The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V. S. Redick

I picked this book up on a lark of sorts... I had previously seen, and liked, the cover art online, but besides what that shows, I knew very little of what to expect from The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V. S. Redick. I am not typically one to go for nautical fantasy... not that I have anything against the high seas, it just normally does not catch my interest or imagination. Well, thankfully I really did like the cover art on this book (I know, I know, don’t judge a book.. blah blah blah), or I would not have picked it up and experienced such a wonderful read... as an aside - this is amusing to me, as the reviewer in the LA Times calls the cover “forgettable” (which is kind of true, but I still think it looks cool).

The Red Wolf Conspiracy by Robert V. S. Redick opens ominously with a news clipping of a ship lost at sea. It is not just any ship, but the Cathrand, a ship of legends and history (and perhaps magic). The story that follows is a fresh and wondrous tale. There are surprises and intrigue galore in this book. A large cast of characters which populate the Cathrand add a welcome amount of complexity to the story. Set in a world with a lush history, it is a stimulating adventure that any fantasy fan would enjoy. This book creates that sense wonder that fantasy literature often strives for, yet rarely achieves. Robert V. S. Redick does such an awesome job of setting everything up (the setup is actually better than the payoff, but I didn’t mind that one bit) that I am dying to read more of him... as this is the first book in a planned trilogy, I could not be happier that I will get to read more, and will certainly be buying the next two books as they come out - this is one of those stories where I feel I will want to read the whole thing in one breathtaking swoop (meaning I will wait until the trilogy is complete, and then reread this book before the next two). Of course, my enjoyment and wonderment was certainly partially due to the Merchant's Polylex (you got to read the book if you want to know what the Merchant's Polylex is)... as is probably the case with a lot of book lovers, I am a sucker for secret books of knowledge playing key roles in a story - and the 13th Edition of the Merchant's Polylex sure sounds like one cool ass book to have along on a voyage on the Cathrand.

The Red Wolf Conspiracy did a good job of not only entertaining me, but also making me realize that I do like me some ship fiction... as a land-lovin’ kind of guy, I know nothing of boats (are they suppose to be called “ships”?), but I am now on the lookout for some more high seas fantasies and other stories that I think I might enjoy - I just recently picked Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander, but who knows when I will get around to reading it (not that that is fantasy, but I think there are some boats on an ocean in it). Anyway, that’s about it for this one - a fun read, a challenging read in some aspects, an engaging read, an entertaining read, a wondrous read (help, I need better adjectives), and a book I definitely recommend you read. I’d also suggest you poke around the website for the book for more info and some samples.