Lion's Heart [Paperback]

Karen Wehrstein (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1991

So little time...Set in the world of S.M Stirling and Shirley Meier's The Cage, this is the story of Chevenga, master warrior and the greatest ruler his people would ever know. Chevenga knows his destiny from a vision: to preserve his people from barbarian invasions--and he also knows his fate: to die at the hand of an assassin while still young. In his short life Chevenga has much to do, and little time to do it in. If his people cannot freely accept his rulership he must use whatever means are necessary to make them recognize him for what he is.

Product Details

• Paperback: 410 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (February 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671720449
• ISBN-13: 978-0671720445
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,633,386 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! One of my all time favorites., August 1, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Lion's Heart (Paperback)

This book, and it's sequel, Lion's Soul, are both one of my all-time favorites. When I bought Lion's Heart it was so good I read a third of it in the bookstore. I have since reread it several times.

The basic story is set in a future Earth where modern day man has destroyed civilization, and after many years it has recovered to a basicly Greco-Roman level. Chevenga, the story's hero, is the young ruler-to-be of a small country facing absorption by a huge empire.

But that doesn't tell the half of it. The characters are excellent, the writing well done. Interesting personal and philosophical ideas are expounded. I found the character of Chevenga staying with me long after I'd finished the book.

It sorrows me greatly that Ms. Wehrstein has not published in recent years and that Lion's Heart was never truly discovered by the SF/F reading public. Truly a loss.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart and Soul both fit for the gods!, June 19, 2002

By 

Ironlily "ironlily" (Madison, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lion's Heart (Paperback)

This is one of seven books in the Fifth Millenium series by Wehrstein, SM Stirling, and Shirley Meier. It falls concurrent with Snowbrother (Stirling), Shadow's Daughter (Meier), and The Cage (Stirling/Meier) in the timeline of a post-Apocalyptic world filled with moral dilemmas, sweeping destinies, magic, politics, and swordplay. Every book in this series is wonderful, but the two books about Chevenga are extra-special.
Indulge in "chiravesa" (a yeoli philosophy of "being the other") for a moment, and be Chevenga: by the time he was six years old, he knew he had a choice between early death (before the age of thirty) and everlasting glory, or an obscure life and the end of his people. What would you choose? What would any hero choose? But glory doesn't come without a price for Chevenga, beyond the guarantee of early death, and his sufferings and challenges in the two books (Lion's Heart and Lion's Soul) are enough to make one weep.
The only bad thing about these two wonderful books (the entire wonderful series, for that matter) is that they are out of print.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A stunning series, November 17, 2006

By 

A. Gorby "Athlynne" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lion's Heart (Paperback)

Not since I read "Lord of the Rings" have I been so absorbed by a fantasy series. Wehrstein's warrior-king Chevenga, a man who knows from childhood that he will die in early adulthood, draws the reader in and gains his/her admiration and sympathy very quickly. Through "Lion's Heart" and its worthy sequel "Lion's Soul", Chevenga tells his remarkable life story with heartfelt openness; I can tell you I passed several sleepless nights unwilling to put down the book and make myself wait to see what happened next.

For any fan of the fantasy genre or anyone looking for a story that will never let go of your heart, I recommend these. One can't help but feel one is in the presence of two great souls - both Chevenga and Wehrstein.