Book 1 of the Secret Texts series is set in a world considerably more urban and urbane than traditional fantasy quest epics. Dirigible balloons ("airibles") coexist with Machiavellian plotting, Borgia-like malevolence, and deadly family rivalry resembling that of the Montagues and Capulets in Romeo and Juliet. There's magic, too, forbidden but still furtively used: Each clan has its concealed corps of "Wolves," black magicians who conduct cruel sacrifices and may become physically monstrous from spell backlash. Young heroine Kait is a diplomat trainee and secretly a shapeshifter--that is, accursed and marked for death if ever exposed. After a horrific clash of wizardry and assassination that almost wipes out her clan, she takes ship in search of the ancient Mirror of Souls, which according to legend can bring back the dead. But legends may be booby-trapped: Kait and other characters become guided by helpful spirit voices, gods with their own agenda and no love of humanity, and the Mirror's real function may be altogether different. Meanwhile, a long-dead sorcerer who opposed the gods with his own white-magic cult awaits rebirth. The magic and its transforming side effects are exhilaratingly horrid; the novel ends with a whopping cliffhanger. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk


From Booklist
In a well-depicted fantasy world, Kait Galweigh, a young noblewoman and diplomat, discovers a sinister plot by both human and magical forces against her family. Unfortunately, she can defeat it only by using her own powers, which are considered so accursed that her kin would kill her on the spot if she revealed them. She has to flee for her life, with demons pursuing her, friends turning into foes and vice-versa, and intrigues multiplying at almost every turn of a page. In spite of its comparatively conventional development and being the first volume of yet another fantasy saga, The Secret Texts, this is absorbing reading. The action is brisk, the characters are--as we have come to expect from Lisle--offbeat, the realistic detail does not tilt overboard into grunge, and the villains are really villainous. Definitely a page turner, certain to please Lisle's established fans, it is also an excellent work with which to make first contact with a fantasy writer who deserves greater repute. Roland Green


Download Description
The Secret Texts trilogy is the story of the deadly fight of smaller and weaker opponents against the enormous forces that wield evil magic in the world of Matrin. Over the course of the three-book series, a magical war threatening the people of an entire world will challenge the ingenuity of our heroes In DIPLOMACY OF WOLVES, we meet the ruling families of the country Ibera. They have always lived uneasily together, but recently matters have come to a head. Young Kait Galweigh has won the freedom to represent her family, the Galweighs, in its diplomatic missions throughout Ibera. But on her first mission, Kait uncovers a deadly plot by two of the other families to destroy the Galweighs and take over their holdings. However, Kait finds herself turning to matters far more world-threatening when she hears a mysterious voice urging her to travel to a far-off continent and retrieve the mysterious Mirror of Souls. Who--or what--is leading her so far from home? Who is following her in a ship with black sails? And most of all, what will the Mirror of Souls really accomplish, once she brings it back?

FROM THE PUBLISHER

For four hundred years, the great Houses of Sabir and Galweigh have battled for control of Calimekka - while each clan's wizards, the Wolves, plot in shadows to revive the hellish necromancies that once destroyed the world. Now at her cousin's royal wedding to the decadent House Dokteerak, a young diplomat named Kait Galweigh discovers a Sabir plot to ambush the entire House of Galweigh. Suddenly Kait must escape an alien citadel pursued by mortal and demonic assassins. Her only hope is a secret weapon she dares not use: for Kait was born with a power so cursed that her own people will kill her if her nature is discovered. But unless Kait's deadly magic is unleashed, her mortal enemies will crush Calimekka in a reign of unholy horror...

SYNOPSIS

In DIPLOMACY OF WOLVES, we meet the ruling families of the country Ibera. They have always lived uneasily together, but recently matters have come to a head. Young Kait Galweigh has won the freedom to represent her family, the Galweighs, in its diplomatic missions throughout Ibera.

FROM THE CRITICS

VOYA - Diane Yates

All her life Kait has kept her secret hidden-she is Karnee, a skinshifter, part human and part beast. The Karnee are feared, loathed, and killed instantly if discovered. When Kait meets another of her kind, Ry, an instant bond is formed. Ry is a Sabir, one of her family's sworn enemies. Suddenly, Kait's entire family is killed by treachery involving not only the Sabirs, but their other enemies, the house of Dokteerak. Kait's long-dead fifth great-grandmother tells her that if Kait journeys to find the Mirror of Souls, it can restore her loved ones to life. A thousand years ago, there was a great Wizard's War in which a good wizard (the Reborn) was killed by the Dragons. His student cast oracles and predicted the events unfolding in Kait's time; the Reborn will return when the Dragons rise again. The Mirror of Souls must be taken to the Reborn to prevent another disaster and Kait is to be the conduit for this return. Magic has been mostly forbidden since the Wizard's War, but the Wolves of each family have studied the old texts, trying to solve the mysteries. They cause some horrific massacres on all sides while trying to gain power. At the end the real string-pullers are the Gods, the Star Council, who control mankind's actions. This fast-paced story moves along smartly; in-depth characterizations bring the inhabitants of these troubled lands to life. Lisle has mastered the technique of writing high fantasy-the language is appropriate, the world-building is complex, and the struggle between good and evil promises to be a mighty one; and yet, the characters have all the strengths and flaws that humans have. Readers who pay close attention will be rewarded. This first book of The Sacred Texts trilogy ends on a cliffhanger, leaving readers eager for the next installment. VOYA Codes: 4Q 2P S (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses, For the YA with a special interest in the subject, Senior High-defined as grades 10 to 12).

Todd Richmond - SF Site