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The Gates of Twilight
Paula Volsky
Bantam Books. $12.95 (trade paperback)
(paper $6.50)
A new book by Paula Volsky is a treat to be savored. As always, her characters are engaging, her plots tense with adventure, intrigue, and subtle romance, and her settings . . . well, fantastic. Volsky sets each book in its own country modelled on some culture from our own world, such as Lanthi Ume (Venice) of The Sorcerer's Lady or Sherreen (Revolutionary Paris) in Illusion. The Gates of Twilight resembles India under British rule: here, the Vonahrish occupation of Aveshq. Volsky's creations are not the least bit shallow, and together they form a unique history, linked only by common, but subtle, references.Renille vo Chaumelle, a Vonahrish civil servant ordered to act as spy, is entertainingly resourceful from first to last. Jathondi, daughter of the disempowered Aveshquian ruler, proves equally intelligent and capable, although she plays a lesser role. Most importantly, Volsky writes with a good humor, even if she is pulling civilization down around the characters' ears.
It is disappointing that Bantam has chosen not to continue Volsky in hardcover. Her books deserve it.
This review originally appeared in the April 21, 1996 edition of The Roanoke Times.
Also by Paula Volsky:
The Curse of the Witch-Queen. Ballantine, 1982
The Luck of Relian Kru. Ace Books, 1987
The Sorcerer's Lady. Ace Books, 1986
The Sorcerer's Heir. Ace Books, 1988
The Sorcerer's Curse. Ace Books, 1989
Illusion. Bantam Books, 1992
The Wolf of Winter. Bantam Books, 1993
The Gates of Twilight. Bantam Books, 1996
The White Tribunal. Bantam Books, 1997
This review copyright 1996 by Wendy Morris
Information last updated March 22, 1998
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