Fantastic Fantasy Finds: Godstalk by P.C. Hodgell

Godstalk
Dark of the Moon
Seeker's Mask
To Ride A Rathorn

by P.C. Hodgell

The hero of this dark fantasy series is Jame Talissen, a mysterious young woman from a race called the Kencyr, who arrives in the labyrinthine city of Tai-Tastigon with motivations unknown even to her. She wears gloves because she has claws. She has emerged from the haunted lands, a place devoured by a mysterious evil called Perimal Darkling. The city of Tai-Tastigon itself is a city of a thousand gods, and it is also haunted, and, here, Jame soon becomes involved with some very shady characters--the
Thieves' Guild--which leads to unsettling confrontations with a charismatic monster named Bane, who, it turns out, has connections to her family.

Jame eventually learns that she has a twin brother and that the Kencyr are a race of warrior magicians feared by many. In the sequels, Jame makes her way of the city and we see more of this incredible world of dark magic. There are horrors and tricky friendships and a nightmarish force that stalks her.

I love this series and can't recommend it enough at a time when kick-ass heroines are the vogue. Its heroine is compelling and likable, similar to one of the mythological Tricksters. The world is lush and dark and disturbing. The characters are fascinating.