The Leopard

April 7, 2014
Marakand’s Red Masks are governed by the Voice of the Lady of Marakand, a dark figure whose true nature is a closely held secret. As the Red Masks invade their neighbors, those they cannot rule are killed out of hand, or worse, bound to the Lady’s service as terrible mockeries. Deyandara, bastard heir to a lost throne and would-be bard, barely survived a Red Mask massacre; she seeks out the cursed assassin Ahjvar, hoping he will turn his deadly skills against the entity behind the Red Masks. If he agrees, Deyandara’s goddess Catairanach promises Ahjvar the one treasure that can tempt him: his own death. Although clearly the first installment in an ongoing series, an introduction rather than a complete novel, the work highlights Johansen’s strengths. A surprising number of characters and plot threads are deftly interwoven and tucked into comparatively few pages. The world of mages, half-demons, devils, and false bards is also an intriguing mix of the familiar and the novel, and while the plot is mostly an appetizer, the taste is fine enough to whet the reader’s appetite for future courses.

June 15, 2014

Condemned to survive as living souls trapped in bodies that cannot die, Marakand's Red Masks are pledged to the service of the Voice of the Lady of Marakand, a demonic creature that lives in a pool of water deep under the city. One of those bound to this horrifying half life is Ahjvar, an assassin known as the Leopard. For his assistance in killing the Voice, Deyandara, the heir to the throne, has promised to help free Ahjvar of the curse and give him a natural death. VERDICT Unfortunately, Johansen (Blackdog) veers away from this promising beginning with its intriguing protagonists. As this is the first volume in a perhaps lengthy series, the author introduces a plethora of other characters who appear briefly, creating a confusing muddle of plotlines. However, her world of demons, mages, and warriors is compelling, so readers used to the likes of Robert Jordan and George R.R. Martin might give her a chance.--Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage P.L., AK

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2014
Deyandara, survivor of a massacre among her people, is sent by her goddess Catairanach to find the assassin Ahjvar, known as the Leopard, and get him to agree to kill the Voice of Marakand. Ahjvar agrees because he wants nothing more than to end his cursed life, and he hopes that this will satisfy the goddess so she will allow him to die. He's accompanied on the journey to the bustling city of Marakand by Ghu, a former slave and the only person close to Ahjvarbut Ghu is not merely a slave. The Voice of Marakand is mad, and old, and it seems as though it is a simple matter. Of course, it can't be that easy, and very little is as it seems. The Voice that speaks through the old woman isn't the voice of a godit's the voice of a demon driven mad by imprisonment. The cascade of destruction begun with the death of the first Voice threatens to engulf the entire world as our heroes know it; far from being freed from his curse, Ahjvar is even further entrapped. It ends on a bit of a cliff-hangerfortunately, the sequel is already scheduled.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)