Got this at Worldcon, after being told that the sorceress was based on DWJ! I've liked PW's earlier, non-children's books much less than the Dragon books, and the Mairelon books, but not sure if this is a Lyra book. Sending it off to PDB11 to reduce the tempting pile of books (which should be avoided until I've finished course work) just a bit.

Many, many thanks to Hero for letting me read this first. I first encountered this book as a brief extract in "Fantasy Stories", edited by Diana Wynne Jones, who apologised for giving us the beginning of a book without the book itself, but couldn't resist introducing her favourite sorceress. If the rumour reported by Hero is true (that the sorceress is based on DWJ herself, which I can well believe, actually) it adds another layer of interest...

This book is not as good as Wrede's more mature Enchanted Forest books (although I think it is just as good as Mairelon), but Hero may be relieved that it is (to my taste anyway) rather better than the Lyra books.

The characters are a trifle over-drawn, and the world-building slightly sketchy (we only see two of the eponymous seven towers, for a start!). On the other hand the system of magic is interesting, the plot is well worked out, and the various relationships between characters acutely observed. (I'm not sure that the prince and princess didn't get on first-name terms a bit too easily, though.) And while DWJ's favourite sorceress is a gem of a character, I think that it is the Female Mercenary who really shines in this one!

Anyway, I've read the book twice already, and I was chuckling all the way through both times.

Received back, via P's mother - thanks to you both! Will probably start this tonight, once I've finished my current book-in-progress.