a fatal strike to the people who ordered her parents? death. The question is, in gaining vengeance for the dead, will Ellie be sacrificing justice for the living? And which should take precedence?

KINGMAKER's world is an intriguing mix of cultures and times. The political situation and general setting are reminiscent of fifteenth century France during the time of Joan of Arc. Ellie herself bears a strong resemblance to the Maid of Orl?ans in many respects, although she?s much more worldly and politically savvy. However, the society and the methods of warfare are a blend of Asian and European elements. The combination works well.

Fans of David Weber?s Honor Harrington series should like KINGMAKER. Although KINGMAKER is not space-based, KINGMAKER'S strong points are its setting, its action and its politics. If you?re looking for action, you?ll find it here, in detail. On the other hand, there is very little in the way of romance, and no in-depth character development for Mark, though a good deal for Ellie. However, Preece does an excellent job of creating secondary characters whose values, views and reactions are true to that of fifteenth century Europe. Overall, KINGMAKER is a good change of pace if you?re looking for a romance-light speculative fiction read with a happy ending.

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