The Extinction Gambit by Michael Pryor
The extraordinaires 1. Random House Australia, 2011. ISBN
9781864718201.
Highly recommended. The Extraordinaires is another clever and
entertaining novel by Michael Pryor, full of wit, adventure and edge
of the seat thrills. True to its name, this book is peopled with
extraordinary characters: from our brave, wolfish hero Kingsley, to
his strong and courageous albino companion, Evadne. The villains in
this novel are equally engaging, be they the troll-like, Damona or
the slippery, wheeler and dealer, Soames. Even an author, Rudyard
Kipling, makes an appearance.
The novel opens in 1908 in a small theatre where Kingsley is to make
his debut as a magician. But when his wolfish nature turns his magic
show into bedlam, Evadne decides to rescue him as her 'project'
little knowing that danger is lurking around the corner, quite
literally. Not only do the police think our beloved hero is guilty
of a dastardly crime, but also, there are dark creatures living in
dark places who want Kingsley for themselves, or at least, they want
his brain! And it seems they will stop at nothing to achieve their
ends.
Befitting a story that opens and closes in a theatre, this novel
often reads like a wonderfully old-fashioned melodrama with all the
fun and adventure that one would expect on a panto stage. The
humorous repartee between Kingsley and Evadne is also reminiscent of
such pantos and is sure to delight readers as they inwardly cheer on
their heroes' fight to stay one step ahead of the chase. However,
Pryor cleverly imbues his villains with more depth than might be
expected from the standard melodrama so the reader also cares about
the outcomes of their misadventures.
All in all, this is a delightful romp of a story, which is only to
be expected from the author of the brilliant series,The Laws of
Magic. It is especially exciting to know that this isn't just
a stand-alone adventure but the first in another series. Readers
will be eagerly anticipating the next book set in extraordinary
times and about extraordinary characters.
Deborah Marshall