The Four Forges: (The Elven Ways #1) [Hardcover]

Jenna Rhodes (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Elven Ways | Publication Date: May 2, 2006

Welcome to a thrilling new world. First in a bold new fantasy series.

Brought to the world of Kerith by an unknown cataclysim, the Vaelinar race is both magical and arrogant, considering themselves far superior to the natives whose own magic has been shorn away by a civil war. As hated as they are revered, the Vaelinars have claimed lordship over the native races, and have anchored their magic to the new world by a series of Talent-wrought Ways-passages of power-always hoping that one day they will create the Way back to the world they lost.

Two young people, one broken of soul and the other broken of mind, find their fates intertwined as their mixed bloodlines both curse and bless them. Can a river-borne slave and a street-savvy half-breed find their own personal truth in time to avert another civil war?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Sevryn Dardanon is not your typical elf. In fact, the world of Kerith is not your typical elf world. In this spectacular series debut, the pseudonymous Rhodes (a prolific YA author) plays fresh variations on the standard epic fantasy tropes. Her elves, the Vaelinars, are outsiders, propelled by a magical cataclysm into an unfamiliar and somewhat hostile new environment. For Sevryn, a half-breed Vaelinar, life is especially difficult as he's neither of one world or the other. Meanwhile, human Dwellers take in the orphaned Rivergrace, an escaped slave of Vaelinar heritage, and raise her as their adopted daughter. Both Rivergrace and Sevryn struggle to survive as quietly as possible, until, by chance, their paths cross and they must help each other battle an unknown evil that's infecting Kerith. Sevryn and Rivergrace possess not only undeveloped magical powers but mysteries in their respective pasts that promise to keep the excitement level high in the next installment. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

The first book of the Elven Ways series introduces the very detailed and well-drawn world of Kerith, in which four different peoples coexisted since the end of a devastating war, until a magestorm from another world brought a fifth people, the Vaelinars. Their powers, once they got over the shock of transition, proved great enough to rule the four established peoples. Now, after generations of rule, feuds are breaking out among the Vaelinar lords, and the discontented among the conquered peoples seek to overthrow them all. As hostilities escalate, fate throws up Grace, rescued from a river and with no memory of her past, and Sevryn, who has also had 20 years of his past wiped out. The two youngsters just may be formidable enough to deal with the land's foes, if their memories can be healed. Rhodes' use of detail will please those who like richly drawn settings and intricate plots but may confuse others whom the appended glossary and character list will help. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: DAW Hardcover; 1St Edition edition (May 2, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756402743
• ISBN-13: 978-0756402747
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,385,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic epic fantasy, May 3, 2006

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Four Forges: (The Elven Ways #1) (Hardcover)

When the Vaelinars came to the world of Kerith, they had no idea who they were, where they came from, how they got to this strange orb that was nowhere near their home. The Elven brought magic to a land that had destroyed it during the Mage's War. They raised themselves above the natives and fought one another until they drew up the Accords, which led to the halt of Vaelinars dueling with one another or making war on the other planetary inhabitants.

Now the world stands on the precipice of war again as the rogue Vaelinar Quendius has broken the Accord for years by selling weapons he makes to anyone who wants them. The evil Ravers and Bolgers start attacking humans. The rivers are being poisoned while assassins try to kill the Vaelinar warrior Queen Lariel, a rare voice of reason. The Galdarkans bred by the Magi from the Kernan race are being forcibly united by Abayan Drort using a demon possessed hammer to achieve the objective. The half-breed Sevryn held captive for two decades by Quendius and Rivergrace a full blooded Vaelinar raised by humans remain the last hope to stop the breaking apart of the Accords; however he must recover his memories and she must accept her destiny.

Names aside (readers will need a scorecard), the first book of the Elven Way is a fantastic epic fantasy in what looks like will be a special series similar to the works of Tad Williams and other great epic fantasists. This tale is told from the point of view of many of the major players, which leads to understanding the essence of the characters even if the POV shifts seem a bit confusing at times. The key cast members are believable individuals with distinct personalities. Jenna Rhodes leaves enough threads for readers to look forward to the next tale but in a paradox THE FOUR FORGES feel complete.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Different, July 30, 2007

By 

Lymond01 (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Four Forges: (The Elven Ways #1) (Hardcover)

This was an odd one for me. The characters took a long time to flesh out, there weren't many differences between any character from one race and any character from another. It felt like the first 500 pages were one long, building chapter, and then the rest of the chapters happen in the last 100 pages, with an ending that sort of makes you say, "huh?" because there was no foreshadowing that I remember of the plot device.

It's similar, as one reviewer wrote, to Tad William's trilogy in that it has an interesting world with an interesting history. Like William's, the characters didn't have fleshed out personalities, save perhaps the father: the rest were stereotypes of their race: contented, hard-working Dwellers; somewhat witty elves; dark, serious Galdarkans. The author treated this first book too much like a first book. She had a lot of room to get you attached to the characters, but decided to save too much for the next in the series. I kept waiting for something to happen and when it finally did (in the last 30 pages or so), it was lackluster.

It had potential, but the author didn't give me enough to care about.

That being said, the weapons introduced were unique and fun to read about.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different type of Fantasy, that is truly entertaining, September 5, 2006

By 

Kevin Tinkelenberg (Mesa, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Four Forges: (The Elven Ways #1) (Hardcover)

This book follows no mold for how fantasy is supposed to be written. This book is so against the Tolkien Mold that I could not tear myself away even though I am drawn to the books that fit the traditional Mold. This book Elves are revered, but they all also feared and are flawed their ways. In most fantasy books I read the Elves are always saviors, but in this book their are many sides to the Elves and with the many sides come the different feelings towards them. And thats what I love about this book. It makes you love the Individual Characters, their morals, and their being, and not caring about their power or race. This books takes risks for being different and the storytelling is excellent. The book comes with its own ending, but leaves enough questions unanswered that you cannot help but want to read the next book in the series. To me a very good read