The Ladies of Mandrigyn by Barbara Hambly
May. 20th, 2008 08:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreSun Wolf, the famed leader of a mercenary band, has little use for women outside of pretty young things to keep his bed warm. The only exception to this is Starhawk, his masculine second-in-command, who he regularly tells himself(and others) doesn’t really count. When Sheera, a noblewoman of Mandrigyn, tries to purchase his services to help reclaim Mandrigyn from Altiokis, the only living wizard, he gives her a resounding "Hello no!" Sheera, however, is having none of that and kidnaps him, poisoning him and telling him that she’ll only save him if he trains the women of Mandrigyn to fight so they can retake the city themselves. Starhawk, meanwhile, is having none of that kidnapping thing, and heads north to Mandrigyn despite the winter to get him back, accompanied only by his mistress, Fawn.
Obviously, this book was going to have a lot of gender role reversals from the get go. The damsel in distress is the hardened mercenary leader. The hero off to rescue him is his female sidekick. The charismatic leader is a woman, and her army is comprised of women. Female characters who would typically be dismissed, such as Fawn, are made interesting and given depth and purpose. Sun Wolf walks the fine line between "sexist and needs to be punched" and "sexist because of lifestyle, but learning," but comes out on the right side, for the most part. He does, however, manage to be likable but less interesting than most of the other characters around him. Most of his character growth, of course, revolves around his opening his eyes and realizing that Starhawk isn’t the only woman in the world who won’t crumble at the first sign of trouble. And, of course, figuring out that she’s much more his type than what he’s always thought. It’s difficult to pull off a romance where the characters in question barely interact, but Hambly does it pretty well.
I forget, is this one part of a series, and if so, are the others good?
Obviously, this book was going to have a lot of gender role reversals from the get go. The damsel in distress is the hardened mercenary leader. The hero off to rescue him is his female sidekick. The charismatic leader is a woman, and her army is comprised of women. Female characters who would typically be dismissed, such as Fawn, are made interesting and given depth and purpose. Sun Wolf walks the fine line between "sexist and needs to be punched" and "sexist because of lifestyle, but learning," but comes out on the right side, for the most part. He does, however, manage to be likable but less interesting than most of the other characters around him. Most of his character growth, of course, revolves around his opening his eyes and realizing that Starhawk isn’t the only woman in the world who won’t crumble at the first sign of trouble. And, of course, figuring out that she’s much more his type than what he’s always thought. It’s difficult to pull off a romance where the characters in question barely interact, but Hambly does it pretty well.
I forget, is this one part of a series, and if so, are the others good?