Book Review: Power and Majesty by Tansy Rayner Roberts

Paperback, 512 pages
Published 2010 by HarperVoyager

“She almost missed the sight of a naked youth falling out of the sky. He was long and lean and muscled … He was also completely off his face.”

Greetings Brave Adventurers,

I love being in love with the last book I read. Don’t you?

And boy, do I LOVE Power and Majesty right now. This award winning novel by renowned Australian fantasy writer Tansy Rayner Roberts was an utterly enjoyable ride.

Power and Majesty is described as ‘dark fantasy’ and I found it a refreshing change from my regular epic fantasy fare. Not only does Rayner Roberts borrow from language and culture to imbue Power and Majesty with a very Ancient Roman flavour (a time period I absolutely adore BTW), she also manages to develop a very original fantasy world, with enough plot-twists and grey characters to keep even seasoned fantasy readers guessing.

Little do the daylight people of Aufleur know that a battle rages every evening right above their heads, a battle between the Sky and the Creature Court (a group of infighting shape-shifters who used to be human), a battle which must be won at all costs, or the city of Aufleur will be destroyed. The novel follows the story of Velody, a young girl who has come to the big city in the hopes of beginning a trade. But Velody is no ordinary girl. She sees the battle in the sky, and soon enough will need to take her place in the Creature Court.

The Creature Court blends the best of Roman history and culture. It combines the strength and majesty of the unseen and often warring Gods of Olympus, with the decadence and viciousness of Rome in the time of the early Caesars. The result is a dangerous, exotic, sensual world, and Velody, a female protagonist up to the challenge (just the way I like them!), must face enemies at every turn.

Don’t let the cover put you off. If you are a fantasy fan, then this is a book you have to read. I got to the last page of this book, and the first thing I did was hop on Booktopia and order Book 2, The Shattered City (which, at the time of writing, was selling for a ridiculously cheap price). Amazing, must-read fantasy. Put this at the top of your to-read pile.

I give this book 10/10 Sky-Battling Dragons