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Title: Thraxas and the Ice Dragon
Series: Thraxas #9
Author: Martin Scott
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 198
Format: Digital Edition

Synopsis:

Thraxis, Makri and Lisutarus all survive and end up in the small kingdom of Samsarina, which is quite strict about such things as public drunkeness, thazis use and dwa. Not the best place for our three Heroes to end up!

But Samsarina is a staging ground for the surrounding kingdoms to gather, create a warhost and march on Thraxas' beloved city of Turai and free it from the orcish horde that has conquered it.Of course, by the time they all actually agree, there might not be much of Turai left.

Lisutaris, as head of the Magic Guild, must contend with other jealous sorcerers who want her removed and themselves installed as head of the Guild and then most likely as head of the Warhost.

Makri enters a fighting contest because they are broke and Thraxas has a sure fire gambling plan, ie, Makri will win every fight and make them rich.

Thraxas runs across an old flame, now a duchess and her daughter is convinced someone is out to kill her. Thraxas is hired as Number One Investigator to find out what's going on.

It all ends with Makri winning the fight because she was kind to a baby dragon. Mama dragon eats Lisutaris's Number One Foe and Thraxas solves the crime AND wins over 10,000 gurans. Everybody, except the dead sorcerer, is happy!

My Thoughts:

Man, I'd forgotten just how much light hearted fun these Thraxas books are. Filled with witty banter, huge amounts of alcohol, drugs and a Fat Private Investigator, you simply can't go wrong. Throw in the whole realm of fantasy and you've got a sure fire winner.

Everything that I have written about previous Thraxas books still applies to this one as well. Shallow, whiny, tiresome one liners, this has them all in spades.

BUT THAT IS WHAT A THRAXAS BOOK IS ABOUT!!!!

So I just sat back, let the shenanigans roll along and had a jolly old time. I would say that Thraxas is like a circus peanut. A small amount goes a long way and you definitely don't want to overdose. But my goodness, when you haven't had circus peanuts for over a year, and you open that bag and pop that first delectable sugar delight into your mouth and feel it melting on your tongue, it is good!

★★★☆½ ( )

A faithful new entry in the series. It's the first in a long time, and I was a bit concerned it would have lost the flavour. In fact, I think Scott has honed his skill in the interim, because this felt like both a loyal member of the series, and a bit of fresh air.

Moving Thraxas to a new city shakes things up a bit, so the story can no longer hang on the familiar hooks of Thraxas' usual companions and haunts. While this could have left it feeling a bit unlike a Thraxas story, in fact it allows Thraxas himself to come to the fore, giving him more breathing room. His interactions with new sets of people bring him into relief and illuminate his character. It also allows the plot to unfold a little differently, as Thraxas, Lusitania and Makri can't rely on their usual networks and influence.

At the same time, I felt like Scott has got a fresh grip on Thraxas. The difficulty with this kind of protagonist - drunken, boorish, self-absorbed - is that there's a risk of him becoming unsympathetic. In particular, as the sole viewpoint character, the character's voice and narrator's voice can merge and leave a rather grating tone. Towards the end of the last few books, Thraxas' voice was starting to feel a little tired, repeating things consistently disproven by the narrative, which is very plausible, but not attractive. Here, he feels a little more approachable after the fall of Turai - still a drunken boor, but a little less cocksure, a little more comradely in his dealings with Makri and Lisutaris. He's even emotional a couple of times. That being said, he makes a lot of poor decisions here, mostly involving huge amounts of alcohol. Same old Thraxas.

The mystery here unfolds a little late, because the main emphasis is really on character interactions. Moving to a new city means new dynamics between the three, and Scott offers a combination of plotlines: the three finding their feet again in a new city (including the urgent need for funds), preparations for war with the orcs and its attendant power-politics, and Thraxas' actual mystery. This is the book with the least emphasis on that last element, and very little investigation seems to take place, but I don't think it suffers for it.

This series continues to be a comfortable old friend I can relax into after a hard day. ( )