| Author: S. C. Butler | Series: Stoneways Trilogy |
| Rating: 5 (Trinalor's Scale) | Reviewer: Trinalor |
| Genre: Fantasy | Publisher:Tor |
| Pages: 463 | Orig Pub Date: September 2006 |
| Binding: Hardcover | Cover Illus.: Daniel Dos Santos |
"Twelve years since, in one boy's life. Now Wizards rise with fire and knife. The Three shall seek the one."
Reiffen’s Choice is Book One of the Stoneways Trilogy, and the first novel of S.C. Butler. It will be released this September, but Fantasy Book Spot graciously mailed me an Advance Uncorrected Proof for review.
The titular character Reiffen is a twelve year old boy who is unable to claim his rightful place as King of Wayland and Banking due to political strife and betrayal. He lives with his mother in a small lakeside village where animals talk, bears shape-shift, and dwarves have begun venturing above ground.
There is magic in this world, but it is controlled by three Wizards. They desire to rule over all and they see Reiffen as a convenient means to their end. They abduct Reiffen and offer to teach him their powerful magic and restore his throne to him if he will agree to join them in their quest for world domination. Should he refuse to willingly participate in their plotting, then they will use their magic to compel him to do their bidding. Thus, Reiffen is given the choice of having some control over his future or becoming a mere puppet king.
Meanwhile, Reiffen’s mother has charged Redburr the Shape-Shifting bear to rescue her son. Redburr enlists the aid of Nolo the dwarf and Reiffen’s two best friends, Avender and Ferris. Somehow, the four of them must free Reiffen from the terrible Three.
The better part of this novel follows the rescue party. Their journey to Ussene where Reiffen is being held leads them through the dwarven world within the mountains. There, the children and the reader are introduced to the amazing stone-working skills of the dwarves and their magnificent upside-down city.
The writing is straightforward and uncluttered, but I was unable to develop any sense of empathy for the characters (except, maybe, for the talking pebble.) The children had no distinctive personalities, the dwarf was the stolid pragmatist while the bear was comic relief when he wasn’t in a full on rage. The young audience that this book is targeting may feel a sense of building tension and concern, but as an adult reader, I found the story mildly diverting at best.
I did appreciate that although Reiffen’s Choice is the first part of a trilogy, it had a resolution while providing a natural segue for book two, Queen Ferris.
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