The Gold Falcon (The Silver Wyrm, Book 1) [Hardcover]

Katharine Kerr (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Silver Wyrm, Book 1 | Publication Date: July 5, 2006

The cholera epidemic that ravaged the city of TrevHael has left many orphans in its wake, including Neb, the scribe's son, and his brother. Sent to the desolate farm of their last living relative, they soon learn that a worse plague lurks beyond the western border of Deverry. The savage Horsekin tribes, spurred on by their new goddess, Alshandra, are raiding the villages and taking slaves as the first step in their plans to destroy the nomadic Westfolk and the Deverrian farmers both. Drawn into a war for the survival of the kingdom, Neb and his soulmate Branna will face enemies they have fought before in past lives they no longer remember.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Prepare to get lost in the magic. -- Voya

There is a solid depth to Deverry and its inhabitants that make it seem very real. -- Starlog

About the Author

Katharine Kerr first became involved in the field of fantasy through role-playing games, becoming so intrigued that she began writing articles for gaming magazines, and for some time was a contributing editor to Dragon magazine. This interest soon led her into the field of fantasy writing, with her first Deverry novel, Daggerspell, appearing in 1986. Since then, she has written fourteen more Deverry novels, of which The Silver Mage is the latest, as well as other fantasy and science fiction novels. Her Deverry novels have hit the London Times and the Australian bestseller lists.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 592 pages
• Publisher: DAW Hardcover; First Edition edition (July 5, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756403863
• ISBN-13: 978-0756403867
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,287,013 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A transition novel, August 26, 2006

By 

Donna C. Brown "kohaladonah" (HI) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Gold Falcon (The Silver Wyrm, Book 1) (Hardcover)

As noted in the other review, this is the least complex and challenging of the Deverry series to date. The ongoing story of Nevyn and Jill is resolved, almost too easily, given the tangled paths these characters have had in past books.

The setup, however, gives promise for the next volumes in the series, and we still have Rhodry as a dragon and Dallandra to provide the connecting threads. Not the best Deverry to start on, as it would be very difficult to follow without knowing the backstory.

Keep 'em coming Kit!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deverrey continues, but without lots of intrigue-ful baggage, July 15, 2007

By 

Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gold Falcon (The Silver Wyrm, Book 1) (Hardcover)

This book made my fingers hover over the rating... it's probably 4.5 stars.

I read the original novel in this series when it first came out in, what, the 80s? early 90s? I must have re-read it a dozen times in the years since then, because Kerr did such a wonderful job of world building. Her main characters span multiple lifetimes, and usually they do not remember what they did in an earlier incarnation. I was absolutely charmed, because the system of magic was consistent; the characters were well drawn (in an Arthurian "honor matters!" way); and it was not a predictable "oh you know how it'll end" tale.

The first several books were great, and I highly recommend that you start with Daggerspell. But the later series somehow tired me for reasons I never did figure out.

I'm happy to report that this new trilogy (one presumes?) has brought back the original magic from the first books. Nevyn and Jill do get together (yay!, after only what, 600 years) and it's fun to see the two dweomer-masters as teenagers dealing with the "but who was I? am I still that person?" identity crisis. There is humor, compassion, honor... and none of it gets in the way of telling a good story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great start to the end of a great series!, November 9, 2006

By 

AoiElf "spreading the good word of anime" (West Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gold Falcon (The Silver Wyrm, Book 1) (Hardcover)

I absolutely adore this series and am sad to see it coming to an end. It was horrible to wait this entire time for this book (if you followed it and saw all the pushbacks like I did), but it was well worth it. It doesn't really answer questions but it definitely sets up the next two books to tie everything together. This book, unlike the others, only stays in one timeline choosing to tell the past by using small character flashbacks that are actually told to other characters instead of that character being in that time. A definite must for any follower of the series.