Want a babe with her bouncing vest just begging to be ripped as she runs in distress for knights to save her? Then run fast and far away from this book. Because Steve Lazarowitz has his nimble writer’s fingers on the current reader’s pulse, and he has surely gazed into the crystal ball of our readership desires.

A Leaf in the Wind is an amazing book that blows away the old cobwebs of others in its genre. It contains a strong female character that is a rare thing indeed. Raised by a trusted warrior in a magical place, this young elf is the last of her kind. Far from being pampered, she is trained to survive off of the land. She is not afraid to talk back, fight back, and stick up for herself. She might be the damsel in distress, but you will not see a swoon here or a plea for mercy!

Many fantasy books I have read have seemed written by formula at times. This one takes you by the hand and creates a world that not only feels real, but it makes you wish it could be. Yes, there are Mages, damsels in distress, royalty, evil magic, and the usual pubs and taverns. That is not what makes it unique, however. These characters really do change with time and in ways not always predictable—that says a lot for someone who has been reading fantasy for over forty years.

So what does this book offer? A fight for the throne and a mirror of our own political reality that is not only sneaky but includes misperceptions which are constant and real dangers to the truth. The magical elements are more like our own use of technology. Much of the magic in A Leaf in the Wind is like that in the hands of those who stumble upon it and sometimes with humorous results.

A Leaf in the Wind stands well enough alone that to find there are two others after this gives me great delight and sent me on a quest to Double Dragon eBooks to find them. Happily, it does not involve pots of gold.

Reviewed By Nancy Louise
© November 2006