Customer Reviews

The Ancient Enemy: The First Book of Arna

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In a world where Man is the enemy and has not been seen in aeons, a young watermot grows up with no more dreams than to be a farmer and marry his love. When his love betrays him, Thru Gillo takes his life in a new direction by studying with the Assenzi. But fate has even more changes in store for him. Suddenly he finds himself in a battle, not only for his life, but for the very survival of his race. And who is he battling, but the ancient, awful enemy, Man.

Man believes the watermots are dumb animals, no matter they have a civilization, a language, arts, and scholars. But Man is about to find out that the watermots are much, much more than they seem.

Christopher Rowley fills his books with war and battle and adventure. He writes as if he is himself immersed in the fight. Compelling and dynamic, The Ancient Enemy, the first book of Arn, showcases Rowley's dramatic talent.

Rickey R. Mallory

Christopher Rowley's The Ancient Enemy: The First Book of Arna is a work of masterful fantasy at its very best. What begins as a story of one character's personal journey from youth to manhood evolves into an epic tale of warfare, bravery, and survival. The writing is magnificent throughout, thoroughly captivating the reader and drawing him completely in to the world Rowley has created. In the land of Arna, man is a distant legend who has not been seen for thousands of years. In this world, mots and mors (monkey-like beings) live a life of peace and harmony alongside one another, enjoying the benefits of a rich, intelligent, and highly spiritual culture. Awful stories are told of Man the Cruel, who poisoned the land and died out long, long ago in the early mists of time. A mysterious race of ancient scholars called the Assenzi oversees the workings of the politics and economies of the various villages in Arna, working to maintain social and environmental balance in all things. Such things as war and slavery mean nothing to these people, but things change in a hurry when Man the Cruel suddenly returns and immediately sets out to annihilate the lowly "monkeys" they encounter in their effort to colonize this verdant new land.

The main protagonist in the story is Thru Gillo, a mot whose dreams of taking a wife and starting a new life on his own farm are shattered when he finds his beloved consorting with another man, one who - unlike Thru - is wealthy . In an effort to get past the heartache this causes him, Thru makes the journey to Highnoth in the northern mountains to study under the wise Assenzi. Here he learns much about the Spirit, history, and life in general. He also begins developing a remarkable talent for mat weaving, a skill he chooses for his livelihood when he later settles in the village of Dronned. It is here that he meets and falls in love with a modern young mor named Nuza, a gymnast with a traveling troupe of performers. Thru faces many setbacks at this particular time in his life, most of them spearheaded by his sworn enemy (the man who stole his first love away from him), but his spiritual training in Highnoth serves him well in overcoming all obstacles. This first half of the book is a very personal story that takes us far into the mind of Thru and paints a vivid picture of the vibrant world in which he lives.

Thru's happy new life comes to an abrupt end, though, when he and Nuza are among the first mots and mors to discover a tranquil coastal village in fiery ruins. A mound of decapitated heads by the waterfront reveals the horrible truth that the villagers were not only slaughtered but were eaten by their attackers. One of the few survivors of the carnage delivers the unbelievable news that Man the Cruel still lives and has now returned to the land of Arna. The personal aspects of Thru's story soon fall by the wayside as the final section of the novel concentrates on the preparation and beginning of war between the mots and the destructive forces of man. At the same time, we are presented with the story of Simona, a young lady whose world in the human city of Shasht was suddenly ruined when her family was ordered by the emperor to accompany the colonists sailing out of the resource-drained Shasht to colonize a new land across the seas. The story as told from Simona's viewpoint makes for a very insightful read, for through her we are given personal and meaningful viewpoints of both the human culture she has come to question and grow ashamed of as well as the previously peaceful mot society she comes to respect and care for. Fighting a war for nothing short of survival, the mots quickly learn from their early losses and really take the battle to Man when his forces attempt to establish a landing site. The second half of this novel is incredibly exciting, filled with truly remarkable accounts of fierce fighting and heroism on the field of battle.

The Ancient Enemy numbers among the best fantasy books I have ever read, and Rowling's descriptions of the bloody battles between man and mot are so vivid and realistic that I felt like an actual observer of the events. Thru Gillo is a fascinating character, and the emotions and intense conflicts that populate the pages of this novel are truly gripping. Best of all, this novel is only the beginning of a series, one which promises to furnish untold riches and joys to the reader who enters the vivid world borne of Rowland's imagination.

This is the first Christopher Rowley book I've read, and generally I enjoyed it. The characters and setting were interesting, and it held my attention. There were a few minor problems that kept it from being a 5-star book; the one that bothered me the most was a lack of description of the various animal races. The species that the hero belongs to, Mots, is well described, but there are at least 3 other types of intelligent creatures that are not described at all, even though they are important characters in the book. The humans don't show up until halfway through the story, but I understand why that was done (in order to show the mot's society and how their lives were lived before invasion). There was also a major character in the first half of the book who was shaping up to be the main villian, but then he completely vanishes for the second half of the book! Unless the author is planning to have him play a large role in the rest of the series, it just seems really odd that this character disappears from the story without a trace, after having such a major role in the first half. In any event, despite those qualms, I will definitly be picking up the next book in the series to find out what happens. I just hope in the next book I find out what the heck a Brilby or a Chook looks like.

Christopher Rowley does it again with 'The Ancient Enemy'. Always a writer to grab you and propel you through a story, this book opens a fascinating new world. Imagine the animals have shaken off the dictatorship of humanity and re-built the planet without greed, waste or blight. The threat of 'man the cruel' is gone, or is it?As usual Rowley opens up big ideas without ever getting in the way of a great plot. The characters are strong, and the action makes this a real page-turner. Roll on book 2! Really enjoyed this one.

The strengths of this book are mainly in the description and levels of detail of political and social interactions in a fantasy world. Surprisingly, the book is also valid on a personal level if you can relate to the hero and his yearnings that make him something of a wanderer. This not a book for everyone. If you don't relate to the hero and his restlessness, there won't be much in the way of personal stories or romances for you in this book. Because those are close to being the qualities of the Bazil series, I can honestly say if you liked the bazil series you will like this book and vice-versa. If you didn't like Bazil, make sure to stay away from this book. The storytelling is sometimes intellectual and you may get more of it when you read it a second time or compare it with other fantasy books that lack descriptions of a coherent society.

ps: You will also see that Chooks are a species of turkey-like birds, and that brilbies are a larger cousin of the mots. ....

This particular book is centered around a land called Arna which the best I can ascertain is on a world once ruled by man that has degenerated into anarchy and extinction. On the back of the book it reads "For poison in his waters had become poison in his seed, and Man thinned with each generation until his light faded from the world. And there came a time when no sound broke the stillness of the world except the play of the wind. Man was no more." At first glance I thought this novel was your typical fairy tell legend story but I was mistaken it actually is quite detailed and almost believable. It is indeed one of the most fascinating reads I have had in ages. With a feudal setting and a detailed description of the culture and history of the characters in the book I became thoroughly intrigued. Although I found some things in the book a mystery and was confused about the interspecies relations (Mots, Brilbies, Chooks, Assenzi and Man the Cruel) and their history I soon learned more with ferverent reading. But the things I could not understand beyond the abstract I think will be revealed in the next book of the series. I simply could not put this book down! I said before that I did not take this book seriously above but after the first few pages I was hooked. It is my first Rowley novel and I am thirsting for more after three days of voracious weekend reading. I would recommend this to anyone because it is suited for any reader sci fi or anyone because the story is so well suited. It is not set in the past or some fantasy world this is some what of an alternate far future history novel. Like planet of the apes except more sophisticated and believable. I will give it five stars because I enjoyed it very thoroughly.

Just spent a weekend immersed in Chris Rowley's newly created "world." I've been a fan since THE VANG and the Fenrille books! And as always, he gives you characters you care about and a wonderfully imagined and detailed fantasy culture. Not to mention a powerful set piece battle at the end.

I have always been a fan of Christopher Rowley's dragon and dragonboy books -- the Bazil Broketail series -- but I enjoyed the ride to this fascinating new world of mots, chooks and those beastly men. It's about what happens when a medieval culture of "animals" who practice careful husbandry are in invaded by "man" -- an enemy they thought was long-gone. Having despoiled his own land -- he's back! Gripping stuff.

Based on earlier reviews, I had high hopes for this book. The jacket cover made it seem promising. I was very disappointed. There was never a time when the book caught my interest - nor made me wish to finish the book. At page 100 I put it down to pursue other books. If you are a Christopher Rowley fan, you may like this one too - but if you are not, I recommend that you stay away.

The language is incredibly simplistic (it starts with the equivalent of "Once upon a time"), the story is full of stock characters, and the book never held my interest for a minute.

Don't waste your time or your money.