Medalon
(Hythrun Chronicles 1)
by Jennifer Fallon
fantasy, chick lit
copyright 2000
read in August 2016
rated 7/10: well worth reading
For us Australians, add a bonus to the rating: "Jennifer Fallon was born in Melbourne, Australia... [and now] lives in Alice Springs, Australia." Excellent! Though that quote is from the 2000 edition book. It may or may not still be true. The living in Alice Springs bit, that is... Anyway.
A very enjoyable book. A brand new fantasy world with a limited number of races but some interesting variations on the standards. Dragons and demons, for example... Interesting ideas :-)
There are also the gods. I wonder, was it Terry Pratchett who first decided that gods are created by their worshippers? Medalon adds an extra dimension to that concept.
All of the characters are very human. Even the gods are -- in their own ways -- very human. Many of the characters are likeable. Most are quite believeable.
There are various villains. In this book -- the start of the Chronicles -- the focus is on the Sisterhood... Another interesting concept: The heroine is, of course, persecuted by those in power. Those in power are women, with men in a powerful but secondary role. Not all is rosy in this matriarchial society.
The action rattles along at a fine pace. We meet a lot of interesting people -- some of whom are suddenly written out. By which I mean, killed. Others need to be tracked... A second reading provided plenty of clues as to "revelations" and relationships.
The plot is relatively straightforward. The heroine and hero jump in and out of danger. Often the same danger. Of course, they suffer. And learn... Though the hero has to have two opportunities to learn to avoid the obvious trap.
And finally... they fall in love and are dragged apart. I wonder how many books there are before the romantic entanglements are sorted out?!
An enjoyable book. Good characters. An interesting world. The chick lit aspects are there but muted. This is a solid fantasy adventure.
I look forward to reading more of these Chronicles.
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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
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"The world's most affectionate creature is a muddy dog." … per Ginger Meggs
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