 | |
| Author | Martha Wells |
|---|---|
| Country | United States of America |
| Language | English |
| Series | Ile-Rien |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Eos Press/HarperCollins |
Publication date | 1998 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 359 (Hardcover) |
| ISBN | 978-0380973347 |
| Preceded by | The Element of Fire |
| Followed by | The Wizard Hunters |
The Death of the Necromancer is a 1998 fantasy novel by Martha Wells. It was first published by Eos/HarperCollins.
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.
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 "splendid plotting and characters and agreeably varied magics". [2]
At 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]
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]
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