Customer Reviews

Curse of the Tahiéra

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I will admit that I was a little hesitant to begin this novel. Over the years I have come across too many unoriginal, formula-written fantasy clones that are apparently published out of pure ego or to make a buck. Now let me state that this does not describe this book- not at all.

Yes, this is a fantasy novel written in a fictional medieval/celtic world (the time and location are never actually spelled out but that is a good thing.) However, I detected no formula, no cliches. I found myself drawn deeper andd deeper into a genuinely well told tale. I identified with the characters and wanted to be part of their fellowship. Moreover, there was a great deal of spiritual, metaphysical, and wisdom lore artfully hung on the framework of the story without it seeming out of place. I recognised the truth of it even though the terminology was different from my own. In short, this book recharged me instead of draining me, and that is the best measure of a book from my personal experience.

I looked forward to reading this novel nightly before sleep- it certainly enhanced my own dream walking...

Magic, ancient curses, star-crossed love, heroism against great odds and an unknown evil from the distant past, these are just a few of the elements that master storyteller Wendy Gillissen draws upon to deftly craft an engaging, 444-page fantasy that truly grips the readers fascinated attention from first page to last in "Curse Of The Tahiera". A half-blood Tzanatzi outcast, Rom is persuaded by an Einache shaman that it's up to him to prevent the re-emergence of an ancient war through his ability to 'dreamwalk'. All this is further complicated when Rom finds himself falling in love with the shaman's daughter Maetis, a spirited young girl with a mind of her own! Imaginative, complex, detailed, laced with cliff-hanger complications, "Curse Of The Tahiera" is a superbly written and highly recommended novel for the dedicated fantasy fan.

I love fantasy novels, but I'm also difficult to impress. Having said that, I must shout my acclaim for this wonderful and spiritual adventure. There is such a vibrant sense of location, time and culture, as well as inspiring and embraceable characters. Almost from the very beginning, I felt a sense of wonder, but also familiarity, as if visiting old friends. Simply put, I enjoyed the journey and was a bit disappointed when it came to an end. The Curse of Tahiera is highly recommended to any reader who enjoys a fascinating trip into the heart and soul of dreams. While this novel is promoted to YA readers, adults should immediately gravitate to the subtle messages within and I found the humor so well timed it was uncanny.

Author Wendy Gillissen's spiritual adventure 'Curse of the Tahiera' succeeds on so many levels; her characters have personality, depth and personal history, the fantasy environment is vibrant, detailed and filled with mythic wonder and the storyline is absorbing and well paced from beginning to end. Plan and simple it's one of the most enjoyable fantasy books I've read in a long, long time. However my highest praise for Ms. Gillissen's book is reserved for the deep, profound spirituality oozing from her written words; her understanding of the nature of dreams, her innate knowledge of the unseen but sometimes felt lifeforce emanating from the world (or worlds?) around us and the way in which she reveals the spiritual underpinnings and karmic destiny that ultimately determine who and what we are. Many writers have attempted to wed their own personal spiritual paradigm with literary fiction and generally the results are less than satisfying. Either the 'message' overpowers the story to such a degree that the fiction is delivered flat and contrived, or the author is forced to compromise the 'message' for the sake of the tale and the readers entertainment. In both cases both the author and the reading audience are left unsatisfied and wanting.

In the case of 'Curse of the Tahiera' both of these pitfalls have been successfully and masterfully avoided! If you're looking for nothing more than pure fantasy entertainment this is the book for you. On the other hand if you're looking for a generous dose of spiritual insight that will help guide you in answering some of those inner nagging questions and doubts we all carry with us this is also the book for you. Now if you're looking for both, this must be your lucky day!

Despised due to his Tzanatzi heritage, Rom made his living as best he could by trading and selling goods in the northern and southern Einache villages alternating between them as the seasons changed. However, while preparing to travel North directly through the bordering forest, Rom learns that this journey has become increasingly treacherous as an evil presence felt once long ago appears to be rising once again. An old Einache farmer named Yldich befriends Rom offering to accompany him on his journey. Soon Rom learns, however, that Yldich is more mage than farmer having the ability to commune with nature, call upon the animals, and sense the very fabric of all that surround them. When Rom starts to experience his own dreamwalking, he begins to wonder if perhaps his meeting Yldich is something more than a simple chance encounter with a good Samaritan. In fact, Rom learns he may hold the answer to a five hundred year old curse that threatens to destroy the lives of the Einache and Tzanatzi alike.

Wendy Gillissen's Curse of the Tahiera is a unique and fresh offering to the fantasy genre. In this debut novel, Gillissen pulls from her experience as a psychologist specializing in dreamwork and past life therapy. Through Rom the reader slowly discovers the possibilities of past lives and the impact on their contemporary vessels - how decisions made long ago have far reaching implications. While fantasy elements are present, this novel is really a character exploration of a young ostracized man dealing with his negative self view so long forged through the eyes of others and their prejudices. Through Yldich and his own inner journey, he begins to view himself and his past self differently giving context to a life previously without meaning.

Gillissen's pace and plot unfold in an effortless manner keeping the pages turning at a rapid rate. Her detailed and carefully considered narrative and use of Tzanatzi and Einache languages help to envelope the reader into this unique world. The passages where she shares Rom's emotional and physical journey through his first intimate experience and later love interest are exceptionally well written. Rom's journey to the underworld is especially well crafted besting that offered by Phillip Pullman in The Amber Spyglass (His Dark Materials, Book 3).

Curse of the Tahiera is a complete volume although Gillissen provides a few teaser pages for the sequel The Search for Tzanata to be published soon. I for one, look forward to its release.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Bound for the North through the forest of Gardeth, home of unnatural evil spirits, young Rom, a half Tzanatzi and half human boy, befriends both Yldich, an Einache Shaman, and Eald, an Einache boy. But this is no chance meeting. Little does Rom know that Yldich has had several Yaever dreams about him; dreams that will entwine their fates forever. Yildich believes that Rom can free the Einache people from a rising darkness of evil that has been brewing for five-hundred years, and yet Rom is a mere boy, without a clue to who he really is. He has so much to learn if he, and the Einache people are going to survive.

Together Rom, Yldich and Eald embark on a life changing odyssey as they are thrown into a new way of life, where the veil between his world and the underworld grows thinner each day, and people depend on him. Soon Rom is to learn that this spiritual journey will gain him the courage to learn things he never thought himself capable of, but sometimes uncovering buried secrets comes at a price. Will he be able to face his fears for the final battle and overcome the weight of the world that has been put upon his shoulders?

What a marvellous book. This is a coming of age, young adult tale, filled with a deep spiritual understanding, which I am positive has much to do with Wendy Gillissen's experience as a past life therapist, and her specialisation in dream-work. I found a few editing errors, such as characters "knitting their brows" one too many times, but overall the depth of Curse of the Tahiéra was so richly detailed with a structured plot, and a believable mystical setting, I found it hard to put down. It's been a long time since I've read a fantasy adventure like this and Wendy Gillissen has a style of storytelling that brims with imagination. It is layered with stories, within this story. She peppers words and expressions from the Tzanatzi /Einache languages throughout, but not in a way that distracts, as some books can. For your convenience these are explained at the back of the book, along with an artistic picture Gillissen drew of the lovable character, Rom. Personally I think this portrait is so good it needs to be moved to the front and not hidden away at the back. All in all the Curse of the Tahiéra is a clever debut novel, and the message is that with the understanding of our dreams anything is possible to achieve.

Rom is a young Tzanatzi outcast living the life of a nomad, moving around but never really finding his place. One night while staying at an inn he meets an older man, Yldich, who mysteriously follows him as he leaves for his destination in the North. When confronted, Yldich slowly lets Rom into his world and his motives, until Rom begins to learn about the magic of dreams. As they move, Rom is stopped by a group of bandits on horseback, and brought to their encampment.

The leader of these bandits, a fallen noble named Feyir, tortures Rom, bent on getting information on a leader of the Einache people in the North land. Struggling to free himself, he manages to escape the camp with an imprisoned Einache boy named Eald, who was servant to the group of thieves. When Yldich meets Rom, he begins to further reveal his magic to Rom, and Eald as well, slowly honing their gifts in preparation for the facing of a darker menace looming on the horizon. Will they manage to defeat the faceless evil? And what is the darkness enshrouding Rom's past? These are found within the pages of CURSE OF THE TAHIERA.

On the positive end of the spectrum, Wendy Gillissen is a vivid author when it comes to her characters. They each have their own personality, and the reader certainly gets to know them as if they were living and breathing beings. This was overall my favorite part of the book, as it allowed me to feel emotionally invested in the story. Rom was amazingly deep, if a bit too whiny at times, and Eald was perhaps the most entertaining character of all. His innocence really brought a lighthearted feel to the novel that was very much needed. While the age of the characters seems to either be close to the teens (Rom is 20) or incredibly far (Eald is about 8), Gillissen manages to make the characters relatable, which is definitely something to applaud.

Her descriptive passages are also very good, and day-to-day tasks are handled pretty skillfully. I managed to enjoy the descriptions of simple scavenging actions, and the bodily interactions between characters were just as fluid. The reading experience was enhanced with these subtle additions to the story, and it really made it something better than a simple fantasy novel. She also manages to bring some slight humor in by making fun of herself, though whether it's intentional or not is debatable. As not to spoil, the passage involves a frying pan and some lapsed judgment that any average reader would scoff at as being a childish misstep in the writing process; that is until they read further.

This novel is definitely one that needs attention in order to gain the full experience. One flaw in this in terms of a teen novel is that Gillissen describes a sexual scene between the hero and a love interest, which mature readers will be able to handle, but is questionable, as it describes it a little too much for the comfort level of a reader who isn't an adult and who isn't looking for that type of scene. It was used for plot development and was thankfully more of a requirement for the story than a tasteless trope, which easily allows it to be overlooked in favor of the novel's better qualities.

That being said, it also sadly does a lot of things that could have been easily avoided. The plot is very half-hearted and clichéd in so many ways, such as a nameless evil, that is was rather tiresome. This wasn't necessarily bad, but it wasn't at all surprising enough to keep me wanting to flip to the next page. Also, the pacing was difficult, as much of the novel is setting up the dream magic (which, while interesting, was sometimes confusingly described), and the action sequences, while written well, were too far between for reading ease. Back-story in relation the world was well-thought out, but bogged down reading a tad too much to be beneficial overall.

An interesting notion Gillissen had writing wise was rather intriguing, but is a little muddled in terms of whether or not to like it. Her technique involved a lot of implied speech, skipping over he/she said in favor of physical descriptions, which were welcome. However, this made reading slower, as she often described the other person in the conversation and made it frustrating in order to keep up with the action going on. Confusion only furthered when she used he/she said in other areas. This is not a negative aspect. It all just depends on a reader's preferences. This reviewer, as a reader, just prefers not to invest that much attention into the story.

Overall, CURSE OF THE TAHIERA was a different book for teens that had an interesting concept involving dreams, and is a welcome addition to the fantasy archives. Character development was wonderfully put, each distinct and troubled enough to allow major emotional investment. Description also followed in the same lines as to skill, although those who avoid any sexual scenes in books are warned of slight content within the description. It managed to fall into some large fantasy traps and was very slow for a casual teen reader. The author managed to incorporate a different conversation style in her writing that could either make or break a reader's love of the novel.

CURSE OF THE TAHIERA is a very good book that is worth a look at the very least, but could definitely improve with the sequel. Four Stars.

Reviewed by: John Jacobson, aka "R.J. Jacobs"

Curse of the Tahiera tells a story like no other. Wendy Gillissen tells us a tale of vast lands and incredible creatures to convey a grand coming of age narrative. While told against a backdrop fantastical surroundings, it is one of loss and redemption, and one we all can relate to.

The main characters are given such description that Gillissen gives no room for second guessing. We are told of the journey of Rom and Yldich, and through each trail and tribulation we are left cheering for our hero. In scenes told of moments rapt with tension we are stolen away into the moment as Gillissen tells us of their angst, beauty and triumph. Discribing the raw power of the moment Wendy Gillissen words fill us.

As Rom travels the countryside he is met by infamous characters that aid or impede his journey. You are told about each person with such in depth knowledge that even for these seemingly secondary individuals it is outstanding.

Imagery sets this story apart by her meticulous ability to inform us of each detail. She has created a whole new world and through her disclosure of this saga, we are transported there. Set with in a land tense with the possibility of battle her depiction of the conflict sucks you in and evokes a rush after each heart pounding moment. You are told in a way that you can feel the horses breath on the back of your neck as you stand at the front lines awaiting the command to charge.

Curse of the Tahiera will leave you wanting. I cannot say enough about the intense word art that Gillissen interjects into each chapter, and her world comes alive with each stroke of her pen. You are introduced to each blade of grass and leaf on the tree. You feel a kin to the clothing, as well as the stitching technique used to make each garment. Conveying the feel of the earth beneath your feet, the smell of the flora, the taste of the air, and the sounds of your foot hitting the ground. By the end of the story not only have you been to the heart of her land, you are a resident.

Shunned for his Tzanatzi ancestry, journeyman Rom eventually crosses paths with the shaman Yldich, and the duo soon embarks on a journey that will leave a lasting imprint on both of their lives - as well as that of their people. Surrounded on all sides by dark, sinister, and divisive forces, Rom is forced to face the truth of his difficult past if he is to fulfill the all-important destiny of healing the centuries-old wounds of persecution and hatred - a quest that will only be successful if he can manage to conquer his own personal demons in time...

The debut offering by author Wendy Gillissen, Curse Of The Tahiera is a moving, all-encompassing fantasy epic. In masterful fashion, Gillissen has crafted a magical, mystical world rife with full-dimensional characters and lush scenic descriptions, all of which compel the reader to immerse him/herself mind, body, and spirit into the full splendor of her rich storytelling. Furthermore, the primary and secondary plotlines of the tale push the action along at a comfortable pace, revealing just enough to keep readers hooked with each fresh turn of the page.

Spiritual, imaginative, and profound, Curse Of The Tahiera is an equally enlightening and entertaining tale, one that is sure to be embraced by fans of well written epic fantasy fiction.


Chelsea Perry
Apex Reviews

In the beginning, we meet Rom, a half-blood Tzanatzi outcast young man of nineteen. From the lack of true nurturing from his mother, as she feared him and his nightmares as many came true; daily abuse from a Lord he is assigned to serve; to just learning to fend for himself, survive and lay low from the Lord's men; it is safe to say Rom can represent something in all of us.

While Rom prepares to leave for a journey to sell his goods he encounters a middle-aged man named Yldich, an Einache "yaever", or dream walker, whom warns him of trouble on his route to the north. While Rom is not too thrilled for the company as he has always preferred to be alone in his life and travels, he does end up with Yldich's company for his trip.

On their way North, we discover there is more to Yldich's reason for `dreaming' of Rom, as this was his original reason for finding him. This reason slowly unfolds, as Rom learns more of Yldich. More importantly, Rom begins to learn who he is as his true background was lost to him. Rom starts his journey as friendless, distrustful, temperamental, shy, and fearful. He finds himself in a few life endangering situations, where his new companion rescues him and he slowly learns to trust in his new friend. He gains self-confidence and self-esteem and learns to open himself by allowing the good to come in, even though he feels he is tainted, even 'evil'.

When Yldich's home, `The House of the Deer' faces adversity, the story is full of action, suspense, camaraderie and meaning, especially when Rom faces his personal demons in the Underworld and barely makes it back alive. The Einache are surrounded by the South Army for holding Rom in their home, but a darker presence from an ancient curse threatens each and every one of them. Rom learns "If you acknowledge all that is in you, if you embrace it all, even the fear, the shame, the pain, then there's nothing to be afraid of. Not even death, then you're ready to fight."

Curse of the Tahiéra is a wonderfully written fantasy novel that carries deep meaning on a few levels. The characters are amazing; the scenery and descriptions were vivid without going on for pages; and this book captured me right away! For myself, I personally related to Rom with some of my own past issues and I connected with Yldich in many ways due to his wise ways of the power of intention and healing. I am anxiously awaiting Ms. Gillissen's sequel to this powerful story. I give this book five stars and recommend it to anyone that loves fantasy!

Ya'érsi! (Well Done!)