Fires of the Faithful [Mass Market Paperback]

Naomi Kritzer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

From a gifted new voice in fantasy fiction comes the thrilling saga of a war-ravaged land and the remarkable young woman destined to restore it...

Fires of the Faithful

For sixteen-year-old Eliana, life at her conservatory of music is a pleasant interlude between youth and adulthood, with the hope of a prestigious Imperial Court appointment at the end. But beyond the conservatory walls is a land blighted by war and inexplicable famine and dominated by a fearsome religious order known as the Fedeli, who are systematically stamping out all traces of the land’s old beliefs. Soon not even the conservatory walls can hold out reality. When one classmate is brutally killed by the Fedeli for clinging to the forbidden ways and another is kidnapped by the Circle--the mysterious and powerful mages who rule the land--Eliana can take no more. Especially not after she learns one of the Circle’s most closely guarded secrets.

Now, determined to escape the Circle’s power, burning with rage at the Fedeli, and drawn herself to the beliefs of the Old Way, Eliana embarks on a treacherous journey to spread the truth. And what she finds shakes her to her core: a past destroyed, a future in doubt, and a desperate people in need of a leader--no matter how young or inexperienced....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Typical fantasy books require some getting used to before one is firmly hooked, but this far-from-typical fantasy from first-time author Kritzer is like chocolate cake: instant addiction. Kritzer's clever use of familiar-feeling things-people and place names that sound Italian, though they are not, and a castles-and-kings setting that similarly evokes old-world Europe in the era of murderous Borgias and witch-hunting Savonarolas-enables readers to effortlessly fall into the medieval Italianate world of teenage violinist Eliana. Cloistered in a monastery-like music conservatory, the prodigy is protected from an outside world torn by wars, famine, religious fanaticism and the deadly misuse of magic. Then an outwardly small event, the introduction of a new song that's not what it seems, catalyzes the kidnapping of her new roommate/best friend (who also may not be what she seems) and the brutal public killing of another schoolmate by "good guys" (who definitely aren't), forcing Eliana's fast flight and equally rapid transformation from sheltered court-musician-in-training into, quite possibly, the rebel savior of her doomed world. To the reader's delight, unresolved plot lines hint that sequels are planned; with habit-forming books like this, you can't read just one.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

In the world of her first novel, a Catholic-like religion called the Old Way is persecuted by organized goddess worship enforced by a formidable religious order, the Fedeli. Taking no prisoners, the Fedeli put the fear of the goddess into people by cold-bloodedly slaughtering "offenders" for the good, of course, of their immortal souls. Young Eliana is devoted to the craft of music. She and some classmates enjoy playing Old Way compositions in secret, and Eliana soon realizes she is drawn to the old beliefs. Then she discovers that the body of ruling mages--the Circle--is responsible for the war and famine her people suffer. Outraged, she flees the conservatory after the Fedeli murder her closest friend, an Old Way follower. Arriving in her home village, she finds it destroyed by soldiers and her family murdered. Devastated, Eliana lands in a prison camp, whose inmates crave a leader, which she becomes. Her evolution from schoolgirl to general in a few weeks is a bit of a stretch, but it is also entertaining. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553585177
• ISBN-13: 978-0553585179
• Product Dimensions: 4 x 0.8 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #587,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin, though I was born in North Carolina, lived in Indiana and Houston, Texas before I turned five, and spent a year living in London when I was 13. I moved to Minnesota to attend college, and haven't left. My husband and I have two daughters and three cats. I post regularly about the daughters and occasionally about writing on my blog at http://www.livejournal.com/users/naomikritzer/.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple but breathtaking!, November 19, 2002

By 

Stefanie "Nin" (Hobart, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fires of the Faithful (Mass Market Paperback)

A brilliant first novel, "Fires of the Faithful" expertly blends a strong, uncomplicated prose with a complex yet precise and easily fathomable storyline.

The setting is an enigma; at first, it seems to be a trite imaginary Renaissance fantasy setting, complete with sorcery and an emerging scholarly class. Later on, however, one begins to realize the error as the novel begins to suggest a post-apocalyptic future in which the religious tides are turned. Gone is the patriachal religion and political regime; in its place is a goddess-centric pagan theocracy. The empire is in the midst of a war and famine, although, as one imagines was the case from the feudal peasant perspective, it is not altogether certain who is being fought or why.

The main character, Eliana, a young conservatory student, practices the violin in a relative haven from the turmoil, far from her family's village. All is going well until she gains a new friend...a mysterious girl of great talent and a penchant for playing forbidden tunes. Music which carries a simple magic of its own, and comes from the old religious rituals. The Fedeli, an Inquisition-like organization, storms the conservatory in search of anyone who practices the Old Ways. Soon Eliana is fleeing her school and the Lady's Guards even as she escapes her old shackles of religious thought.

Our protagonist has embarked on a thrilling journey through rubble and wartime tragedy, struggling to find her family and her own identity as a heretic. She emerges, finally, as a reluctant but very sympathetic (from our perspective) heroine...leader of the bedraggled practitioners of the Old Ways.

The book is remarkable for its contrasts in depiction: the pleasant, cloistered conservatory versus the war-torn and magical energy-depleted countryside outside its walls; the sophisticated Lady's faithful against the comparatively illiterate, peasant heretical ascetics; Eliana's sheltered girlishness and the fierce, sanguine commander of the soldiers in the Old Way.

Kritzer's religious studies are fairly well showcased in this spiritual and political fantasy. Particularly noteworthy is her juxtaposition between the religious groups and the unique twist she brings to the story by her choice of real-world influence for the Old Ways. An excellent choice for fans of C.S. Lewis, Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, and Clive Barker's "Imagica."

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't guess ahead, October 8, 2002

By 

"dtmartin2" (Burlington, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fires of the Faithful (Mass Market Paperback)

(Disclaimer: I knew Naomi in college)

The one thing about this book is that the world of the book will surprise you; assuming that any religion in the book is like any other that you know in the real world will inevitably lead you to some of the wrong conclusions. (Naomi was a religion major, and it shows) The booklist review calling one of the religions featured in the book "Catholic-like" is a bit misleading.

The characters are indeed well-developed, and the plot line proceeds as it should, but what really got me was the world that the book is set in - I don't know the author's plans for later books, (well, there is going to at the very least be a sequel to "Fires", but beyond that?) but I do hope she is able to reuse this fantasy world in other books. It's just incredible. (Or she could go invent another world just as detailed with as much care put into the religions and magic system as she put into this one; I'm not picky)

One word of caution: this is not a book for the overly squeamish. Characters die, sometimes with much violence and gore. (There's one scene near the end with the protagonist and lots of blood that I found especially pulse-quickening) Also, the main plotline is built on a huge governmental/societal conspiracy carried out by people who will kill to keep certain things secret.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's a decent way to spend a couple of hours, April 28, 2003

By 

"indigosunne" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fires of the Faithful (Mass Market Paperback)

I didn't hate this book but I didn't love it either. To be fair, the writer is good. She managed to keep me interested in the characters and the outcome despite several problems that I had with the book. One of the problems I had was that I didn't believe at all that Eliana (and Mira) was 16. She was acting incredibly mature for her age. She was a peasant who lived in one village all her life and spent the ages of 12 to 16 cloistered in a conservatory but she has the military and people skills necessary to earn the loyalty of Ravenna's soliders, bring the diverse rebels together, and stage a successful revolt against experienced military personnel. Right. But since it was fantasy, I just decided to ignore the fact the Eliana was supposed to be 16 and made her 25.

But the other problem that I had with this book was the pseudo-Christianity, (I can't really say if it was Catholicism or not because I'm not familiar with the differences between the various Christian denominations) notwithstanding the female deity, the dancing, and magic. I can't help but feel like the author was taking the easy way out by making her religion so obliviously Christianity. Usually, if a fantasy is set in a land that's not supposed to be Earth, then the religion is also not recognizable as an Earth religion. By basing her religion so closely on Christianity, it made me think the author was too lazy to create her own religious system.

My other problem with the religion was that sometimes I felt that I was being force fed the author's opinion that Christianity was the One True religion, especially in the first two thirds of the book. I resented that alot and almost quit the book a couple of times because of it. However, to be fair, I do think in the last third of the book the author presented a more balanced view of the religions, specifically in the with the character Mario, the healing of the boy Vinni by Lucia and Margherita, and Eliana's confusion and uncertainty over the two religions. I really liked this line "Someone somewhere had done a lot of obvious borrowing." from the healing scene because it's true of so many religions.

In conclusion, this book was a decent way to pass a couple of hours. If you're not as sensitive to the religious aspects as I am you'll probably enjoy it more.