Forging the Sword (The Farsala Trilogy) [Library Binding]

Hilari Bell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 11, 2008 | Series: The Farsala Trilogy

THE SPIRIT OF THE ANCIENT CHAMPION, SORAHB, WAS REBORN INTO THE BODY OF A DEGHAN YOUTH.

There is not much time left on the Hrum's self-imposed limit -- only a few months. If in that time they don't take all of Farsala, then the Farsalans will regain their independence.

Ceaselessly, Soraya, Kavi, and Jiaan work to keep control of what little land remains free from Hrum rule: parts of the countryside, the badlands, and the walled city of Mazad. They have many people helping them, but there is still one important piece missing: a sword that is able to withstand the Hrum's watersteel. In the end Farsala will fall if it can't win in battle.

But one thing none of these young heroes can foresee is the growing desperation of the Hrum leaders. It will lead some to break their own laws and sacred pacts and will reveal truths to Kavi, Soraya, and Jiaan about the nature of war, the nature of human beings, and -- most importantly -- the nature of themselves.

Hilari Bell builds the action and intrigue to a crescendo in the final installment of this critically acclaimed trilogy.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6–10—Jiaan, Kavi, and Soraya—the three young Farsalans attempting to wrest their fallen nation from the conquering Hrum—are back in this final installment of Bell's trilogy. Invoking the name of the legendary Sorahb, they lead the tiny, ill-trained army, organize the peasants, and practice magic as taught by the mysterious, desert-living Suud. The sword that they forge represents both their discovery of the secrets of Hrum steel as well as their ability to create a new, unified Farsala. The young people work according to their particular talents, learning to cooperate and to forgive past transgressions. Primarily, they learn that the world is not a place of black and white, but gray—enemies can be noble and supposed friends can deceive. How one proceeds in the face of that knowledge is the main thrust of this novel. Readers who enjoyed the earlier adventures will be happy to see this epic to its conclusion, but the book does not stand on its own. No attempt is made to recap any previous information. The seamless interweaving of the ancient heroic poem of Sorahb into the downfall of Farsala gave the first novel depth, and its loss is heavy in books two and three. Purchase where the earlier titles have a following.—Sharon Grover, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Bell brings the Farsala Trilogy to a rousing conclusion, replete with fierce battles and nerve-wracking incursions into enemy territory by the young heroes who are fighting to save Farsala from becoming part of the Hrum Empire. The author maintains the complexity of her main characters and the intensity of the story line: the Hrum have only a few months, according to their self-imposed time limit, to conquer Farsala or depart the land. An edge-of-the-seat finale for the trilogy's readers. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 608 pages
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1435234359
• ISBN-13: 978-1435234352
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,061,087 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Me the writer--a loose, not-really-biography of Hilari Bell.

A lot of writers will tell you that they've been writers from the time they were children--well, I'm not one of those people. I was always a reader. There's nothing better than falling into the world of a book and just living there till the story's over...and even then, it stays in your head and heart. At least, the best ones do. But writing came a lot later, in school assignments--which I enjoyed, but still, assignments. Homework no less.

I started writing seriously when I first got out of library school. I'd been reading picture books preparing to do storytimes, and I thought, "Picture books. They're short. They're for little kids. How hard could it be?" Several years and dozens of unsold--and unsalable--picture books later I'd found out how hard they could be! Picture books are harder to write (a good one, anyway) than anything except poetry. And they're harder to sell than anything but poetry, too.

One of the things I've learned about writing over the years is to never say never, because whenever I've said "I will never write XYZ" within a few years I end up writing it. Some true examples: I could never write a novel. I could never write a young adult novel. I could never write science fiction. I could never write an adult novel. I could never make those books a romance. (OK, so I haven't actually made them into a romance, but a lot more romantic elements are creeping into my writing.) I should probably say, I could never write a best seller, just to see what would happen... Hmm. I could never write a best seller!

OK, Murphy's Law being what it is, that probably won't work. If for no other reason than that, primarily, I write for me. This is something I probably shouldn't admit, but I don't really care that much about my audience. (Sorry, audience.) I write the books I want to read. I tell the stories that I want to tell. And I write to make the story the best it can be...because the story is what I care about it. I love it when other people care about my stories too, but that's not my primary motivation. Which is the other reason "I could never write a best seller."

(I know it probably won't work--but it doesn't hurt to try, now does it?)

--Hilari

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great product, worth your money, or at least a trip to the library, November 27, 2006

By 

Ima Bukwerm (Berkeley, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forging the Sword (Farsala Trilogy) (Hardcover)

Zoe Yan

Forging the Sword by Hilari Bell

Hilari Bell's latest book, Forging the Sword, is probably her best book so far. Her previous books were very well written, too. I've been waiting almost a year for the end of the Farsala Trilogy to come out, and I have to say it was no disappointment. Forging the Sword is the conclusion of a fantasy story began in Fall of a Kingdom and Rise of a Hero. It doesn't stand alone very well, so be sure to read the first two books.

This book continues the story of how three protagonists, Soraya, Jiaan, and Kavi resist the Hrum invaders who try to conquer their country. The story is set in a fictional land, Farsala, which has marked similarities with ancient Persia. In the first two books, the Hrum defeated the Farsalan military and conquered most parts of the nation. Soraya, a former member of the deghan nobility, starts out as a conceited brat. The duty of responsibility, as well as her father's death, changes her. Jiaan is Soraya's illegitimate half-brother. He is one of the few that has both the skill and the courage to form another Farsalan army. Kavi is a peasant peddler who, after being maimed by an unscrupulous deghan years ago, hates nobility with a passion. The three of them start out as strangers with no commonalities and certainly no lost love among each other (not even among the siblings- remember, Jiaan is a "half-blood"). By the end of the second book, fate somehow manages to throw them together as the leaders of a motley conglomeration of ill-equipped Farsalan rebels. They hope that by keeping hold of several key cities and sabotaging Hrum equipment they'll be able to drive out the Hrum invaders.

Forging the Sword starts off at a brisk pace, pulling the reader in a headlong adventure. Unforeseen twists, plot turns, and daring escapades are carried out almost every chapter, and the writing is constantly infused with a steady stream of humor.

~The man stared at them.
"They've seen us," said Jiaan redundantly. "I wonder what they..."
The Hrum soldier stuck out his tongue.
"Is he...? You're kidding me," said Jiaan.
Four more Hrum scrambled onto the wall, shouting, "Come and get us! Come and get us, coward boys!"
"Coward boys?" said Jiaan. "They can't do better than that?"
The Hrum proceeded to do better.
"I can't quite hear him," Jiaan murmured. "I think... my father conceived me in... in...ah. You know, their Faran is pretty good. Anatomical."~

Some of our three protagonists' challenges are to hold the walled city of Mazad, to sabotage the Hrum siege towers, and to forge a sword strong enough to withstand Hrum watersteel. This is much harder than it sounds, due to the internal infighting and the increasing pressure put on by the Hrum military. Their biggest challenge is to learn to trust another- and that's harder than all the previous tasks combined.

Hilari Bell has once again crafted a masterful world as persuasive as it is creative. Most everything, from the language to the people, is based off of ancient Persian and Roman culture but remains interestingly unique. I especially like how the Persian myth of Rostam and Sohrab was incorporated into the story. The Hrum aren't cardboard cutout conquerors, either. They have their qualities and vices, just as any people have. Character development was fantastic. Soraya, who was my least favorite character in the first two books, is finally showing serious signs of maturing. The only problem I have with this book (and it doesn't bother me all that much) is the language. Certain words are used that might not be appropriate for kids not yet in middle school. Otherwise, Forging the Sword can, and will, appeal to young adults of all ages. Kudos to Ms. Bell!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Amazing, December 29, 2006

By 

Ali - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forging the Sword (Farsala Trilogy) (Hardcover)

Hilari Bell could not have written a better book if she tried. Forging the Sword was amazing. The captivating characters Soraya, Jiaan, and Kavi continue to evolve. They learn more about themselves and each other all throughout the book.

Honestly, it was a struggle to put the book down. There was not one dull part. You would think the war with the Hrum would get boring, or tiring at best, but it doesn't. Each character's chapter contributes something important to the overall plot and the ending is great. There are many unexpected and suspenseful twists and turns that keep you going. Overall, a great read. Enoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific ending to a fantastic trilogy, March 9, 2007

By 

guitarchick24 (USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Forging the Sword (Farsala Trilogy) (Hardcover)

Forging the Sword is Hilari Bell's final installment in the Farsala Trilogy. The books follow three people - Soraya, a deghass (noblewoman), her illegitimate half-brother Jiann, and the "everyman" peddler Kavi, as they work independently and then together to stop the invasion of the Hrum empire in their homeland of Farsala. If they can resist the Hrum from conquering every part of Farsala for one year, then they can claim their independence and be assured the Hrum will never invade Farsala again.

While the ending is fairly obvious (the author wouldn't take you through three books just to have the main characters lose the war), how she takes you there is quite the journey. Over the course of the books, the characters grow from being spoiled, arrogant and immature to people who have grown through their trials and the burden of saving a country. When we encounter Jiann, Soraya and Kavi in this book, they all have important roles that they take on reluctantly but well. Jiann is the commander of the rebel army, Soraya is a fledgling magician, and Kavi is the person who is able to inspire courage in the fighting peasants and gather intelligence for the rebellion. Together they all personify the legend of Sorahb, whose "story" is interspersed in the novel.

One thing that impresses me about Bell's novels is her ability to be very real and incredibly fair. In many novels, you have a "good guy" and a "bad guy" and that's that. But Forging the Sword is more complex than that. She lets us explore different characters on both the side of the rebellion and the Hrum and shows us that both sides have good motives - it's just certain characters who act without honor. Events in the first two books make it hard for even the three rebellion leaders to trust each other, but they come to realize they need to work through those differences for the greater good.

Overall, a solid read and highly recommended.