A review by bergsteiger
The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein

3.0

Oh man. I so wanted to love this book. I enjoy Mrs. Kirstein's writing and I thought the character development was top notch. The world she created was a little grey and bland, but intriguing enough that it didn't detract. Now we come to the plot. Now let me be very clear, this is a personal hang up, but I absolutely detest fantasy stories where the "magic" is simply 20th century science being practiced in a medieval setting. This may sound strange, but my willing suspension of disbelief is harder to muster in a fantasy story that uses science as magic, than a fully created magical world. I find these science as magic stories to be particularly unimaginative and based on some sort of ridiculous circumstance (Dave Duncan's books come to mind). I didn't have any trouble finishing the book once I knew what was going on, but I was sorely disappointed by the "big surprise". I would still recommend this book to friends, I just know I won't be bothering with the rest of the series. Too many other fantastical worlds to explore...with real magic! ;)