The Fallen Blade

December 6, 2010
Grimwood shifts from alternate reality SF (End of the World Blues) to alternate history fantasy, exploring a Renaissance Venice in which witches, werewolves, and vampires get drawn into the inevitable court intrigues. When a raid on a Turkish ship frees a young vampire named Tycho, the vampire apprentices to Venetian assassin Atilo, ready to be employed as a weapon by the mother and uncle of Venice's impotent duke. Both politicians and supernatural entities engage in cruelty and nastiness that almost overwhelm the story; many of the scenes, such as murders of children and a forced impregnation, are not for the squeamish, but little is gratuitous. This grim tale will appeal to fans of political and historical fantasy as well as those who appreciate more traditional interpretations of vampires and werewolves.

Starred review from November 15, 2010

Alternate-world fantasy from the talented and versatile author of End of the World Blues (2007), wherein Marco Polo's family founded the dynasty that rules Venice.

In the early 15th century, Venice is powerful but must play her enemies—Ottomans, Byzantines, Germans, etc.—off against one another. Alonzo, the idiot Duke Marco's uncle, rules as Regent, his authority enforced by a cadre of assassins and the mage-alchemist Hightown Crow, while Alexa, Alonzo's sister-in-law, and her witch A'rial keep Alonzo in check. Alonzo has arranged for Marco's cousin Giulietta to marry Janus, the king of Cyprus, ostensibly as an alliance against the Turks. However, Alonzo's real plan involves arranging for Giulietta to be impregnated; she has been ordered, following the birth, to poison Janus and his relatives. So when Giulietta goes missing, Alonzo spares no effort to find her. In the hold of one ship, Alonzo's guards find a naked boy chained to the bulkhead. Eerily beautiful and unnaturally strong, Tycho escapes as soon as he's brought on deck. Later, Atilo il Mauros, the duke's master of assassins, comes upon Tycho sipping blood from a murder victim. Tycho evades Atilo's men and escapes with astonishing speed. Since the assassins' ranks were recently decimated in battle with werewolves secretly led by Prince Leopold, the bastard son of the German emperor, the aging Atilo knows he must find the boy and bind him as his apprentice. Grimwood adroitly combines a satisfying complexity with visceral detail and bouts of astounding violence, knit together by suitably Machiavellian intrigue.

Pounce on this one.

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December 1, 2010

Lady Giulietta di Millioni, the teenaged cousin of the duke of Venice, attempts to flee her enforced marriage to King Janus of Cyprus, a man rumored to be cruel and interested only in acquiring an heir. Preventing her escape is Atilo il Mauros, the Moor who has protected her since her childhood and who leads the Assassini, Venice's elite group of enforcers. Her fate, however, and the fate of the city lie in the hands of a young man who stalks the streets at night--and who is said to exist on blood. The author of "The Arabesk Trilogy" (Pashazade; Effendi; Felaheen) turns to historical fantasy in this tale of politics, love, and the supernatural. In his capable hands, 15th-century Venice springs to life, along with a varied cast of nobles, pirates, and supernatural creatures. VERDICT This well-written book should appeal to fans of both period fantasy and vampire fiction.

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2010
Aside from Grimwoods penchant for borrowing motifs from other genres, the authors previous novels, including his acclaimed End of the World Blues (2007), mostly bear the imprint of sf. Yet here Grimwood confidently steps into fantasy territory in this first volume of an ambitious trilogy featuring an alternate renaissance Venice populated by corrupt monarchs, a secret army of assassins, and a bewitching side cast of werewolves and vampires. This version of early-fifteenth-century Venice is ruled by the descendants of Marco Polo, specifically Alonzo, the uncle of the bona fide but incapacitated Duke, who rules with Machiavellian intrigue in the face of his Byzantine and Ottoman enemies. After Alonzos scheme to marry off the Dukes cousin Giulietta leads to her kidnapping, Alonzo sends his lead assassin, Atilo, on her trail. When Atilo fortuitously crosses paths with a young vampire, Tycho, he quickly recruits the boy as a very difficult but useful apprentice. Grimwoods well-seasoned skill with storytelling and dialogue makes this opening installment of the series both delightfully colorful and compellingly readable.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)