Wizard Squared / K.E. Mills

Wizard Squared
by K.E. Mills
Rogue Agent (3)

fantasy

copyright 2010
read in April 2014

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

I remember reading the first Rogue Agent book. It was light and enjoyable -- until the torture scene. That scene was painful to read, especially after the cheery fantasy of the first half of the book.

Wizard Squared avoids that unanticipated switch in mood. The book has nasty violence right from the start. Which is good because there is no sudden destruction of reader expectation. And bad, because the grim start is maintained to the grim climax near the end.

Not that Squared is all grim ! Mills has developed the series in several directions.

The action is tough and gritty, all the way through. The nastiness of the violence is emphasised by repetitive thoughts by the characters, of how nasty the situation really is. Lots of, I'm about to lose my lunch. Several actual losses of lunch.

There is a also lot of discussion. Shall we do this ? What shall we do ? Should we have done that ? So much discussion, that very little had time to actually happen in the first half of the book.

There is also a lot of "chick lit" discussion. Oh how much I love him/her ! Oh it would not be right to declare my love for him/her ! Oh he/she does love you as much as you love her/him ! It's only distracting when the men are talking to each other: Come on, men don't talk like that, no matter how good the brandy !

So this book has -- compared to the first in the series -- more violence, more graphic torture. More discussion, more baring of lovelorn souls. More superpower magic.

And still, an enjoyable read.

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