Mercedes Lackey fans, steampunk aficionados, and even fantasy newcomers will find this combination of coming-of-age drama, a vivid magic/technology symbiosis, and high-stakes action hard to put down. (LJ 9/15/15)
Acclaimed for his self-published "Shadow Dance" books, Dalglish launches a series that leans much more on the sf side than his previous sweeping fiction but still contains the movement and adventure his readers adore. A must-read for fans of Michael Sullivan and Brent Weeks, this title will be popular with both adult and teen readers. [See Eric Norton's sf/fantasy spotlight feature, "A Genre Takes Flight," LJ 8/15.]
Introducing secondary characters as fascinating as his protagonist, Dalglish has written a gripping fantasy trilogy about a Batman-like vigilante hero whose penchant for doing the right thing does not outweigh his inner darkness.
Dalglish's (the "Paladins" series) latest novel, the first of an originally self-published trilogy (A Dance of Blades; A Dance of Mirrors), relies on strong characterization as well as detailed action and fight scenes to produce a believable tale of a young man's coming of age and the difficult decisions he must make. His saga should appeal to fans of R.A. Salvatore and Richard Lee Byers.