published 1995; paperback 1995, Daw Books

How well do you know your closest companion? How well do you want to know them? That's what Vree and Bannon, a sister-and-brother assassin team, must learn in Tanya Huff's Fifth Quarter.

Fifth Quarter is set in the same world as Huff's Sing the Four Quarters, but in a different country and with a new set of characters. Vree and Bannon are part of the Havakeen Empire's Sixth Army, and they've been assassins since childhood. Because of the nature of their work, they have no intimates but each other, and even between each other, there is a certain detachment. All their energies are focused on staying alive and eliminating their targets.

Then a target, instead of dying, fights back in a way they didn't expect. The spirit of this man jumps into Bannon's body, displacing his spirit into Vree's, so that the two are sharing one body and one mind. Vree has no choice but to accompany her brother's body, now occupied by a man named Gyhard, as Gyhard goes in search of his real quarry, Prince Otavas. He promises that Bannon can have his body back if Vree helps him get the Prince's body, and with it, his life.

Vree's loyalties conflict, as she must weigh her oath to protect the royal family against her love for Bannon, and as the relationship between her and Gyhard begins to change from contempt and hatred into something else.

Vree's bond with Bannon also is strained, as Bannon proves to be a terrible houseguest, borrowing Vree's body without her permission and constantly urging Vree to have sex with his body so he can experience what it's like to make love to himself. It's like having Beavis and Butthead in your head round the clock. To make matters worse, when Vree and Gyhard get to the Capital, Prince Otavas's body has already been stolen by someone else!

I enjoyed the heck out of Fifth Quarter. The plot is full of interesting twists, and I especially liked the dialogue, which frequently made me laugh out loud. The ending is unexpectedly bittersweet, but fitting. Fifth Quarter has a depth to it that raises it above the standard adventure fantasy.

Review by Sara Lipowitz
Reviewed July 24, 1997

ISBN 0-88677-651-1

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