Maze is a well-written, entertaining swords and sorcery fantasy and mystery story all rolled into one, and the combo works beautifully, as I daresay it does in my short story "Nightmare in Xipan." Interestingly, there are no discernable science fiction elements in the story, even though F&SF states in its submission guidelines that having a sci-fi element, however small, is a requirement for publication in the magazine.
This was the first Falco story that I have ever read, and I am eager to read more of them. Mr. Chappell's world is set in a kind of Italy during the Renaissance, but it is clearly a world other than our own. In this world, shadows can be captured (or stolen--but don't call Falco a thief!) and used by shadow masters in various, interesting ways. This makes for a unique scheme of magic--reason enough to open the book--but it was the cast of fascinating and mysterious characters that kept me turning the pages.
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