Series about Tortall by Tamora Pierce


All of the books in this posting take place within a universe created by the author, centered around the country of Tortall. Each series can stand alone, although several of the characters appear in multiple story lines, so some of the 'back-story' is in previous books.

• Song of the Lioness Quartet:
  

  1. Alanna, the First Adventure - Alanna of Trebond is getting shipped off to school to learn how to be a lady and her twin brother is off to start his training to be a knight. But that's the last thing either of them wants, so they conspire to switch places: Alanna will pretend to be 'Alan' and earn her shield while Thom studies to be a mage. Training is difficult - and so is hiding her real sex, but Alanna is determined to get through her first four years as a page.

  
  

  2. In the Hands of the Goddess - Alanna continues her training as Prince Jonathan's squire. Throughout those four years, she discovers even more difficulties, including war with a neighboring country, but also has help since the Great Mother Goddess has decided to adopt Alanna as one of her own. Soon, the young squire will find that being a Chosen one of the gods is incredibly complicated...

  
  

  3. The Woman Who Rides Like a Man - The newly knighted 'Lioness' leaves Corus to let outrage die down, now that her identity has come to light. She finds far more than she bargained for when she kills a Bazhir mage and the tribe forces her to take his place. Alanna must face her fears about magic and learn that there's more to being a knight than just swordfights.
  

  
  

  4. Lioness Rampant - Although Tortall is a strong country, they are threatened by political upsets all around. The only way to unite and consolidate Tortall's power under Jonathan's rule is for Alanna to bring home the Dominion Jewel - a mythical gem that a ruler can use to bond the land of an entire country to the Crown. The path to get the Jewel, and then bring peace to Tortall is long and difficult, but Alanna can do it if anyone can.
  

  
  



• The Immortals Quartet:
  (This series mentions some of the same characters - like the King - but can stand alone.)
  

  1. Wild Magic - When Veralidaine Sarrasi goes to the horse fair looking for a job, she never dreamed that she would meet people who could see her true potential - although she doesn't have the Gift, she's a wild mage. Daine has the power to talk to animals and even shift into their shapes. When Numair Salmalín (the most powerful mage known in Tortall or elsewhere) discovers her talents, he teaches her to use them and Daine finds herself thrust in the midst of adventures.

  
  

  2. Wolf Speaker - Daine gets word from the wolf pack that she used to live with (when she was first orphaned) that the humans in their valley are destroying the land where the pack hunts. Numair and Daine (now with the dragon kit Skysong in tow) head out to help them, but when they get there, they discover that the problem is far worse than they imagined: treason. Suddenly, it's up to them, with the help of the wolf pack, to save Tortall.

  
  

  3. The Emperor Mage - When Tortall sends a delegation to Carthak to forge an agreement between the countries, Daine goes with them, to look at the Emperor's prized birds. But when she gets there, a forgotten local goddess, the Graveyard Hag, decides that Daine presents the perfect opportunity to make herself known to the people again. Temporarily given the power to bring dead animals back to life, Daine suddenly discovers that when the gods meddle, her life becomes far more complicated. Her only hope is to find a way to fix the situation fast...

  
  

  4. In the Realms of the Gods - During an attack from some particularly nasty Immortals, Daine almost dies and wakes up in the realm of the immortals where she finally meets her father and discovers that her mother has become a low-level goddess herself. Unfortunately, she and Numair (who got pulled in with her) can't stay long because their friends in Tortall need their help in the war. Although it's difficult, the two must trek across the immoral realms to find the dragons, who might be able to take them back. It turns out, however, that where they /are/ isn't much safer than where they're headed. Getting home is going to be a challenge.

  
  



• Protector of the Small
  (This series is also a stand-alone, but there are more characters from the Lioness series)
  

  1. First Test - Although it is no longer illegal for girls to earn their shields, none have trained to become knights. Keladry of Mindelin has decided to be the first. After living with her parents in the Yamani Islands as diplomats, Kel understands the importance of training and what it will take to be a knight. Her parents agree, but Kel discovers that, unlike the other pages, she'll be on probation for a year, simply because she's a girl. Although she's frustrated by the injustice, Kel is determined to prove that she can keep up with the boys - and maybe surpass them.

  
  

  2. Page - Having survived the first year, Kel gets permission to continue her knightly training, but she discovers that making it this far doesn't mean any of it is easier. Kel still struggles with her fear of heights, but she works hard in her studies and continues to prove her worth, slowly gaining the trust of her fellow pages. She'll have to put her skills to work, though as she ends her first four years.

  
  

  3. Squire - Kel is excited when Raoul of Goldenlake chooses her to be his squire. Together, they set off on the royal progress, training and fighting in tournaments. Occasionally, there are adventures, however - like the one that lands Kel with a baby griffin that only she can take care of. Although her four years as squire are difficult, it all comes down to the final test of knighthood; everyone is waiting to see if Kel will make it past the Chamber of the Ordeal and be the first (legal) Lady Knight.

  
  

  4. Lady Knight - Having earned her shield, Kel gets sent to a distant outpost where she has to build a refugee camp from scratch. Although it takes more work than she had expected, Kel soon becomes attached to 'her' people. When their peace is threatened, Kel takes on the 'killing machines' that she saw in the Chamber of the Ordeal. It will be her biggest challenge yet, but Kel is not about to abandon the people that she has sworn to protect.

  
  



• Trickster's Choice & Trickster's Queen
  (The main character is Alanna's daughter, so reading the other series helps, but isn't necessary)
  
  

  1. Alianne of Pirate's Swoop is the daughter of Alanna, the King's Champion (the Lioness) and George Cooper, the King's spymaster. Her mother hopes that she will find something thing occupy her time, but since Aly doesn't want to be a knight or learn to be a proper 'lady,' Alanna is at a loss. What Aly really wants to do is become a field agent for her father, but neither parent will let her spy. When Aly sails away to visit friends, she gets abducted by pirates and sold as a slave. Suddenly, her world has turned upside down. It gets even more interesting when a local god (who claims to be her father's patron) makes her a bet: if she can keep the household's children alive through the end of the summer, Kyprioth (the god) will send her home. He assures that she will have help from him and from the crows (who are the animals of his domain). Aly takes the bet, although it will take all the spying skills that she has learned to keep her end of the bargain.
  

  2. In the sequel, Trickster's Queen, Aly has agreed to stay in the Copper Isles as the spymaster for the raka movement. Now that the family has moved back to Rajmuat, plans to put Sarai on the throne have stepped up. Aly's talents come in handy as she coordinates the activities and information of her spies throughout the city, slowly working to bring down the regents. Now, with the help of raka servants and the crow warriors, it looks like it might finally happen.

  
  

Tamora Pierce is one of my favorite authors; these are books that I come back to time and again when I need something good to read. Each of these series features unique, but realistic characters that are hard to forget - particularly the strong, self-possessed heroines. The setting has a sort of King Arthur feel, with knights, monsters, and magic (albeit different from the sort Merlin used), but it is set in a fantasy world. The only thing that occasionally annoys me about these books is that each series seems to cover less time, which means I tend to be left wondering what happens next and wishing there were another book. Despite that, I would recommend any of these books to fantasy readers.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms, Poison Study, Howl's Moving Castle, or The Last Apprentice

Storm Thief by Chris Wooding

Rail and Moa live in Orokos, the only city in the world, or so everyone believes. Unfortunately, it isn't a particularly good place to live despite having no escape - much of the population is poor, living in shacks and eating government-issue gruel. Although the poorest citizens bear the brunt, the whole city is at the mercy of 'probability storms,' terrifying sweeps of chaos that can change nothing or everything, often rearranging streets or moving buildings and people. The storms cause death and destruction in their wake. They have already taken a toll on Rail who can no longer breathe without the aid of a respirator as a result of one storm.

As ghetto-folk, the two make their living as thieves, barely maintaining their existence, although Rail dreams of moving up in the world and giving Moa a better life. On one trip, however, Rail discovers a treasure - a piece of technology from before the 'Fade' and the probability storms. This particular item causes them more trouble than he could have imagined, forcing them to run as fugitives and venture into dangerous places as a way to survive. Soon their path will cross that of a golem from another part of the city - between the three of them, they will discover the darkest secrets of the city and have to make difficult decisions which will affect their lives and the fate of Orokos.


This was an interesting book - although it is fantasy, more or less, it reads like a SciFi novel, with a lot of emphasis on technology and political aspects of the world rather than magic. Also, there were several aspects of the book that reminded me of SciFi movies rather than fantasy - so, readers who prefer 'pure' fantasy should probably pass this one up.

I really liked the characters in this story - particularly the golem, although the relationship between Rail and Moa is kind of ambiguous despite its strength (not a problem although I found myself speculating throughout the book).

I think it's also important for readers to know that this book is kind of dark - very solemn and with the constant feeling of the oppressive storms hanging over the city. Additionally, the ending is incredibly vague, without any real resolution - I don't know if there's going to be a sequel or not, however, according to Wooding's site, a new book called The Fade will be coming out soon (it sounds like it's related, but possibly a prequel).

Another random note: Wooding writes in British English, which doesn't make very much difference, but once or twice it made me blink for a moment, so readers who are bothered by that sort of thing should take it into account.

Given all of this, I have to say that it was an interesting book - and it certainly held my attention - but is probably not one of the best novels I've read. Readers who like more serious, SciFi-inclined books might want to check it out, but if you're looking for dragons or magic, this is not the book for you.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Lady in Gil, Fly by Night, or The Summoning

Resenting the Hero & The Hero Strikes Back by Moira J. Moore

These books take place in a world home to constant natural disasters, averted only by talented individuals known as 'Sources' (who channel power to deflect disaster) and 'Shields' (who keep the minds and bodies or the Sources safe while they channel). Dunleavy Mallorough was taken from her family when she was four to train as a Shield and has finally made it to 'graduation.' Sources and Shields can only work in pairs, and the best pairs are 'bonded' - a spontaneous, unpredictable, uncontrollable, and permanent connection formed as soon as a pair sets eyes on one another. Dunleavy has her sights set on several of the Source candidates, but is disappointed when she ends up bonded to Lord Shintaro Karish, a talented Source with a reputation for being very popular...with everyone. Dunleavy has little time to get used to the idea since they get shipped off, almost immediately, to High Scape - a large city with enough disasters to boast a large compliment of the most experienced Pairs. They'll have to get over their differences fast, though, since disasters (natural and otherwise) come straight at them as soon as they settle in.

In the sequel, The Hero Strikes Back, Lee and Taro have recovered from all of the problems they faced in the first book and life in High Scape has settled down to normal. Well...almost normal. It's snowing in the middle of the summer. Unfortunately, there's nothing that the Pairs can do about (ab)normal weather if it doesn't involve major forces of nature. That doesn't keep the citizens from being hostile about the abrupt changes in the weather which are destroying their livelihoods, however. Meanwhile, both Lee and Taro have to deal with personal problems, too. Lee's mother has come to visit and Taro's is threatening to come force him to bend to her will. Without a choice, Lee and Taro must rise to the occasion to meet all of the new challenges thrust upon them.

I have really enjoyed these books. The plots are interesting, although the first book has more action while the second has more character development. The characters are very realistic and they interact well. Also, the situations surrounding Sources and Shields is well described and everything is easy to follow. The stories are told from Lee's point of view and infused with her thoughts and wit.

I'll admit that my first inclination was to think of the parallels to Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series which involves 'channeling the Source' and 'bonds' between the person who channels and the one(s) who protects her (for those who are unfamiliar). However, despite the similarities in terms, these books really aren't at all alike - the characters and their powers work very differently and the ideas behind this series is original and in a very different style.

Although these books are fantasy, the emphasis is definitely on the people and the situations - good for readers of all sorts. Overall, I would definitely recommend these books. I'm looking forward to the third book which comes out sometime in 2008, and also the fourth book which is still in the works. Update: here's my post about Heroes' Reward and the end of the series.


Anyone who wants commentary, updates, and excerpts on upcoming books can check out Moira J. Moore's LiveJournal. (She also has a webpage, but it seems to have far less information.)

• If these books sound interesting, consider these: The Immortalsseries, Harper Hall Trilogy, or Spirit Fox

Heroics for Beginners by John Moore

This novel is a parody of fairy tales (borrowing liberally from popular culture and favorite stories) which looks at the 'real life' side. At the beginning, several suitors are vying for the hand of Princess Rebecca of Deserae - but all of this comes to an end when the kingdom's Ancient Artifact (a Model Seven) gets stolen by an Evil Overlord. Lord Voltmeter (He Who Must Be Named) has plans to use the Artifact to power his Diabolical Device and take over the twenty kingdoms. Prince Kevin Timberline from Rassendas has decided to get the Artifact back so that he can marry Becky. Armed with The Handbook of Practical Heroics, Kevin heads off to the Village of Angst and starts scouting a way into the Fortress of Doom (open Mon-Fri, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM with extended hours for the ventilation shaft) on his quest to save the day.

I have to say that this is an amusing, if irreverent story. The characters are certainly interesting and the plot follows a predictable, if twisted path. Any fans of the list 'The Top 100 Things I'd Do If I Ever Became an Evil Overlord' and similar writings/lists/etc. will certainly enjoy the quotations from The Handbook of Practical Heroics and the efforts of all of the characters to anticipate 'traditional' problems that storytale heroes run into. It is important that readers understand that the story is not serious in any way, shape, or form - it's fun, but it isn't for everyone or for every mood. That said, I would definitely recommend this book to fantasy fans.

• If this book sounds interesting, consider these: Dark Lord of Derkholm, The Wish List, or Flora Segunda