Fire Angels [Paperback]

Jane Routley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 27, 2000

In this sequel to "Mage Heart", the author transports us to a flawlessly drawn mystical realm, using vivid language and an eye for detail, as she continues the magical and romantic adventures of the powerful young mage, Dion.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Australia is producing a flourishing crop of fantasy writers, including Isobelle Carmody, with her award-winning Obernewtyn series; Garth Nix, author of Sabriel, in which the heroine invokes magic by ringing handbells; and Jane Routley, with her debut novel Mage Heart and its sequel, Fire Angels. Routley creates a powerful character in Dion Holyhands, a strong-headed young woman who also just happens to be the most potent mage in the land of Moria. Exiled from Moria and estranged from her family, she is eking out a living as a healer in the neighboring country of Gallia. Her brothers come to beg her assistance in rescuing her older sister Tasha, who has been broadcasting terrifying dreams of possession by demons. Despite her fears of further persecution in Moria, Dion returns, only to become an unwilling pawn in the contest for Moria's throne. Fire Angels combines an epic story with engaging characters and a passionate romance, and even leaves room for further sequels. The only objection, and it's a minor one, is Routley's confusing use of titles and names--more consistency and inventiveness ("Moria" will forever be associated with Tolkien, for example) would have been nice. --Blaise Selby --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

An accomplished fantasy of maturity and depth, Routley's second novel (after Mage Heart) continues the story of Dion Holyhands, raised by a stern foster-father to develop her outstanding magical powers. Here, Dion is reintroduced to the extended family she had lost and continues her coming-of-age, including renewed battle against her lover and foe, the demon Bedazzer. Dion is a strong character, introspective but often misled by self-doubt and guilt. Aided by the gypsylike Wanderers, she finds that her magic has destined her for a central role in the government of her homeland, Moria. While many genre fantasies simply add magic to political intrigue, Routley's are noteworthy for the natural and inevitable intertwining of the two. Here, for instance, different countries prohibit and allow different magics, thereby controlling their citizens. Well-drawn backgrounds and characters add to the appeal, as Routley produces another fantasy that can be read for more than myth or pyrotechnics, accelerating her rise as one of the genre's bright new stars.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: HarperCollins,Australia (September 27, 2000)
• ISBN-10: 0732268834
• ISBN-13: 978-0732268831
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,174,454 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 Pleasant but not as compelling as Mage Heart, May 15, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire Angels (Mass Market Paperback)

Dion, the most powerful mage in Moria is back and is as insecure in her self-worth as ever. For those of you expecting round two of Dion resisting Andre/Beddazer, you will be disappointed. The book begins with Dion being convinced to track down an unknown Necromancer but this battle gets delayed to the final few chapter of the book. Inbetween is a typical story of court intrigue as several parties make a bid for the throne. Having rich political intrigue does not work well when all of the action is told from one person's view point and as a result the story boggs down in the middle of the book. While Mage Heart dealt with Dion's very personal struggle with a demon, the bulk of this book is taken up with Dion's boring romance with a boring man who saddly appears destined to be the love of her life. This part of the story would have comfortably fit into any typical romance book. Interspersed with her many sex scenes with him is a parade of friends, family and aquintances, too numerous to be fully developed. By the end of the book many threads were left unresolved and the endings of the storylines that took up most the book were glossed over. The so called Epilogue was a shameless setup for the next book in the series. Despite all of this the book is still very readable. Most commendable was the way Routly skillfully weaves in summeries of the first book into this one so that this book stands just fine on its own. This is a rare accomplishment. Let's hope that the next installment returns to the theme that made the first book so compelling, Good Girl Mage being tempted by Nasty Old Demon. And for heavens sake, grow-up Dion!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A page-turner, but not mentally stimulating., June 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire Angels (Paperback)

Although I enjoyed the basic story Routly presents in FIRE ANGELS, I felt that the plot and character development is lost amid wordy "magical" descriptions,vague political intrigue, and fantasy cliches. I also found the first-person narration to be rather tedious. Dion comes across as more of a sex-starved middle-aged widow, than a vibrant twenty-two year old woman. At times, the novel also employs minor vulgarity which seems out of place for the story's setting. I wanted to see more action in the middle of the book, instead of political drama.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wow!, February 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Fire Angels (Paperback)

This book, Fire Angels will suck you into adventure and excitement! Dion is living alone in a small village when her two brothers come pleading for her help. Since she is one of the most powerful mages they ask that she helps to find her sister. Finally after a lot of thought she agrees. In other parts of the world she is known as the 'Demonslayer'. Later when she meets with her family she finds that there is more terrifying things that have happened than she ever dreamed of. After meeting her family she discovers Shad. Together they must work to destroy the demons and evil minded people. They have to go through things that test their love and trust in each other, while Dion has her own demon to fight with. The path she goes down questions her name 'Demonslayer'. Is she really as powerful as she has been lead to believe? Have fun finding out the rest of this suspensful story! =)