Although this is volume one of a trilogy, it is fairly self contained. Tig, retiring scholar, is suddenly forced into the role of champion on behalf of the exiled rulers of Gil, to return and try to recover the lost artefact, the Lady, which will enable him to overthrow the sadistic Sherank invaders who have enslaved the people and imposed a reign of terror for the last seventy years.

The main character is quite engaging and some of the subsidiary characters are developed enough to be able to tell them apart, but the constant emphasis on the filth and squalor that the conquered folk of Gil are forced to live in, becomes a bit wearing after a while. Also, there are some not convincing stereotypes such as the prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold, and it was pretty easy to guess the identity of the traitor and the 'twist' re two main characters.

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{First of 3; Gil Trilogy . Fantasy, YA}

I have been wanting to read this series for years, decades even, tempted by the cover blurb All the dreams of the barbarously occupied kingdom of Gil depend on its greatest hero. Too bad only his brother is available... but I could never find the first book until I finally succumbed and ordered the whole series for my Kindle (my preference being to read physical books). May I say that the cover blurb is, in typical 90s fashion - sensational as it is - slightly inaccurate.

According to legend the island of Gil was converted by Oballef, wielding the power of the Lady, to a peaceful and prosperous paradise dedicated to beauty and the pursuit of the arts - and thus, seventy years ago, the first stop of the Sherank empire in their conquest of the world as they sought to stamp out its beauty and steal the power for themselves. Although the ruling Priest-king and his immediate successors were killed in the onslaught, some of the Scions of Oballef escaped to Exile together with many of the Flamens (the real power behind the throne) and a selection of works from the archives.

Only a Scion can wield the Lady’s power but the physical manifestation of the Lady has been lost in Gil, hidden from the Sherkin who would use it to expand their oppressive empire. Periodically the Flamens smuggle a Scion, raised in the Heroic Code, back to Gil to attempt to retrieve the Lady and restore Gil to its former glory; however the only hero currently of age has badly injured himself and is unable to go. The only other Scion of age is his brother, Lord Tigrallef, but he’s no hero - he reads, for one thing, and thinks, for another, and is happy working in the archives as a memorian as well as being rather sceptical about the Heroic Code. The Flamens don’t really have any confidence in Tig being the first Scion in seventy years to succeed but if they’re to stick to their schedule he has to go. Tig’s mother, however, does have complete faith in her son. …

The only note of hope was dropped by my mother, the Lady Dazeene, into the silence the delegation left behind.

“Strange,” she said, “I'd resigned myself to the thought of losing Arko, and now you're to go instead. Of course, it's better this way.”

“You mean, I'm not as much of a loss?” I asked, surprised and a little hurt. She had never given the impression that she liked my brother best.

“Don't be stupid, Tig,” she said. “I mean that now I might keep both my sons—and by the way, if you happen to find your father, you can tell him I'm still waiting.”

I sighed and kissed her. It was nineteen years since my father had taken ship for Gil, and she still refused to believe he was dead.

This is a solid story, well written and although I didn’t find the pace relentless (possibly more an effect of the format, for me) it was consistent and I did want to find out what happened next. It is narrated (five years afterward) in the first person by Tig with his slightly sceptical outlook on life and is a good depiction of a country held under the oppressive thumb of its conquerors for a long time.

This could be read as a stand-alone despite the bitter-sweet ending - but I have the other books in the trilogy waiting for me ...

4-4.5 **** stars ( )