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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Angieville: FORTUNE AND FATE, November 19, 2008
This review is from: Fortune and Fate (Hardcover)
I am a huge Sharon Shinn fan. Archangel (Samaria, Book 1) is one of my very favorite comfort reads and so is Mystic and Rider (The Twelve Houses, Book 1)--the first in Shinn's Twelve Houses series. Her characters become friends so quickly I forget what life was like before I read them. That's why the Twelve Houses series is so much fun. It follows a disparate group of six travelers who, despite differences of rank, temperament, and fundamental beliefs, become first allies and later friends. Shinn tracks this six of them through four books, eventually wrapping up each thread of the overarching story. Or so we thought. FORTUNE AND FATE is a companion novel to the Twelve Houses series. An unexpected and delightfully welcome fifth volume.
Wen was a King's Rider, one of fifty elite guards dedicated to protecting the king with their lives if necessary. Until the king died. On her watch. Shortly after, Wen resigned her post and rode out of the capital city forever. Two years later she is still roaming the countryside, searching for people to save in a futile attempt to atone for her sins. For failing to save her liege. Determined not to connect with anyone ever again, Wen finds herself reluctantly accepting a post as captain of the guard at House Fortunalt after saving the young serramarra's life. Answering to the serramarra's guardian, the bookish Jasper Palladar, Wen promises to stay for a month at most. Long enough to train a rough guard. Not long enough to form any attachments or find any reasons to stay. Meanwhile, the queen's consort wends his way through the southern Houses on a journey to sound out the new Thirteenth House nobles as well as the upcoming generation of marlords and marladies.
The story alternates chapters between Wen's sojourn at Fortune and Cammon's journey through Gisseltess, Rappengrass, and Fortunalt. But this is essentially Wen's own story. And I was pleased to find myself soon attached to this tough young woman so intently bent on self destruction. It was naturally extremely pleasant to spend time with Cammon, Senneth, and Justin again as well. But Ms. Shinn does a good job of extending her readers' affections to Wen and her particular set of troubles. The secondary characters are well-drawn and sympathetic, especially Jasper, Karryn, and Ryne--the young lordling from Coravann. This is a quieter, more self-contained novel than the previous Twelve Houses books. It unfolds slowly as Wen struggles to retire her ghosts and maintain some distance from those who would try to keep her. As Jasper quietly works to rebuild a house in disgrace and extend Wen's stay at Fortune. As Karryn learns who she can trust and how to differentiate herself from her parents' failures. A very fine coda to a simply wonderful series.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellently written companion to the Twelve Houses series, November 11, 2008
This review is from: Fortune and Fate (Hardcover)
While the main 6 from the other Twelve Houses books (Senneth, Tayse, Justin, Cammon, Kirra, and Donnal) do make appearances the primary focus of this book is on Wen, a former Rider who felt that she disgraced her king by letting him die. She flees Ghosenhall and spends years wandering the countryside until fate causes her to cross paths with the heir to one of the Houses that had revolted against her king. Over the course of the story she comes to love the House and, while I won't spoil the ending, it is a delightful outcome for her and everyone else.
The romance between her and a scholarly (in our modern language, nerdy) noble is a delightful feature. The tough and burly swordswoman and the aristocrat is a very nice role reversal from the traditional pairing of warrior man and damsel-in-distress so common to fantasy stories. It was refreshing and I found it satisfying.
I do recommend this book although it definitely isn't a stand-alone novel...while Shinn does explain some of the backstory it would be better for the reader to read all the other Twelve Houses books first.
I liked this one a lot and I look forward to reading more in this series.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A New Generation, September 18, 2009
Fortune and Fate isn't the best of the Twelve Houses books, let me say that right out front. To that end, it certainly isn't Sharon Shinn's best book. Put it next to The Shape-Changer's Wife or Summers at Castle Auburn, and it looks pretty pale, but that doesn't make Fortune and Fate a bad book.
Fortune and Fate finds us following Wen, Rider gone awol with a major guilt trip, traveling the country and doing good deeds. One of these good deeds (the first and most important as far as the plot is concerned) puts the heir of one of the Twelve Houses in Wen's debt. Houston we have plot development.
Though the story centers around Wen (with snippets from Senneth like every other Twelve Houses book), the most important point is how the new generation is acting as stewards of their Houses and their country. We see the new Queen working to make changes for her people, her 'king' connecting with the common folk, and young heirs struggling to better themselves and not become like the mothers and fathers who brought ruin on their country just a few years before.
A worthy continuation to the Tweleve houses books, and hopefully a stepping stone to more!
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