The Oathbound

The Oathbound Mercedes Lackey Date: 05 July, 1988   —   $6.99   —   Book product page Rating:

Fiction, Fantasy

Kethry and Tarma are a couple of characters that Lackey first introduced in a short story. This book, unfortunately, suffers from the fact that they are not introduced within the novel, and from the fact that this book reads more like a bunch of conjoined short stories— which it partially is— than a whole novel. That is a pity, as these two characters are quite engaging and well-rounded. I can understand why Lackey would have put the book together this way, but I wish she had done it otherwise.

That aside, if you don't mind an episodic read, this book is filled with interesting tales, sort of like "Selections From the Life of Kethry and Tarma." Not so bad. And as opposed to the Talia books, the sexuality in these books is almost exclusively the kind where a woman is wronged... and the protagonists avenge her. No underaged sexuality here, though one does have to contend with the brutality of rape (undescribed, thankfully.)