The Ambassador’s Mission is the first volume in the Traitor Spy Trilogy, the sequel to Trudi Canavan’s phenomenally popular Black Magician Trilogy. That being said, some background information on the fantastical world created by Canavan in her earlier novels would probably be useful for those who have not read the proceeding trilogy. The Black Magician Trilogy is comprised of The Magician’s Guild, The Novice and The High Lord (there is in fact also a prequel volume available now entitled The Magician’s Apprentice) and is set predominantly in Imardin, the capital city of Kyralia. The books follow a young girl named Sonea who, despite being raised in the slums of Imardin, discovers that she has magical abilities which are normally only found in members of the upper classes. Over the course of the trilogy, Sonea first attempts to avoid capture by the powerful Magician’s Guild as she tries to gain control over her powers. After being grudgingly given admittance to the Guild University Sonea struggles to fit in with her fellow novices and learn the formal rules of magic. Ultimately, it is up to Sonea to try and save Kyralia from an invasion by the Ichani, magicians who regularly use black magic. As even such a brief summary probably indicated, The Black Magician Trilogy was an incredibly rich and detailed fantasy saga and so, although of course not absolutely necessary, it would probably be best to read that first before moving on to the Traitor Spy Trilogy.

Now on to The Ambassador’s Mission itself. Twenty years on from the events of The Black Magician Trilogy, former street urchin Sonea is now a Black Magician of Kyralia as well as the  somewhat proud mother of Lorkin. As the son of the late High Lord Akkarin and Sonea, triumphant saviours of the city, Lorkin feels that he has a legacy of heroism and adventure to live up to. Much to Sonea’s dismay, when Lord Dannyl takes the position of Guild Ambassador to Sachaka, a land still ruled by cruel black magicians, Lorkin volunteers to accompany Dannyl as his assistant in the hopes of making his mark on the world.

When news reaches the city of Imardin that Lorkin is in danger, Sonea is desperate to travel to Sachaka to find him but knows that the law prohibiting Black Magicians from leaving the city means that if she travels to Sachaka she will be exiled forever. That’s not the only problem Sonea faces as her old friend Cery also needs her help. Most of Cery’s family have been murdered, the latest in a long line of assassinations to plague the leading Thieves of Imardin. There has always been great rivalry between members of the Guild of Thieves, but lately it seems that certain factions of the Thieves have been waging a deadly underground war. Cery is convinced that either a member of the Guild is hunting down Thieves one by one or that, once again, there is a rogue magician on the streets of Imardin, a rogue who has control of their powers and is prepared to use them to kill.

Trudi Canavan writes wonderful fantasy and in The Ambassador’s Mission it was great to revisit favourite characters and places from The Black Magician Trilogy. The majority of the main cast from the first trilogy are back here (Sonea, Cery, Regin, Dannyl, etc.) and, although they have certainly grown older and changed somewhat over the course of the twenty odd years that separates The Ambassador’s Mission from the events of The Black Magician Trilogy, their spirit has remained constant and their adventures are as entertaining as ever. Canavan handles the introduction of Lorkin and other new faces well and they seamlessly fit into the established continuity. While The Ambassador’s Mission is still an action-packed, twisting labyrinth of a fantasy novel, it is perhaps slightly lighter in tone that Canavan’s earlier novels and is certainly more humorous. These differences serve to enhance the story rather than detract from it though. It is excellent to be able to venture back into the universe of the black magicians and The Ambassador’s Mission is a great start to another hugely promising series from Trudi Canavan.

To further whet your appetite, an extract from The Ambassador’s Mission is available on the Orbit website.

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