cover image The War in the Waste

The War in the Waste

Felicity Savage. HarperCollins Publishers, $14 (544pp) ISBN 978-0-06-105678-9

Savage's first novel, Humility Garden, was published in 1995, when she was 18. Her third novel, which kicks off a trilogy, displays, like her first two, a maturity of perception and vision that belie her age. While the novel concentrates on developing characters and setting up their world, it also features a richer plot and more action than most series starts. In customs, war, cultures and races, Savage's new fantasy world is intriguingly like, yet unlike, our own. Most unusually, daemons form the basis of all advanced technology, from spotlights to aircraft engines. The war is between the Queen-worshipping Ferupians and the lizard-tailed Kirekunis. The protagonist is Crispin Kateralbin, a daemon-handler born in--and driven out of--the circus, who, after various escapades, eventually joins the Ferupian Queen's Air Force. Romance, and an equally strong character, is provided in Rae Ash, a second-generation cultist whom Crispin meets in a town music hall. Their adventures highlight this well-written, well-paced novel, which, while not mapping new territory, presents high fantasy with zest and flair. (Sept.)