RUSALKA by C.J. Cherryh (Del Rey, 1989)

Pyetr Kochevikov is a party animal in a fantasy Russia where magic works. When he tries to bed one married woman too many, her husband stabs him and he, together with Sasha Vasilyevich, an innkeeper's servant (and sometime magician), flee into the wilderness. There they find an old magician on a mission to rescue his dead daughter no matter what the cost. Especially if that cost can be borne by Pyetr and Sasha.

C.J. Cherryh (click here to read other booksforabuck.com reviews of novels by this author) is an accomplished author with credits in both hard science fiction (Downbelow Station, Cyteen), and fantasy. In this novel, she writes a compellingly personal story of two young men, bound together by mutual need and respect. The solutions to their shared problems are never obvious, but draw the reader into the story and into the characters.

Four Stars

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