Book Reviews: Thraxas, by Martin Scott

Martin Millar (who penned the Thraxas series under the pseudonym Martin Scott) comes highly recommended; Neil Gaiman writes, "I've been a fan of his work for almost twenty years," and, "Millar writes like Kurt Vonnegut might have written, if he'd been born fifty years later in a different country and hung around with entirely the wrong sort of people." Thraxas, winner of the 2000 World Fantasy Award, is crafted with great skill, balancing a wonderful attention to world-buliding and characterization, a good dose of suspense and intrigue, and a humorous undertone that avoids becoming too lighthearted or ridiculous. adparams.getadspec('c_billboard1');

The title character of the series is a bumbling private investigator who uses his skills as a sorcerer to solve unusual cases. Unusual even for the story's setting, that is, which is a typical fantasy world - complete with royalty, elves, orcs, and dragons - except for its Romanesque political intrigue, including secret affairs, a thriving illegal drug trade, and a corrupt theocracy. He is assisted (whether he likes it or not) by his friend Makri, a barmaid and former gladiator whose mixed human, elvish, and orcish blood make her an outcast in most parts of society.

In Thraxas (whose American edition was published in a single volume along with the second book of the series, Thraxas and the Warrior Monks), the aforementioned investigator gets involved in a dangerous international conflict when Princess Du-Akai of Turai hires him to recover her letters written to a Niojan diplomat. Naturally, the diplomat ends up dead and Thraxas is accused of murder. In the classic mystery novel fashion, this plot is neatly wound together with a seemingly unrelated case, the disappearance of a bolt of elvish cloth.

The writing style does take a bit of getting used to. Thraxas narrates in the present tense, which in the hands of a lesser writer can sound much like stage directions in a screenplay, but here creates a sense of immediacy and constant motion. It is short and quick enough to read in one sitting, but this only heightens the experience, rather than leaving the reader unsatisfied.

Thraxas doesn't take itself seriously by any means, but neither is it a pure parody or humor story in the vein of writers like Terry Pratchett, and so those who expect such a thing will be disappointed. It is, however, a highly entertaining read for the fantasy fan who craves something not so self-consciously serious and the mystery fan who can appreciate a good romp in a fantasy world.