Spirit's End by Rachel Aaron

So the journey that began for me a couple of years ago comes to an end. Spirit's End is, for me, rather bittersweet. I'd like to say firstly that it was a fun ride and I'm very pleased that I picked up The Spirit Thief and went on this trip with Eli Monpress and Co. So why is it a little bittersweet moment? Mostly because it's finished. This is one of the most recent epicish type series that I can remember seeing to it's end. Many of them seem to drag on for years, outlasting their creators and/or their welcomes. Eli Monpress hasn't done that.

The books did become progressively darker as each installment came out, but they still never lost that underlying sense of fun that they began with. The author has a few balls in the air by now and it was interesting to see how she resolved the various storylines, and did so in a satisfactory way.

A lot of this one takes place a white limbo called Between. This is where the goddess known as Benehime the Shepherdess dwells, along with her two brothers the Weaver and the Hunter. Interesting that a white nothingness is where some of the book's darkest sequences are set. The relationship between Benehime and Eli is truly twisted. It's also quite frightening how fixated Benehime is on the wizard/thief, who only wanted to be loved, not possessed.

There's some wonderful moments in this where Eli is free of Benehime and still proving that he can make it without her, because his powers of persuasion are his, not hers and she can't take them away from him.

Thinking about the ending of the book, whilst everything is resolved and we've probably heard all of Eli's story and that of the world he inhabits, it is left open ended enough that if the author wanted to go back and write more she could, but she doesn't have to. They really came full circle, with Eli still trying to increase his bounty and planning more capers with Josef and Nico, while Miranda will do her level best to bring him to justice.

A really fun series that was well plotted and had a cast that was young and vibrant. I look forward to seeing what else Rachel Aaron can give us in the future. While you wait you should give the Eli Monpress series a chance, it's one of the better ones to come out in recent times, and unlike many other better regarded series, this one actually has an ending.

The Spirit Rebellion

The Spirit Rebellion is the 2nd book in Rachel Aaron's The Legend of Eli Monpress. It follows The Spirit Thief.

In the first book of this entertaining series readers were introduced to the charming wizard/thief Eli Monpress and his two partners in crime: swordsman Josef Liechten, wielder of magical blade Heart of War and Nico, a young woman who carries a powerful malevolent demon in her slight frame. People also met dogged young Spiritualist (sort of a magical mountie) Miranda Lyonette and her loyal ghost hound; Gin. Despite following Eli and co on a mad adventure in the kingdom of Mellinor readers were left with many unanswered questions. How did Eli come to be a wizard and a thief? How did Josef come by his legendary sword? What exactly is the true nature of the demonseed that infects Nico and why is she so devoted to Josef? I was also curious about the Spirit Court (the organisation that Miranda works for) and the true nature of her relationship with Gin.

In The Spirit Rebellion some of these questions would hopefully be answered. Although his caper in Mellinor was not entirely successful Eli wasn't too concerned. He and his two companions had escaped relatively unscathed, they were still at liberty, although the renumeration had not been exactly as much as he had hoped for he had made some profit out of it and he had achieved his main goal of increasing the bounty on his head, which seems to be a matter of personal vanity for Eli as much as anything else. Nico did however require a replacement for her magical cloak which had been destroyed in Mellinor.

Things weren't looking quite as hopeful for Miranda. Her failure to capture Eli had raised some suspicions about her in the Spirit Court (very pleased that readers got a look inside this organisation) and even lead an accusation of betrayal suggesting that the acquisition of the Great Water Spirit Mellinor had been planned along with Eli all along. Knowing that her accuser; Hern, was pursuing some personal agenda Miranda and Gin went on the run and would have to clear their names without the backing of the Spirit Court.

An old acquaintance of Eli's provides a new cloak for Nico, but as payment demands a Fenzetti blade, known for their magical properties. The only Fenzetti blade that Eli knows of is in the Duchy of Gaol, whose controlling Duke has erected a thief-proof citadel. This has got trap written all over it, but Eli never refuses a challenge.

Eli and Miranda are once again on a collision course and will they be forced to work together again to save themselves and another kingdom?

One thing I neglected to mention in my review of The Spirit Thief was the novel and fun magic system that Rachel Aaron has come up with for her series. The basic premise is that everything has a spirit (fire, water, wood, etc...), but only wizards and Spiritualists can effectively communicate with the spirits. Spiritualists bind willing spirits into jewellery, typically rings, wizards don't require channels like rings, but use their powers to talk to the spirits and coerce them into helping. Eli's success is largely built on his ability to charm spirits into doing almost anything he asks. Rachel Aaron writes the spirit sequences very well and it's obvious that she has a lot of fun with them. The conversation between Eli and a rather dim witted cart wheel was, for me, a comedic highlight of The Spirit Rebellion.

At some stage all the major protagonists will face death and danger. Eli and Miranda up against the Duke and Hern. Josef and Nico square off against the giant bounty hunter Sted, retained by the Lord of Storms to take Nico's demonseed.

Things become a little darker, but the light touch is still there and this series has been a delight thus far. I'm hooked and will soon be searching The Spirit Eater for answers to the questions that The Spirit Rebellion raised.

The Spirit Thief

I first saw Rachel Aaron's The Spirit Thief in a local book store and was intrigued by it. I love caper stories or books about thieves and that's exactly what The Spirit Thief appeared to be. Picking it up you see a big number 1 on the spine and the words The Legend of Eli Monpress. No! Not another bloody series! I'd already read a few pages and it intrigued me, so this was going to be a case of could my common sense override my desire? My mind was kind of made up the following month when the sequel to The Spirit Thief - The Spirit Rebellion appeared on the shelves, to be followed the next month by The Spirit Eater. I checked out the author's website and she set a few misconceptions people have had about her books to rights. It is not a trilogy, yes the monthly release schedule is very similar to what Orbit did with Brent Weeks Night Angel trilogy and Orbit are also Rachel Aaron's publisher, but there are 5 books in The Legend of Eli Monpress, and the 4th is due out in May of 2011, so I have no idea why they released the first 3 month after month. Secondly it's not Urban Fantasy, not sure who would think this from a look at the book, but there you have it, people are strange. Finally it is not Paranormal Romance, I can see where this happened, handsome, bad boy looking bloke on the cover, and while Ms Aaron said that there is romance in the book, it's not the focus. So what actually is The Spirit Thief? Well, aren't you lucky you've got me to answer that question?

Australian author Karen Miller recommends the book with these words on the front cover: 'The Spirit Thief is a delightfully giddy romp of a novel' Ms Miller is spot on. The Spirit Thief is a caper novel. It's anti-hero; master thief Eli Monpress, is along with his cohorts: swordsman Josef Liechten, bearer of the world's most powerful magic sword and the demonseed Nico, out for what he can get. Everyone thinks he's going to steal the most powerful magical artifact in the fairy tale kingdom of Mellinor, however he turns the tables on all and sundry by escaping the prison they've put him in and kidnapping King Henrith of Meliinor! What follows is a game of cross and doublecross, as the straight down the line Spiritualist Miranda with her ghosthound Gin, go after Monpress, his gang, and the kidnapped king. Henrith's dispossessed brother; Renaud, enters the fray and things really kick into high gear, add in a determined bounty hunter who desperately wants the blade carried by Josef, the unstable demon that lurks below Nico's surface, and things are ready to go off like fireworks on New Years Eve. I had a huge amount of fun when reading The Spirit Thief and the fact that there are 2 more already out there ready to read increases my enjoyment.

There's a lot of Locke Lamora in Eli, although the book itself doesn't have the same impact as Scott Lynch's stunning debut The Lies of Locke Lamora. In the makeup of Eli's small team there are echoes of The Princess Bride and the kingdom of Mellinor could have come straight out of the Happiest Place on Earth in Anaheim, California. Ghosthound Gin is a calming and sensible influence on the sometimes irrational Miranda and they were 2 more characters I warmed to. There's an obvious attraction between the Spiritualist and the flamboyant wizard/thief, although Eli escapes at the end, you know this is not the last time the paths of these two will cross. I quite liked one of the peripheral characters; the inquisitive, eager to please, junior librarian Marion. I hope she makes an appearance in the sequels.

If you're looking for a fun, light romp and a name to watch for the future then you could do worse than to pick up Rachel Aaron's The Spirit Thief. An extremely promising debut.