Lorimal's Chalice [Paperback]

Jane Fletcher (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2002

The quest for the stolen chalice is a sham - her family's way to banish Tevi from the island without causing a scandal. She soon discovers that the outside world is a dangerous and confusing place. Bandits and monsters are the least of her problems. Someone is prying into a long hidden secret and Tevi is about to get caught up in the deadly consequences.

Jemeryl has her future planned out. A future that will, hopefully, involve the minimum contact with ordinary folk who do not understand sorcerers. Her ambition lies with the Coven and the study of magic. Her goal is to rise up the Coven hierarchy and someday become ruler of the Protectorate. It is all very straightforward - until she meets Tevi.

The fate of the greatest civilisation the world has known is at stake. Tevi and Jemeryl will have to risk their lives in the race to uncover the traitor and retrieve the chalice. If this is not enough, they will both have to re-evaluate their assumptions about society and their places in it, and then figure out exactly what they want from life and each other.

Product Details

• Paperback: 373 pages
• Publisher: Fortitude Press, Inc. (September 2002)
• ISBN-10: 0971815062
• ISBN-13: 978-0971815063
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,017,566 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mesmerizing Tour-de-Force, September 3, 2003

By 

Lori L. Lake "Author of Like Lovers Do, Buyer... (Portland, Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lorimal's Chalice (Paperback)

Tevi is the oldest daughter of Red, who in turn is the daughter of the Queen of Storenseg. In this matrilineal society, the women are the warriors and the men are small, weak, and serve in roles as housekeepers, babysitters, and servants. Tevi does not belong. She is awkward-not good with a sword or any type of weapon-and the leaders of Storenseg do not believe she possesses any useful leadership skills. Her younger sister, Laff, is far better suited for power and ruling. Unfortunately, Tevi makes the mistake of revealing feelings for a woman, and in this profoundly heterosexist society, that is cause for death or exile. Like the ugly duckling, Tevi is a disgrace in the eyes of all her people.

Rather than sentence her own granddaughter to death, the Queen sends Tevi on an impossible mission to recover a chalice stolen under odd circumstances. In anguish, the 19-year-old woman embarks upon a journey to other lands. In classic Quest form, Tevi goes out in the world and this is when the fun starts. While learning new skills and finding talents she didn't know she had, she encounters wayfarers, sorcerers, enchanted castles, witches, wild animals, dwarves, and magic-and Jemeryl, who is a young Sorceress who not only saves Tevi from a terrible fate, but also proves critical in the search for the stolen chalice. As it turns out, Tevi's quest has much further reaching ramifications than anyone back in Storenseg ever imagined.

A mesmerizing read, LORIMAL'S CHALICE is a tour-de-force packed with adventure, ordeals, complex twists and turns, and the internal introspection of appealing characters. The author writes effortlessly, handling the size and scope of the book with ease. Not since the fantasy works of Elizabeth Moon and Lynn Flewelling have I been so thoroughly engrossed in a tale. This is knockout fiction, tantalizingly told, and beautifully packaged. I highly recommend it.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful story, April 7, 2004

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Lorimal's Chalice (Paperback)

The other reviews tell enough of the story. What the reader needs to know is that this is a terrific book. It made me late to work on more than one day because I couldn't put it down. It's wonderful fantasy and has just enough touches of lesbianism to make it interesting. You will get caught up in this story. Normally, I would hope that a story this good would have a sequel, but I'm afraid a follow up might somehow diminish the original story. This one certainly stands alone.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Epic Fantasy Adventure, February 11, 2004

By 

Sandra Barret (Campbell, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lorimal's Chalice (Paperback)

This is one of the best lesbian-based fantasy novels I've read. Actually, it's one of the most enjoyable fantasy novels period. The author introduces us to Tevi, and within the first chapter, you are immediately drawn into Tevi's world and are crying for her, and cheering for her.
The main characters are well developed and believable, the prose is smooth and the action carries you from chapter to chapter. If you like fantasy novels, you'll love this story - it's engaging, endearing, sometimes scary and definitely delivers on all that a fantasy reader wants. I look forward to more from Jane Fletcher.