Aramaya [Paperback]

Jane Routley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2000

Imprint. In search of her missing niece Dally, Dion - the world's most powerful mage - arrives in Akieva, the glorious and corrupt capital of decadent Aramaya. Here, at the dazzling court of the young emperor, Dion discovers her niece trapped in the web of necromancy and deceit hiding within the magnificent Winter Palace.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The third fantasy outing (after Fire Angels) of the mage Dion Holyhands (aka Dion Demonslayer, Lady of Ruinac) takes her across the ocean to the land of Aramaya, the center of civilization and, she suspects, the current home of her missing niece, Syndal (aka Dally). Dion and her friend Kitten survive shipwreck to reach Akieva, the capital of a country with most of its features borrowed (if intelligently) from czarist Russia, and soon encounter the niece. But Dion's niece turns out to be in thrall to a powerful conspiracy of necromancers, and is in fact possessed by Dion's old nemesis, the demon Bedazzer. In rapid succession, Dion begins an affair with the demon-hunter Count Nikolai Terzu, rescues her niece, is reconciled with her ex-husband and has to chase down the necromancers to their stronghold in the southern marshes of Aramaya's latest conquest, Mazorra. Even Dion needs help on the last errand, and gets it from Aliceander the Crocodile Goddess, ruler of the marshes. Like its predecessors, the book combines romance, mystery and adventure in a fantasy setting, and in spite of the author's very fair degree of skill, this particular troika doesn't pull well in harness. Dion's obsession with her childlessness will surely grow tedious for some readers. Routley deserves credit for superior world-building and above average characterization, however; even if she isn't doing anything new here, she is at least covering familiar ground with more aplomb than are many of her colleagues. (June)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"A highly original romantic fantasy." -- --Cherry Wilder, author of Signs of Life

"Combines demon-fighting fantasy with...Regency romance and the icy spectacle of a Russian historical." -- --Locus

"Noteworthy, world-building...Routley has created a setting strongly redolent of the European Renaissance...And she realizes with skill and scholarship." -- --Booklist --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd (October 25, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 0732268842
• ISBN-13: 978-0732268848
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,607,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not quite as good as MAGE HEART and FIRE ANGLES, August 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Aramaya (Paperback)

i was an avid fan of routley after reading the first two books about Dion Holyhands, but this book (which i waited for with baited breath)was a bit disappointing. Dion, for reasons that are never quite explained, decides to head off to Aramaya to search for her missing niece. instead of concentrating on the magical aspects of what was supposed to be the magical epicenter of Dions world, the book concentrates more on Dions wish to have children, her failed marriage, her current love affair, and her love for her niece whom she hated in the second book. once again, Routley manages to wrap up the entire novel in the last thirty or so pages. This book also ends with unanswered questions, baiting us for another installment for this magical soap opera. quite frankly, i was expecting more.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting but not a page turner, August 5, 2000

By 

"valai" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Aramaya (Paperback)

Dion is searching for her niece Dally and gets the help of a prince. Later she has a lasting love affair with him but is still in love with Shad. She is confused and doesn't know what to do to get over Shad. Anger, love, and tenderness still exist for him as well as the desire to get back together with him. Meanwhile Bedazzer/Andre still exists and when Dion finds out about the powerful necromancers that are experimenting fate may play a hand in bringing them together for one last time ...

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantasy at its' very best, June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Aramaya (Paperback)

The powerful Mage Dion Holyhands the Dragonslayer believes her missing niece Dally lives in Akieva, the capital of Aramaya. Dion travels across the ocean in search of Dally, but her ship is wrecked. Dion and her companion Kitten manage to survive and make it to the capital city where they meet Dally.

To the mage's shock, her relative seems to be a slave to a cartel of necromancers. However, Dion learns that her worst enemy, Bedazzer the Demon, possesses her niece. Dion knows she must confront her worst nightmare, a fight to almost certainly the death with Bedazzer. If she is fortunate to come out of this alive and awake, she next must challenge the necromancer crowd. Only with victories against impossible odds will Dion be able to free her niece.

ARAMAYA, the third novel in Jane Routley's superb Dion series is an interesting tale that shows the author's ability to paint vivid descriptions of other worlds. The characters are fully developed, adding to an overall sense of exotic realism. The story line is fast-paced and filled with action as expected from an author who in a short time has become renowned for her romantic fantasies.

Harriet Klausner