Children of Amarid (The Lon Tobyn Chronicle, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

David B. Coe (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lon Tobyn Chronicles | Publication Date: June 15, 1998

A thousand years ago in Tobyn-Ser, Amarid and Theron discovered magical crystals that enabled them to bond with hawks to produce powerful magic. together, they started an order, dedicating themselves to using their powers to help their people. Theron was expelled from the Order for abusing his power, but ever since, the Children of Amarid have faithfully upheld their vow using their power selflessly to protect the land and its people.

Now the idyllic peace of Tobyn-Ser has been shattered by news of mages destroying crops, burning villages, and murdering innocents. Rumor even say that Theron may have returned from the dead to wreak vengeance on Tobyn-Ser an the Order that spurned him.

uncovering the truth about the renegade mages and restoring peace to the sundered land will take a young but powerful Hawk-Mage named Jaryd across the length and breadth of Tobyn-Ser, a journey he must complete before it's too late to save the Order...and the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

In his first novel, historian Coe has crafted an elegantly written fantasy. The Children of Amarid, mages who have protected the people of Tobyn-Ser for a millennium, may be behind the brutal attacks by their avian familiars. When Jaryd joins the mages, he discovers the traitor responsible for the atrocities. Recommended for fantasy collections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

First of a sword-and-sorcery series in which, a thousand years ago, Amarid and Theron founded a magical order whose new members become mages by acquiring bird familiars (necessary for the magic to work), staffs, and ceryll crystals, which focus and project the magic. Now, someone impersonating a mage is spreading death and destruction across Tobyn-Ser, so confidence in the real Children of Amarid collapses. The mage Baden, accepting his nephew Jaryd as apprentice, heads for a big meeting of the Children, hoping to discuss the matter and determine who's behind it. But the mages are argumentative and complacent, agreeing on little, so Baden arranges a dangerous trek to consult Theron's huffy ghost (a task no one has survived). Afterward, the powerful mage Sartol, a traitor secretly in league with invaders using advanced technology to counterfeit magic powers, claims that Baden's the traitor and that Jaryd was killed by Theron's ghost! The birds are merely a nuisance; otherwise, this hardworking if glum and unambitious debut might just--but only just--keep a nostril above the flood of mediocre fantasy currently sloshing about. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 591 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy (June 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812552547
• ISBN-13: 978-0812552546
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (47 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,319,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Spring Board For Any RPG, April 28, 2000

By 

Christine Herbert - See all my reviews

This review is from: Children of Amarid (The Lon Tobyn Chronicle, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book and I own all three books in the whole series. This book was very good and sets the stage for a very intriguing story. There are many twists and turns with loveable and hateable characters. There is a uniqueness that any RPGer would love and I currently have several handles from this book.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Debut Novel in years, January 14, 2005

By 

Patrick St-Denis (Laval, Quebec Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Children of Amarid (The Lon Tobyn Chronicle, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Truth to tell, I don't remember how long it's been since I've read such a good debut novel. This great yarn appears to have been written by a seasoned author.

Fantasy awards generally don't mean anything, as far as I'm concerned. I'll soon be writing a post on this subject. . . But Coe has won the William L. Crawford Award, for best first fantasy series. And based on this first volume, it was more than deserved.

I have no wish to include some spoilers in this post, for I do not want to deprive anyone of the pleasure of reading this wonderful book.:-) Suffice to say that you should all buy it!;-) Having said that, however, there is still a lot I can tell you about.

To begin with, the characterizations are excellent. Coe has created a number of three-dimensional characters. Some endearing and engaging, others less so; but all of them "real."

This series is also much more mature in its writing style. Which makes this a book destined for adults. I'm not saying that a younger crowd will not enjoy it. Far from it. But if you're someone who's eagerly awaiting R. A. Salvatore's next book, with all those choregraphed battle scenes and little substance, then this is probably not for you. . . No offense to Mr. Salvatore, but this story is not for the same sort of fantasy fans.

Plus, Coe's worldbuilding is distinctive and more than a little impressive for someone's first novel. The imagery is arresting, showing that the author has a good eye for details. The magic system offers a new twist, with mages bound to animals and the use of crystals. The myths and legends of the land, of which we only get a little glimpse in this novel, make you want to discover more.

The pace of the book keeps you turning the pages, even if it's far from being a thriller. In addition, Coe's prose is well beyond what we have come to expect from most fantasy novels. Children of Amarid is elegantly written, making it a wonderful read.

The author also tackles a traditional fantasy theme: Sorcery vs Technology. We only see a little of this in the novel, but a lot more appears to be in store in the next installment.

All in all, a very, very good book. It leaves you wanting to read more about Jaryd, Alayna, Baden, Trahn, Orris, and the rest of the characters. It leaves you wanting to learn more about Theron, Phelan, and the rest of the Unsettled. It leaves you wanting to learn more about Sartol. In short, it leaves you with a strong desire to return to the land of Tobyn-Ser. And to discover what lies to the west, in the technological world of Lon-Ser.

The only negative thing I can mention about this book concerns what little we learn about Sartol and how he came into power. But I have a feeling that it is something that will be addressed in the next 2 volumes of the series.

I commend this one to your attention. Novels with so much promise are few and far between.

In light of all this praise, I believe that Children of Amarid is a great addition to any fantasy collection.

Check out my blog: www.fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honestly, the best book I have ever read., January 1, 2000

By 

"ctout2000" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Children of Amarid (The Lon Tobyn Chronicle, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

I like to consider myself a fantasy connoisseur, having read everything from Tolkien to Jacques, LeGuin to Weis. I enjoy the genre very much. When I received this book as a gift, I must confess I expected it to be another ho-hum piece of trash, like such which have become so popular these days. I was totally unprepared for the riveting universe this book brought me in to. The setting, the characters, the mood - all are lovingly coaxed into one's mind by a masterful artisan of words, and I personally could not put the book down from the first page to the last. Congratulations on this wonderful work, Mr. Coe, and thank you for sharing a little bit of yourself with all of us.