The Red Wolf Conspiracy

March 9, 2009
Insane god-kings, miniature warriors and sentient animals fight over a powerful ancient artifact in Redick's dramatic, complex debut. The Mzithrin and Arquali Empires have been locked in a 40-year cold war over the resources and riches of the Crownless Lands on their common frontier. Now the Chathrand
, a floating city built as much by sorcerer as shipwright, bears young Thasha, an unwilling bride to an enemy prince. No one seems sure whether this is a sincere attempt to bind the two empires together in peace or merely a gambit in their political games. The tense atmosphere soon erupts as various factions struggle to find and control the myth-wrapped Red Wolf. Both adult and young adult readers will find much to enjoy in this tale of sea-faring and bloody diplomacy.

Starred review from March 15, 2009
An engaging maritime fantasy adventure, set in a fully realized world.

Redick's debut, the first of a trilogy, is an epic involving the I.M.S. Chathrand, a massive merchant sailing ship, which is transporting an ambassador's daughter to be married off in order to forge a peace between two enemy empires. Along the way, the independent bride-to-be and a deckhand with a magical talent uncover a monstrous conspiracy—involving a legendary and mysterious artifact called the Red Wolf—that threatens to plunge the world into chaos. The multilayered plot gets very complex, very quickly. The story is populated by witches, mermaids, talking animals, tiny foot-high warriors and more. It will keep readers avidly turning pages—and looking forward to the next installment.

A quality debut.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

Starred review from March 15, 2009
As the city-sized ship "Chathrand" sets sail on a peacemaking mission to an enemy land, its passengers and crew reflect their world's hopes and fears. A reluctant bride-to-be, a young sailor from a family accused of treason, a race of tiny humanlike stowaways, and a magical rat find their fortunes tossed to the fates as the ship is besieged by assassins, slavers, and other treacherous creatures desperate to unlock the secret of the artifact known as the Red Wolf. Redick's debut presents a unique setting for an epic fantasy and includes memorable characters. With comparisons to Geroge R.R. Martin and Philip Pullman, this is highly recommended for all fantasy collections. [Library marketing.]

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2009
Adult/High School-Disguises, deceit, and double-crossing abound in this barn burner of a first volume of an epic fantasy. Fifteen-year-old Pazel, the son of a disgraced traitor, finds a position as a lowly lad-of-all-work aboard the mighty ship "Chathrand", which is bearing newly appointed ambassador Isiq to his post, and Isiq's 16-year-old daughter, willful Thasha, to her arranged marriage with a foreign prince. Also onboard are a band of conspirators plotting to use Thasha's wedding as an excuse to start a devastating war. As Pazel and Thasha realize that danger is brewing around them, they put their heads together to find a way to avert the impending catastrophe. But whom can they trust, when everyone seems to be hiding secrets: the clan of foot-high warriors, despised as "crawlies," who have stowed away for purposes of their own; mysterious Dr. Chadfellow; mild-mannered soap merchant Mr. Ket; a talking rat? What's more, an elderly duchess's cat inexplicably keeps showing up at the most inopportune of times, and one of the passengers or crew is the powerful and evil mage they have been warned against. Mermaids, assassins, pirates, and slavers join the cast of characters as Pazel and Thasha peel away the layers of evil surrounding them, with the result that they face a danger greater than they had imagined. Like many epic fantasies, this book starts slowly, but teens will soon be engrossed in the battle of good versus evil as the protagonists and their allies take on this cunning lot of villains."Sandy Schmitz, Berkeley Public Library, CA"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.