The Emperor Mage (The Immortals) [Hardcover]

Tamora Pierce (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 31, 2003 | Series: The Immortals

Emperor Ozorne's Immortal minions have savaged peaceful Tortall. Daine has lost many friends to Hurrock claw and Stormwing talon. Now Ozorne talks of treaties, and for Tortall's sake, Daine must attend the peace conference - somehow keeping her wild magic in check. But other forces demand she unleash that power. The Gods are furious with Emperor Ozorne, and have chosen Daine to deliver their dreadful retribution. Compelled by the Graveyard Hag, Daine confronts Ozorne. But should she use divine power to bring the mighty Empire to its knees.?

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–10—Tamora Pierce's third title (Atheneum, 2003) in the series continues the riveting story of Daine, a Tortallan girl with wild magic—the ability to communicate with animals and shape-shift into their form. This power earns her a mentorship from Numair Salmalin, a mage, and a fast friendship with Alanna the Lioness, the King's Champion (and the main character from Pierce's Song of the Lioness Quartet). As a developing mage and healer, Daine is invited to Carthak to meet with Emperor Ozorne, also known as the Emperor Mage. Unfortunately, he has angered the gods, especially Carthak's own Graveyard Hag, and Daine is tapped as a vessel for the goddess, quickly managing to become embroiled in the battle between Emperor and gods. Given a "gift" by the goddess, Daine is able to raise creatures from the dead. When Ozorne threatens Numair, Daine becomes so angry that she raises an army of dinosaur skeletons that destroys the Emperor's palace. In the aftermath, Ozorne escapes and Daine discovers that Numair is still alive. This full-cast production is narrated by the author. They all do a wonderful job, especially Carmen Viviano-Crafts, who voices Daine, and Mike Komurek as Daine's new friend, Zek the Marmoset. All the drama, humor, anger, and romance come across clearly. While the audiobook could stand on its own, it is recommended for libraries circulating the previous volumes.—Jessica Miller, New Britain Public Library, CT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 6^-10. Following Wild Magic (1992) and Wolf-Speaker (1994), this third entry in the Immortals series again centers on the adventures of Daine, now 15. Because of her wild magic, which gives her a strong affinity with animals and the ability to heal them, Daine is part of a delegation sent to work out a peace treaty with a barbarous emperor whose beloved captive birds are deathly ill. Pierce continues to build on the universe she created for the Song of the Lioness series about Alanna, who's a secondary character here, and as Daine grows in her powers so does the power of the narrative. Daine's ability to communicate with animals and to shape shift into animal form is comparable with that of characters in Andre Norton's renown tales involving human-animal communication. Daine's companion, the irrepressible, incurably curious young dragon, Kitten, is appealing as a character, as is the resourceful marmoset, Zek, whom Daine rescues and takes under her wing. The climactic scenes in which Daine brings to life the bones of the long-dead dinosaurs and fellow creatures in the great natural history hall and leads them in the destruction of the castle and downfall of the emperor are truly riveting. This impressive entry in Pierce's saga will leave fans clamoring for more. Sally Estes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Peter Smith Pub Inc (January 31, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844672270
• ISBN-13: 978-0844672274
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (129 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,693,670 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tamora Pierce is a bestselling author of fantasy books for teenagers. Her books, known for their teenaged girl warriors and wizards, have received critical acclaim and a strong fanbase.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tamora Pierce was drawn to books from a young age. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, the child of a "long, proud line of hillbillies," her family never had much. "We were poor, but I didn't know it then. We had a garden where my folks grew fruit and vegetables and our water came from a well," she explains. But one thing they did have was plenty of books. So Tamora read.

A self-proclaimed "geek," she devoured fantasy and science fiction novels, and by the age of 12 was mimicking her literary idols and writing her own action-packed stories. It was thanks to her father that Tamora began writing. "He heard me telling myself stories as I did dishes, and he suggested that I try to write some of them down," Pierce says.

But Tamora's novels had one major difference: unlike the books she was reading, her stories featured teenaged girl warriors. "I couldn't understand this lapse of attention on the part of the writers I loved, so until I could talk them into correcting this small problem, I wrote about those girls, the fearless, bold, athletic creatures that I was not, but wanted so badly to be."

Seventeen years later, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, a brief career in teen social work and some time spent writing for radio, Tamora Pierce held true to her childhood crusade, and published Alanna: The First Adventure, the first in a quartet about a valiant, young, female warrior. Pierce's heroine struck a chord with readers across the country and quickly earned her a loyal following.

Pierce is now a #1 New York Times bestselling author and has written twenty-five books, including her newest, BEKA COOPER #2: Bloodhound. "It's a pretty good life, if I do say so myself. Struggling along as a kid and even through my twenties, it's the kind of life I dreamed of but never believed I would get. Yet here I am, after a lot of work, a lot of worry, a lot of care for details, and a massive chunk of luck, the kind that brought me such strong friends and readers. Pretty good for a hillbilly, yes? And I never take it for granted," she says.

Pierce lives in upstate New York with her husband Tim and their three cats and two birds.


PRAISE

"[Tamora Pierce's heroines] faithfully reiterate an ideal of feminine power that relies on brains, not beauty; of feminine attractiveness that relies on competence, not helplessness; and of feminine alliances that grow stronger, not weaker, in the face of conflicts." -The New York Times

BEKA COOPER #1: TERRIER

"With its rollicking adventures [and] appealing characters . . . Terrier will be in strong demand by Pierce's fans. It will keep readers on the edge of their seats." -School Library Journal, Starred

YOUNG WARRIORS
"Memorable characters and well-drawn settings. . . . This timely and appealing anthology will surely help swell the ranks of teenage fantasy readers." -School Library Journal

TRICKSTER'S QUEEN
"The plot sweeps readers along in a whirlwind of court intrigue, deception, murder, and romance. The humor is wicked, and the plot twists will keep the pages turning to the supremely satisfying end. Teens will be inspired by Aly's determination, her resourcefulness, and her heart." -School Library Journal

TRICKSTER'S CHOICE
"Aly arrives fully formed, a snarky, talented uber-heroine. Cameos of old favorites complement a rich cast of new characters. Aly's difficulty with the complexity of colonialism adds surprising, welcome depth." -Kirkus Reviews

LADY KNIGHT
"Unrelentingly realistic in its depiction of the horrors of war, this novel draws the reader into a complete and believable fantasy world. Pierce provides exquisite details of the weaponry, topography, and culture of her world, and her control of a voluminous cast of characters is masterful." -Voice of Youth Advocates

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is there trouble ahead ?, September 25, 2005

By 

M. B. Alcat "Curiosity killed the cat, but sa... (Los Angeles, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Emperor Mage (The Immortals, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Emperor Mage" is the third book in Tamora Pierce's "The Immortals" quartet. If you haven't read the previous books in the series, please do so because then you will enjoy this one more. I want to point out, too, that some characters in Pierce's "Song of the Lioness" quartet appear here too, so if you have read it you will appreciate this book even more. Despite that, and as I already said in a previous review regarding "The immortals", this new series can also be read on its own.

In "Emperor Mage", Daine has to accompany a delegation from Tortall to Carthak, a country that is threatening with war, and that might have been responsible for the troubles that Daine had to face in "Wolf-speaker". The delegation includes Alanna (the king's champion), Duke Gareth, and Daine's teacher Numair. As a gesture of peace, Daine is supposed to heal the emperor's cherished birds. But is that all he wants from her?. And why does her patron god give her scary new powers?. Is the badger trying to warn her that trouble is ahead?.

The answer to those and many more questions, can be found in this book. Daine will take her young dragon Kitten with her to Carthak, and he will amuse you with his antics. Daine will also find another good companion in the form of a small monkey she rescues from being eaten, and names Zek. We will also have the pleasure of meeting again some of the immortals that appeared in the previous books, and will learn what happens when gods get really, really mad.

On the whole, I highly recommend "Emperor Mage" as a good addition to "The Immortals" series. I believe that readers older than 10 will love his book, and that even some parents will enjoy reading it with them. Enjoy it!

Belen Alcat

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book...And What's Between Numair and Daine?, April 18, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Emperor Mage (The Immortals, Book 3) (Mass Market Paperback)

Wow...this was an amazing book. It was my favorite out of all the immortal books. I love the way the setting is set up and described; it really jumps at the reader. This novel is about a girl named Daine who posesses wild magic. She and others from Tortall are visiting an emperor for peace talks. When the emperor turns out to be evil as was first thought, it takes courage and determination for Daine to put him down with the help of a special gift from the badger. Hey....those of you who have read it....is there something between Numair and Daine here? I first saw it in the first book and it gets stronger as the stories go along. Now I'm nearly sure that Numair loves her and I really REALLY have to read the fourth book. If there really isn't anything between them I'll cry...and that would just be wrong. Anyway, this series really really REALLY draws you in so BEWARE!!!!!! I loved this book and I hope that you will, too.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awww, our Daine is growing up!, February 5, 2000

By 

Anna (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Emperor Mage (Immortals, The) (Hardcover)

This book is really very different from the first two, because Daine seems so much older here. It was also very interesting, how we get to see a new side of our favorite 15 year-old. In Wild Magic and Wolf Speaker (my two books which are so worn they probably shouldn't be called books anymore), Daine was always this sweet, forgiving, pretty little angel. She seems so much more REAL. It's like Ms. Pierce's way of saying: "Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Daine IS capable of feeling jealousy, embarrassement, and she IS capable of mass destruction when she hears of the death of one of her dearest friends!" That, I think was a very good touch.