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Miserere: An Autumn Tale [Paperback]

Teresa Frohock
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)

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Book Description

June 21, 2011
Exiled exorcist Lucian Negru deserted his lover in Hell in exchange for saving his sister Catarina's soul, but Catarina doesn't want salvation. She wants Lucian to help her fulfill her dark covenant with the Fallen Angels by using his power to open the Hell Gates. Catarina intends to lead the Fallen's hordes out of Hell and into the parallel dimension of Woerld, Heaven's frontline of defense between Earth and Hell. When Lucian refuses to help his sister, she imprisons and cripples him, but Lucian learns that Rachael, the lover he betrayed and abandoned in Hell, is dying from a demonic possession. Determined to rescue Rachael from the demon he unleashed on her soul, Lucian flees his sister, but Catarina's wrath isn't so easy to escape!

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"With richly developed, complex characters and a talent for portraying the horrific nature of evil, the author relates a compelling tale of faith rediscovered, trust regained, and hope reawakened." --Library Journal / Starred review and Library Journal's SF/F debut of the month.

"Miserere is about redemption, and the triumph of our best impulses over our worst. It's also about swords, monsters, chases, ghosts, magic, court intrigues and battles to the death. It's also (and this is the important part) really, really good."
--Alex Bledsoe, author of Dark Jenny


Bull Spec calls Miserere "a stunning, vivid foray into a complicated, but decipherable, world. And Teresa Frohock successfully plants a foothold in the speculative market as an author to watch."
--J.P. Wickwire

About the Author

Raised in a small town, Teresa Frohock learned to escape to other worlds through the fiction collection of her local library. She eventually moved away from Reidsville and lived in Virginia and South Carolina before returning to North Carolina, where she currently resides with her husband and daughter.

Teresa has long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying. Miserere: An Autumn Tale is her debut novel.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 350 pages
  • Publisher: Night Shade Books; 1St Edition edition (June 21, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1597802891
  • ISBN-13: 978-1597802895
  • Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.9 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #975,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Raised in a small town, Teresa Frohock learned to escape to other worlds through the fiction collection of her local library. Although Teresa has been reading fantasy and science fiction since she was twelve, her fascination with the grotesque extends back into childhood. Whenever she went to a carnival, she was the first one at the tent that housed the freak-show. She wanted to see the two-headed (chicken, snake, fetus, fill-in-the-blank) and was always disappointed when it wasn't alive--it seemed like such a rip-off.

Her author photo is very formal. What you can't see in that picture is that she is wearing jeans and boots. Teresa always wears boots except when it's 90+ degrees outside, then she wears sandals and wishes she was wearing boots. Next time she has her picture taken, it will be in front of the old pick-up truck so you can get a better read on her personality.

Over her life, Teresa has been employed as a waitress, a DJ, a newspaper carrier, a factory worker, a legal assistant, a community workforce instructor, and finally as a cataloger in a community college library. She loves her job and gets to work with some really super people. If you have something bad to say about community colleges, don't say it to her.

Teresa lives in a very rural area, which is sometimes good, sometimes boring. During her youth, her life was very, VERY exciting. she did a lot of exciting things, met a lot of electrifying people, engaged in a lot of stimulating activities, and saw things that would send most sane people howling into the woods.

She has had enough exhilaration for one lifetime and the brain damage to prove it. Given that self-preservation has never been one of her strong points, Teresa is lucky to be alive. It's someone else's turn. Have fun and tell them Teresa sent you, just don't call her if you get into trouble. She is not running a bail-bond service.

People who know Teresa claim that she is warm and has a sense of humor. She thinks her personality can better be described as sharp and being around her is a little like biting on tinfoil. You'll have to make your own determination.

Neither her religion nor her politics are any of your damn business.

Her hair is starting to turn silver and she likes that.

Her eyes are hazel. She likes that too.

Teresa was raised in North Carolina, lived in Virginia and South Carolina before returning to the Piedmont, where she currently resides with her husband and daughter. Teresa has long been accused of telling stories, which is a southern colloquialism for lying.

You can visit her web site: www.teresafrohock.com

Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
(27)
4.6 out of 5 stars
The description in the book is well done and the characters are intriguing. Karissa Eckert  |  8 reviewers made a similar statement
Frohock does a wonderful job creating a truly unique world from any that I've read before. A. Ahrens  |  9 reviewers made a similar statement
Especially when a book is in a genre I do not normally or regularly read, as Miserere is. Kathryn Magendie  |  7 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Finely-crafted novel July 2, 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I knew I was going to read this book - after all, Teresa Frohock is a North Carolinian, as I am, and we had become friends and colleagues - talking about writing and publishing and books and authors. Before I opened the book, I thought, as I do when I read a friend or colleague's work, "Please let it be good; please let me enjoy it fully and truly and immensely so I can honestly tell them how much I love it!" Especially when a book is in a genre I do not normally or regularly read, as Miserere is. Oh, I had nothing to fear!

From the first page, I knew there would be no problem immersing myself in this book--the writing is strong and well-crafted--and by the end of the first chapter, I was completely hooked--the premise fascinating, the characters strong.

The intricate details of the plot, the multi-dimensioned characters, the clean editing, the gorgeous cover, and Frohock's master writing skills, made this a finely-crafted debut novel. As another reviewer(s) has said, it's hard to believe this is her first book. I kept thinking, "I am impressed," and I meant: with the writing, the plot details, the characters, the cover.

Frohock's strong women characters--Rachael, Catarina, young Lindsay--are my favorites. Even though Catarina is a dark and evil "bad girl," there are glimpses of poignancy between her and her twin brother Lucian--he is the thread that weaves these women characters together with steel and web and silk--and their brother-sister relationship is all at once dreadful, disturbing, sad, and heartbreaking.

Lucian isn't as strong as the women, and seems to let them bend him to their will. He is a bit passive, even in the times he has to be proactive in his protection of what he believes in and the women he wants to protect; however, that "weakness" is a character flaw, not a flaw in Frohock's writing or the novel itself. It allows the women to come through even stronger. Lucian's physical weakness is also made more stark against the strength of the women, even young Lindsay.

Rachael is my favorite character of them all. She'd be the character I'd like to have a meal with, to be on my side when I was in trouble, to champion me in a cause.

As an aside, I was afraid the "religion" aspects of the story would be off-putting, but that couldn't be further from the truth. The "religion" parts of the book were plot-oriented and not there to preach or send out some "message" to the reader. It is all about the story.

A kick-arse book. And if I think I have what I think is a "hint" right towards the end of the book, there should be more coming about these characters and these places--I sure hope so!
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Hungering for More! July 10, 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am completely stunned that a debut novel could knock me off my feet with such imagery and emotional pull as this book by Frohock. Lately, I'd been resigned to subpar science fiction/fantasy epic novels, that I was unprepared for this one and ended up enthralled by it until the wee hours of the morning; I just HAD to finish it. I needed to know how it ended. The characters are so well developed I clearly understood their fears, hopes, reluctance, self-doubt, and all the other emotional complications that comes with being human.

Even though the book starts out sixteen years after Lucian's betrayal of Rachael, and you only get miniscule glimpses of the happy times of the past, I truly felt that they were completely in love and in sync before it all went down...and that he still was in love with her hopelessly and would never relent in that love for her. Lucian is such a complicated character...and Rachael is strong and guarded.

Little by little you see the descent of Catarina into a super villain, although she was pretty vicious in the beginning. She allows herself to be perverted for the sake or more power. And yet, she selfishly longs for her brother's love. And her perverted love for her brother has an almost incestuous taint to it. Not sure if I'm reading into it or not...

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER
I definitely see Catarina coming back in the second novel even more disturbed, more evil, and more powerful.

END SPOILER

I liked Lindsey, she is starting to come into her own. Although at times, I was slightly annoyed with her hesitations at times--which by the way was necessary to see her growth as a character and as a teen. She is going to be a wonderful character in the next books and I'm excited to see more of her...but not as much as I want to read about the gradual rekindling of love between Lucian and Rachael in the next book.

I love Rachel! She is such a strong character. Having been betrayed by the love of her life, she still continued living to the best of her ability. Now living an isolated life due to the fact that everyone else is revolted by her gruesome scars and the Wyrm inside of her, she doesn't allow it to cripple her when she is called to complete a directive/mission. Although rightfully bitter and deeply hurt, she still treats Lucian fairly and considerately when she sees him for the first time in sixteen years.

I truly cannot wait for the sequel. It looks like this book is the first of a trilogy. This story was about Lucian, the next will be about Rachael, and the third looks to be about Lindsey. I hope in the next book we get to see some flashbacks to the past between Lucian and Rachael--I want to read about how their first love blossomed. But more importantly, I want to read how they bridge this chasm created by Lucian's betrayal. They can't just fall right back in love again; it takes more than a few chapters to completely resolve an issue this huge. It wasn't like Lucian slept with someone else--that's a common plot in other novels--but he abandoned her to a horrendous and painful fate. He chose to save someone else and damned her in consequence...and yet he still loved her (and she still loved him despite his betrayal). He saw her clearly and used her weakness and utter trust in him against her. Nonetheless, it seemed that toward the end of the book, Rachael had already forgiven him in her heart for his betrayal--she understood him completely and his reasoning behind it. She sees him and his faults and yet loves him. But forgiveness is not the same as trust. Her heart is now guarded and hard...it will take a lot more than words and gifts to overcome her walls. Not only that, but she (and Lucian) both have many literal and figurative demons to fight. Her time trapped in Hell will bring her nightmares for a long time...although it seems like Rachael has not let it debilitate her--she does not wallow in self-pity. I also hope in the second book, that Lucian confronts the horrors that Rachael had to go through because of him. He only saw her scars and imagined what it was like for her...he should know exactly what Rachael experienced so that he can truly grasp the vastness of her forgiveness and love when they do make up.

In conclusion, I am very grateful for such a beautifully written debut novel and am very hopeful and eager for the second.

I bought the Kindle version--there doesn't seem to be many errors, only a few, but it did not in any way detract from the story or the quality of the reading.

Teresa Frohock, please don't take too long to publish the sequel! I'm horrible at waiting...
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A really great book! Hopefully a start to a series! September 21, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Author Ilona Andrews highley recommended this book on her blog and I have to agree. It starts out a little slow, but once all the characters were introduced I was hooked. I quickly read through it. I couldn't wait to find out what happened.

The book is about Lucian, who has held guilt for is actions against his love, Rachel, sixteen years before in order to save his twin's life. What he has come to learn over the years is that his twin sister, Catarina's, life was more corrupt than he realized. She made a deal with a powerful demon in order to gain power when the war between the Fallen (yes those Fallen from heaven) and the Citadel (where the good people of faith reside)takes place.

The world structure is a lot to take in. The story is set in an alternate universe called the Woerld. It is a different plane of existence adjacent to Earth. Earth and the Woerld are bookended on either side by Heaven and Hell. Frohock does a wonderful job creating a truly unique world from any that I've read before. She does a great job of relaying to the reader the intricaces of the world without seeming too textbook about it. There are things that are told outright and things that we learn by actions.

The way that the story goes really sets up for other books in the series. I really hope that we get more. I am eager to find out where our characters go from here. Until Then!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A very pleasant surprise
Books like Miserere are why I'm glad I make it a personal rule to finish reading all books I start. It's always tempting to put a title away for something else when the story... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Steff
4.0 out of 5 stars Great debut, beautifully written with a meaningful story
Miserere: An Autumn Tale is the debut novel by Teresa Frohock, and it's beautifully written as promised in the very first paragraph. Read more
Published 1 month ago by BastardBooks
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful.
I loved it, it was a bit odd at the beginning but that's partly because I'm not used to reading dark religious-fic and this was heavy on the religious without being preachy or in... Read more
Published 2 months ago by MrsRead-a-lot
4.0 out of 5 stars Novel and thoughtful, a tale of redemption...
Lucian Negru is a man of faith exiled for making the unenviable choice between his sister, Catarina, and the woman he loves, Rachael. Read more
Published 3 months ago by MC
5.0 out of 5 stars Miserere: An Autumn Tale
Miserere: An Autumn Tale
great book well written. it was great to see redeption really pays off. i can't wait to read the other books in that series
Published 5 months ago by MARILYN D. THOMPSON
4.0 out of 5 stars Fast-paced fantasy drama
Miserere is set in a world that parallels Earth (literally called "World"), in which the battle between Heaven and Hell is fought by warrior-prophets (referred to as Katharos) who... Read more
Published 8 months ago by J. A. Drew
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
Love this book! I devoured! Interesting cross between authors MelJean Brooks and Ilona Andrews (my favorite authors)! I would love to have more adventures with this author!
Published 8 months ago by Phoenix
3.0 out of 5 stars Great start, hoping for more
Read the book based on recommendation by author Ilona Andrews and could not put it down! Hope there is a book two on the way!
Published 8 months ago by Lyn
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely world building.
Miserere takes place in a fully realized fantasy world, but a title I have the damnedest time spelling. Read more
Published 8 months ago by rosebriar
5.0 out of 5 stars Miserere has what I can only call a dark vitality to it.
Shadohawk reviews the first novel in the Katharoi series, Miserere: An Autumn Tale, by debut author Teresa Frohock, published by Nightshade Books. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Abhinav Jain
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