Book
Medalon
Record details
- ISBN: 9780765348661 (pbk.) :
- ISBN: 0765348667 (pbk.) :
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Physical Description:
print
500 p. ; 18 cm. - Publisher: 2004.
Content descriptions
| General Note: | "A Tom Doherty Associates book." Includes glossary. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Mothers and daughters -- Fiction Women soldiers -- Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy fiction. |
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Available copies
- 3 of 3 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 3 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
Show Only Available Copies
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pouce Coupe Public Library | FAN FAL (Text) | 35333000257133 | Fantasy | Volume hold | Available | - |
| Terrace Public Library | Pb Fal (Text) | 35151000419721 | Adult Paperbacks - Fantasy | Volume hold | Available | - |
| Grand Forks | SF FAL (Text) | 35142002341872 | Science Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2004 May #2
The Sisters of the Blade, backed by warriors known as the Defenders, have ruled Medalon for two centuries, forbidding pagan worship or belief in any god. The people of Karien, to the north, are fanatic worshipers of a single god, and to the south, fervent belief in the heathen gods prevails. Eighteen-year-old R'shiel has long fought her coldhearted mother's domination, but her half-brother, Tarja, is a colonel in the Defenders. When their mother becomes First Sister, however, the two defy her machinations and, forced to flee for their lives, get caught up in a rebellion against the Sisterhood. Also part of the mix are the mysterious Harshini, who were assumed to be extinct, and the gods themselves, who readily mix in human affairs as they search for the Demon Child they had created to destroy an evil god. In her first novel, beginning the Hythrun Chronicles, Australian author Fallon conjures a viable, richly detailed world and its disparate societies. Characterizations, including those of the interfering gods, are well realized, and the suspense is palpable throughout. ((Reviewed May 15, 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews. - Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2004 March #1
Another Australian fantasy import from Tor, which seems to have cornered the market.The story's set in a typical quasi-medieval world, with the twist that the rulers of the central nation of Medalon have expelled all worshipers of the pagan gods and now run the state on rational, atheist principles. Fallon follows three main characters: R'shiel is a Probate of the Sisters of the Blade, the group from which Medalon's governing council, the Quorum, is drawn; her older half-brother, Tarja, is a captain in the Defenders, battle-tested and canny. Both are independent, and often at odds with their domineering mother Joyhinia, a leading member of the Quorum. The third major presence is Brak, a half- human descendent of the legendary Harshini, a magical race expelled from Medalon. When the gods ask Brak to find the mysterious "demon child," a half-human destined to lead the fight against the evil god Xaphista, the trail leads him inevitably to the two young Medalonian rebels-who, by the time of his arrival, have joined forces with peasants fighting against Joyhinia's attempt to enforce the ban on religion. Several adventures and reverses ensue. R'shiel and Tarja are captured, tortured, imprisoned, rescued, and betrayed in a whirlwind plot that leaves little time for reflection. Brak manages to enlist various of the gods (for whom he has little respect, knowing them all too intimately) to the cause of the young atheists; the demon child's identity is revealed; the forces of Xaphista are for the nonce defeated; and the stage is set for the two likable young Medalonians to set forth again in the next installment.Fallon brings a fair quota of wit and a healthy dose of realism to rather predictable material: nothing earthshaking, but engaging overall. Copyright Kirkus 2004 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2004 April #2
The land of Medalon suffers under the harsh rule of the Sisters of the Blade. When her mother, Joyhina, ascends to the position of First Sister, R'shiel and her half-brother, Tarja, incur Joyhina's wrath and flee their home, finding refuge among a group of rebels against the Sisterhood. First published in Australia, Fallon's series opener tells of a young woman's rebellion against a tyrannical and authoritarian government, even as she discovers the truth of her heritage. A strong addition to most adult and YA fantasy collections. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2004 September #1
Convoluted intrigues, rivalries and romance provide an entertaining tangle in the second book in Australian fantasy author Fallon's Hythrun Chronicles (after Medalon). The rebellion led by Tarja Tenragen and his half-sister R'shiel against their mother, the ruler of Medalon, has succeeded, but not without costs. Medalon is threatened by neighboring Karien and internally torn by those still loyal to the fallen First Sister of the Blade. Sorely wounded R'shiel (half-human and half-demon) lies in the hands of the legendary Harshini healers but the Harshini have their own agenda, and the race's prohibition against violence doesn't prevent them from manipulating others to do their killing. While a recovering R'shiel is groomed to destroy the fundamentalist Kariens' god Xaphista, Tarja allies with dashing Damin Wolfblade, Warlord of Krakandar, and settles into Treason Keep to prepare for a Karien attack. Meanwhile, Hablet of Fardohnya sends his strong-willed daughter Adrina to forge an alliance with Karien by wedding crown prince Cratyn. Although the fates of Tarja and R'shiel form the series heart, Damin and Adrina are the heart of this exciting story, accompanied by a large cast of compelling characters. While new readers may have trouble getting up to speed initially, their patience will be well rewarded; fans arriving straight from book one can dive right in. Agent, Jack Byrne at the Sternig & Byrne Literary Agency. (Nov. 24) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2004 March #3
Medalon is a country ringed by hostile, heathen nations and beset by internal politics filled with blackmail, backbiting and single-minded power-mongering-at least that's how it seems to R'shiel Tenragen, the wayward 18-year-old daughter of the First Sister of the Blade and the appealing heroine of Australian author Fallon's sparkling high fantasy debut. In Medalon, the Sisterhood has systematically stamped out any trace of religion and the heathenish belief in the gods and in the Harshini, mythical, magical beings who some think bridge the gap between gods and men. But suppose that the Harshini really did exist and that they are living still. Suppose that the gods have given the Harshini a task so big and so difficult that they nearly can't encompass it. Worse yet, suppose that R'shiel, a postulant of the Sisterhood, becomes part of this Herculean task. Fallon ponders all these possibilities and more in this satisfying melodrama, stocked with well-developed characters with clear motivations that carry them through a series of byzantine plots and counterplots, a mini-rebellion and even face-to-face contact with a variety of gods. (May 3)FYI: A bestseller in Australia, this is the first of a six-book series, broken into two trilogies. The first trilogy has already been published in Australia, and rights have been sold to the U.K., Germany and Russia. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. - Voice of Youth Advocates Reviews : VOYA Reviews 2004 December
It is difficult to imagine a mother more dysfunctional than Joyhinia Tenragen. One of the Quorum, leaders of the Sisters of the Blade who rule the country of Medalon, she has a son, Tarja, whom she hates, and a daughter, R'Shiel, whom she finds completely unsatisfactory. Beginning with this sword-and-sorcery Dr. Phil family, the sweeping first volume of a trilogy, The Hythrun Chronicles, includes fractious gods, warfare, and allegiances that change with dizzying speed. The whiff of incest, as Tarja and R'Shiel, who is the prophesied demon child long awaited by the citizens of the countries south of Medalon, discover that they are not related and fall in love, provides a bit of a frisson, but is small potatoes compared to an exhausting plot that resembles nothing so much as The Perils of Pauline. R'Shiel and Tarja are arrested, tortured, raped and/or beaten, healed, allowed to escape, captured again, arrested, tortured, ad nauseum. Brak, a half god, half human sent to fetch R'Shiel home safely to her own kind, is chuckle-headed beyond endurance, consistently putting his charge into deadly situations. Nor is the world building strong, resting heavily on the included map and descriptions of some of the towns with little sense of connecting terrain. Despite these drawbacks, sword-and-sorcery aficionados will be drawn in by the action. The cliffhanger ending, with R'Shiel's life in the balance, Tarja at the forefront of a war, and Joyhinia permanently incapacitated, will have readers waiting for the next installment.-Ann Welton 3Q 4P S A/YA Copyright 2004 Voya Reviews.
