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published 1995; paperback 1995, Del Rey
You know the story. Heroes of legend. Mighty thews and mirror-sheened armor and six outriders to carry the baggage. Godlike strength sheathed in unbreakable honor, all of it seated on a horse with more beauty and wit than any lady fair. Gold enamelwork and blood-bright pennants visible, far off in the distance. And up rides.... Titch.
In tied-together armor Titch is living his dream. Equipping himself with castoffs, bearing an heirloom sword and straddling an equally antique horse, Titch is off to the grand tourney, where he hopes to win a great ransom. By finding less laughable equipage, establishing himself, and gaining some lord's service, maybe someday he might become a man of property himself, as his late father had been. But along the way he falls in love.
Knights like Titch don't aspire to courtly love, or even the more carnal sorts of stirrings. Knights like Titch have a very clear set of priorities, as well as a great deal of sense, or they don't last long. The True Knight can have only one companion: his valiant and trusty steed. Titch has spied Valadan, Susan Dexter's fabulous Warhorse of Esdragon. No hardship can be too great for Titch to gain this mount.
The third book of the Warhorse of Esdragon series marks a return to the humor of the first, without succumbing to slapstick. The characters and setting avoid the stereotyped display of most romance, in which the characters are cardboard, the villains are preposterous, and the whole saga concludes with a surrender. Dexter does not do this. Titch is a character of depth, as is Gerein, the mostly inadvertent villain who offers Titch the horse in exchange for aiding his not-so-honorable escape from his angry former master. For the most part, Gerein intends to hold to that promise. However, matters become complex.
This book seems to be better plotted than the previous two and manages to encompass heartache as well as humor. Dexter's use of magic in this book is more sophisticated, as she tells the parallel story of Wren, the girl who was caught by her mentor in a fishing-net as an otter and transformed. Together Wren and Titch face down Wren's most feared enemy, the queen Melcia, whose son has been torn from her by a spell.
I like Dexter because her characters never give in, remaining true to themselves even under the most extreme pressure. When characters must give all to gain their desires, they shouldn't become plastic, for an author to mold as she pleases. In this story, not every sacrifice is accepted, and happiness is not granted to everyone. The queen of Melcia, as devastated by grief as she is, will not give in. Gerein's captors, noble as they are, never relent. And even when torn apart by love, Titch will not allow himself to interfere with Wren's future. He proves himself to be the truest knight that ever was. This book showcases Susan Dexter's talent to perfection.
Review by Becky Parkhurst
Reviewed February 27, 1997
ISBN 0-345-39345-7
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