Let me start off my review by noting that Laurell K. Hamilton has some pretty severe maternal issues; in every book she's written, the main character's mother is either dead or emotionally distant. In the case of Nightseer, it's the former.

This is, by far, the least well-written of the Ms. Hamilton's books that I've read (and believe me, I've read the vast majority). Granted it's the first book she published, so leeway must be given, but still. There is very little to indicate the gradually occuring growth in her style...and even that ain't exactly the Century's Greatest Classics (she writes cheesy vampire novels and faerie porn, people. Let's keep it in perspective, okay?)

Interestingly enough, there is a character named Eduard who is cold, malicious, and morally bereft, yet strangely attractive and outwardly pleasant. Ring any bells, Anita Blake fans?

And the ongoing Mary Sue Count continues...at this point I'm thinking Laurell K. Hamilton's talents are like Amy Tan's--well-done, but limited in subject matter (how many of Ms. Tan's books have been about generations of Chinese women in California? Let's see...that would be all of them). She's basically a professionally-paid Mary Sue writer. Not that this is entirely a BAD thing--Anita Blake rocks, don't get me wrong--but when your work becomes a rehash of former subject matter, it's time to focus on another writing method.

(Of course, perhaps she HAS submitted different kinds of works to her publishing company, and had them rejected on the grounds that they weren't what they were looking for. Or perhaps she writes other stuff under a nomme de plume. That happens. I couldn't tell you. Anyway....)

Keleios is a beautiful human/elf/demon sorceress who exhibited signs of incredible magical and prophetic ability at the age of twenty. She's a tomboy who prefers trousers and boots to more feminine accoutrements, and has a magical half-elf pet cat named Poth (yes, half-elf. Yes, I'm omitting the visuals too). Her magic sword (of course she has a MAGIC sword, not just an ordinary weapon!) is named Luckweaver. She is being romantically pursued by a sinisterly attractive prince named Lothor, who has the requisite long silky hair that nearly ALL of Ms. Hamilton's male leads possess, and a rather elaborate wardrobe to boot (Jean-Claude, is that you?). Said Lothor is both antagonistic, yet simutaneously irresistable--stereotypical love/hate relationship, blah blah blah. Her mixed blood makes her less vulnerable to all sorts of magic.

Along those lines...what the hell kind of a name is 'Keleios' for a female character? (And how do you pronounce it?) Did she use the Scrabble Brand Random Fantasy Name Generator? 'Lothor' brings to mind the character from Saturday Night Live, Lothar of the Hill People. And 'Fidelis' for a female character? A female villain, at that? It's the male version of 'Fidelity' (a less common Puritan name).

A major problem of the book is the over-explaining . We are instantly crammed with information on potion-making and sorcerous incantations, with detail that endlessly drags on. Moreover, the detail is completely pointless and unnecessary, and is used as filler material. Plainly put, it's boring.

If that weren't enough, it's the wrong detail. The author spends pages elucidating the various spells and rituals, and throws lots of character names and occupations at us, but never bothers to let us know about the world she's created. I felt as though I was starting in the middle of the series, not at the beginning of a stand-alone book. For instance, the very first chapter opens with Keleios creating a spell. We're given lots of detail as to how the spell is worked, and what it does, and how she learned it...but we're not told why on earth she's doing this spell in the first place!

Then there's the background. Same problem...she tosses out the names of various cultures and cities, but never provides information on who's what, or has a map to help sort things out. It's all words, with no meaning behind them. Ms. Hamilton's world-building skills have definitely improved in the past ten years!

At several points, Keleios is called by the disparaging moniker of "halfling" by various villains. Setting aside the fact that she's actually a mix of three beings (and also skipping over the genetic issues thereof before I get hives), the title itself was most distracting. I kept expecting Frodo and company to pop up at any minute.

It's a more minor fault, and not due to the author, but still worth mentioning: The cover illustration for my copy shows a woman with her hands cupped holding a purple mystic-light-energy-thingy. Note the palms of her hands are perfectly smooth and normal. The character Keleios specifically has a large...well, for lack of a better word, zit (some sort of gnarly abscessed wound) on her right hand, that's usually covered with a leather glove. And yes, I'm pretty sure the cover art is supposed to be Keleios, because her hair is the same brown-gold colour described in the second paragraph of the first chapter (yet another indication of a Mary Sue).

Speaking of which...given her deformity, how is it that she merits the attentions of a half-elven prince? Wouldn't the massive weeping sore be kind of a turn-off? This is the same problem I have with Anita Blake...she's alledgedly covered in horrific scars from the various fights and accidents she's incured over her years as a vampire hunter (at age 24, no less), yet she has a whole bunch of ridiculously good-looking men constantly panting after her. And at least Anita's scars are healed...Keleios's wound is a bloody pustule leaking viscous fluid.

This book suffers from the same Random Named Character Syndrome as the Merry Gentry series (and, to an extent, the Anita Blake series). There are too many characters to remember, many of which serve no purpose and contribute nothing to the plot.