The Dollmakers

A woman’s quest to prove herself goes awry in Buchanan’s inventive if uneven debut, set in a world besieged by a horde of ravenous monsters called the Shod. Orphaned in an attack by the Shod at a young age, brilliant, arrogant Shean has devoted her life to building sentient dolls, the only weapon proven effective against the monsters. When, on the day of her licensing as a dollmaker, she is told her dolls are fit to be art, not fighters, she sets out on her own, determined to prove her worth. She hatches a scheme to challenge and displace Ikiisa, the dollmaker guarding the tiny village of Web, but finds the task more challenging than expected. While Buchanan’s premise and magic system are fresh and Shean’s character arc is satisfying, a tendency to introduce new lore just before it becomes necessary to the plot, and characters who often pause during action sequences to ponder or reminisce, slow the pace and add unnecessary baggage to the story. This ambitious outing may not completely hit the mark, but fans of empowering feminist fantasy will find it worth a look. Agent: Matt Bialer, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Aug.)