The Death of the Necromancer

The Death of the Necromancer is a 1998 fantasy novel by Martha Wells. It was first published by Eos/Harper Collins.

Synopsis

In the city of Vienne in the land of Ile-Rien, master criminal Nicolas Valiarde discovers that his elaborate plans for revenge are being disrupted by the return of a supernatural menace from centuries past.

Reception

The Death of the Necromancer was a finalist for the 1999 Nebula Award for Best Novel.[1]

Kirkus Reviews considered it to be "thoroughly engaging", with "(s)plendid plotting and characters and agreeably varied magics".[2]

At the SF Site, Steven H. Silver judged the plot to be "relatively simple", and in particular questioned the likelihood of Valiarde taking years to construct both a criminal empire and an entire separate persona as part of his planned revenge, only to be distracted at the last minute by the seemingly uninvolved Doctor Octave; Silver did, however, laud Wells for having created characters and a setting that "retain the readers' attention", and for avoiding a "comedy of errors" situation, ultimately stating that the novel was "worth reading".[3]

Background

Wells has stated that her portrayal of Valiarde was based on her desire to "write a protagonist who in most books like this would be the antagonist, if not the outright villain."[4]

The novel has a Sherlock Holmes theme, with Valiarde being based on Professor Moriarty, his assistant Reynard Morane being based on Sebastian Moran, his law-enforcement nemeses Inspector Ronsarde and Doctor Halle being based on Holmes and Doctor Watson, and his companion Madeline being based on Irene Adler ("but also Ellen Terry and Sarah Bernhardt").[5]

References
  1. The Death of the Necromancer, at Science Fiction Writers of America; retrieved November 10, 2018
  2. THE DEATH OF THE NECROMANCER by Martha Wells, reviewed at Kirkus Reviews; published May 1, 1998; archived online May 20, 2010; retrieved November 10, 2018
  3. THE DEATH OF THE NECROMANCER by Martha Wells, reviewed by Steven H Silver; at the SF Site; published March 1998; retrieved November 10, 2018
  4. Sleeps With Monsters: Martha Wells Answers Eight Questions, by Liz Bourke, at Tor.com; published May 14, 2013; retrieved November 10, 2018
  5. The Death of the Necromancer on Black Gate, by Martha Wells, on Livejournal; published July 1, 2013; retrieved November 10, 2018
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