The Assassins of Tamurin

The Assassins of Tamurin by S.D. Tower

One of my lovely friends sent me a copy of this book for Christmas this year, and so I began reading in hopes of discovering a new world and new adventures, and I was definitely not disappointed.

When Lale, as a baby, washes up on the banks of a teeny, tiny poor village called Riversong and the people take her in, they do it grudgingly. They hardly have enough to eat themselves, and are not excited about one more person dependent on their meager resources. So, when she, as a child, makes a mistake that costs the village a valuable resource, they cast her out of their community, and she decides to try and make her way. Before long she is found by a woman who goes simply by Mother who offers to take Lale back to her school and teach her as one of her daughters. And so begins the grooming process.

I felt at its simplest, this was a story about community, and about how important it is to provide good community for the vulnerable. Lale is happy to be adopted by the woman she calls Mother because she is offered home, love and opportunity there when no one else will. The world itself is divided into Despotates ruled by Despots & Despotanas who live in extravagant mansions while taxing the incredibly poor people who they are responsible for, and so they live in constant fear of being overthrown. The drastic inequality has created an instability so pronounced that once thriving towns and cities are literally starting to crumble.

When Lale comes of age and is sent out into the world to do Mother's bidding, she begins to see more of how the larger world works, and wonders at this inequality she sees and why things are the way they are. This is a great coming of age story as we see Lale question the forces that have brought her to where she is, and consequently begin to take actions of her own accord.

This is S.D. Tower's only book (that I can find), and is out of print. As a book-lover & collector, this also makes this book a little extra intriguing. I enjoyed the writing and plot. The pacing was pretty consistent, with one little bit in the middle that dragged a tiny bit before the third act really kicked up. The ending is tied up very neatly, some might say too neatly, but I enjoyed it just the same, and would recommend this book as a thoroughly enjoyable read.