THE SHIPS OF AIR: Book Two of the Fall of Ile-Rien

In Wells's fine follow-up to 2003's The Wizard Hunters , Tremaine Valiarde emerges as one of the fantasy genre's more distinctive heroines—intelligent, wry, bitingly funny and impossible not to like. With Ile-Rien overrun by the merciless Gardier, Tremaine's motley band of Rienish and Syprian fighters may be her country's only hope of survival. Luckily for Ile-Rien, Tremaine—with the help of Syprians Illias and Gillead—might just be resourceful enough to find a weakness in the seemingly impervious Gardier's military machine. But first, she has more important things to worry about, like convincing the rest of the Rienish contingent that she's competent to lead them. A nice twist at the end will leave readers eager for the next installment in this strong series. Agent, Matt Bialer. (July)