Legacy Of Wolves: The Inquisitives, Book 3 [Mass Market Paperback]

I'm not typically a fan of D&D-related fiction. Most of what I've picked up is sub-par in terms of writing.

Marsheila Rockwell knows what she's doing. This book is tightly (and effectively) plotted, the characters are strong, the pacing is swift, and the tone captures the world of Eberron nicely.

Whether you're a fan of the Eberron world, or just like a good fantasy/mystery, I highly recommend this novel. Hopefully it is the first of more to come from Rockwell.

Legacy of Wolves by Marsheila Rockwell is the third book the Inquisitives series. For those who stumbled upon this book, the Inquisitives is a series of stand alone novels set in the world of Eberron. The first book in this series is Bound by Iron by Edward Bolme and the second is Night of Long Shadows by Paul Cillery. Both of the previously mentioned books were very good, and recommend them to most fantasy fans. This novel, I am happy to say, is no different than the first two. The entire Inquisitives series thus far has been fantastic and a joy to read.

The plot of this book is reminiscent of the classic murder mystery. Several murders have occurred and two groups of adventures are seeking to find out who is committing them. The `Church' is placing the blame on the shifters, but with each shifter arrest the murders continue. On the surface, this seems like a recycled plot, and one fantasy fans have read countless times before. However, the mark of a good writer is to allow the reader to feel as though this is the first time they have read the plot by introducing little twists, and added elements to make it seem new and fresh. This is exactly what Ms. Rockwell has done with Legacy of Wolves. Some differences between this novel and others of this vein are that there are two separate groups trying to solve the same thing, which makes it interesting when one group gets a clue or lead that the other group could really use. There is an attempted twist at the end of the book, but unfortunately attentive readers will most likely have seen it coming long before it was revealed by the book. That is the one complaint I have with this novel.

The characters in this novel are written very well. Normally, I am not a huge fan of paladins. However, the paladin in this book is written extremely well, with enough of his back story explained so that the reader can begin to empathize with him. He was probably my favorite character. The other characters are written just as well. From the shifter Irulan to the dwarf Greddark and even Zoden. Every character has some back story to tie them into the novel and their actions. This is needed more in fantasy novels. I understand there is a word count limit, but allowing a reader to identify with a certain character though pieces of back story is a great way to start that. The characters dialog in this novel is also spot on. Each character seems to have their own `voice' and manner of speaking. The dialog never seems forced or disjointed. What the characters say makes sense based on their circumstances and their pasts.

The main strength of this novel is how Ms. Rockwell intertwines a solid plot with interesting characters. Some fantasy books try to survive on one or the other, not so with this one. Another positive for this book is Ms. Rockwell's ability to show the story and not tell it. Her prose is articulate and well worded which lends itself to easy reading. It's the kind of prose that one can read and look up and realize an hour has blazed by. It never seemed a chore to read and the pacing was almost flawless for this type of story. This is certainly a solid debut novel. I would assume there will be many more to come.

As I mentioned above, my only criticism of this novel is one scene in particular. When reading the scene it seemed as though the author brought too much attention to something that gave away the twist at the end. My preference would have been a passing statement, with a larger realization at the end to tie it together. Based on this one scene it somewhat soiled the twist for me. I just would have preferred it was handled a little differently.

With all that said, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. It was a fast paced, interesting read. I am sure fans of the Eberron world and more importantly the Inquisitives series will not be disappointed. It meshes perfectly with the prior Eberron books, and leaves open a couple angles that may be explored at a later time. Over the past couple of months, reading the Inquisitives series has been a joy and if this heralds anything of what is to come for the world of Eberron, there should be some fantastic books coming out. This is one I will certainly recommend to others.

Legacy of Wolves is murder mystery of the highest caliber. It follows a Dwarven Inquisitive (detective), a Paladin of the Silver Flame (religious warrior) and a Shifter Ranger as they each attempt to discover who is actually killing numerous people in the town of Aruldusk. The town's Bishop has blamed the shifter community, going so far as to lock a different shifter up each time a new murder is committed.

Greddark, the dwarf, is hired by a young human bard whose twin brother was murdered in front of him, while he fled to safety.

Andri, the Paladin is brought in by The Keeper of the Flame (a very wise 14-year-old girl) because Irulan, the shifter ranger, is trying to get her brother Javi released (he's being held for one of the murders). Andri is ordered to discover whether it truly is the shifter community to blame for the murders.

The Silver Flame and Greddark (working for one of the great houses) have different agendas and don't really trust each other, but are both after the same thing, which brings us to the reason why this book is really so very, very good.

A leisurely paced opening act allows the reader to get to know these characters, who have fears and hopes that are brought out by this investigation. We learn about Andri's past...a tragic affair having to do with werewolves and the death of his parents at his own hands. We learn of Greddark's own history with a rival dragonmarked house, a member of whom will stop at nothing to have HIM killed. We learn of Irulan's history as a shifter, her legacy as a descendant of the moon-touched.

Through it all, the mystery slowly unfolds. We learn things as the inquisitives do. We see each character face their deepest fears. Not of all of them come out of it in good shape. However, once all three of the main characters come together, the story takes off, increasing speed and intensity. The action, when it comes, is intense and bloody (in a pg-13 kinda way). This serves well to not only shock the characters, but also the readers, who will come to understand exactly why the characters feel so strongly about certain events.

A strong plot, a tight mystery, slowly revealed, and superior characterization make this third book in Eberron's Inquisitives series another home run. It isn't often you see back-to-back-to-back winners, but Eberron has delivered once again.

Ed Bolme's BOUND BY IRON, Paul Crilley's NIGHT OF THE LONG SHADOWS and now, Marsheila Rockwell's LEGACY OF WOLVES are all top-notch mysteries, with violent action and involving characters. Lucky for us, a fourth title, Jeff LaSala's THE DARKWOOD MASK, is on its way. Let's hope Eberron decides to continue with this wonderful series of mysteries.

Congratulations to Mrs. Rockwell for a thoroughly engaging first novel. Here's hoping we see more adventures from her (and these characters she has so skillfully created) in the future.