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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
At long last a journey worth taking, June 14, 2006
This review is from: Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana (Paperback)
My reading history in fantasy is somewhat limited. I began with Piers Anthony and his Xanth series, continued to Tolkien, Terry Brooks with the Shannara series, David Eddings with Belgariad/Mallorian series, Foster with the Spellsinger series, and other scattered works of authors I cannot recall.
I dare to say, none compare to the exquisite balance kept within this story. Morevi is a tale of high adventure and epic romance that does not waver towards the edge of its paper confines...it lives beyond, and to me such a thought is happy indeed. I am caught between holding the story in my hands (which I suspect shall be read again and again), and anticipating the next in the series with a mixture of fear and elation. I feel the obsession taking hold, the want of escape and the fleeting moment of a child's imagination relieving my travel-weary adult mind. To feel the innocence again! It is the greatest effect an author can achieve, in my opinion. There are some elements to which this story rhymes with my life experience, so ever closer to this tale did my heart bind.
For a book that rekindles your inner child with fantasy and high adventure...and still nurtures the tale of a love between two souls in such detail...
You need look no further.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless Tales 5 star review, January 19, 2004
This review is from: Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana (Paperback)
by Kassandra Washington Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana is an excellent book that challenges its readers with a fantastical tale by thrusting the reader into the depths of another world that is both mystical yet includes a tinge of the Far East. The writers' details reminiscent of the period and places succeed in immersing the reader into believable alternate worlds where Elf-folk and mortals coexist, and magic endures alongside the conventional weapons of man.
The reader begins the journey in 1492, after the "New World" has been discovered and King Henry VIII's privateers roam the seas acquiring what bounty they may, commonly referred to as stealing in lands not of England, hence the name pirate is born. A lone ship "The Deviant", accustomed to battle and desperate circumstance, is being pursued by three Spanish ships whose captains will surely pronounce a death sentence for each and every privateer captured. With the captain and first mate dead and ship heavily damaged, the navigator Rafe and a Moor, Nassir, rally the crew to embark on their only chance for survival; they must navigate the Graveyard of Lost Ships.
The very name, Graveyard of Lost Ships, known also as the Rift, spoken in fear by every seaman; no ship was known to have tackled the Rift and survived, yet the young navigator convinced the crew, it was their only chance. As the ship's course deviates toward the Rift, the three Spanish captains opt not to follow. At first a brilliant light enticed the crew to believe that they would survive, just before the darkness of Hell descends upon them. Had they a choice, their resolve would have wavered. Alas, the crew of the Defiant discovers a portal to a new world, where new adventures, alliances, and an unlikely romance await.
In the years to come, the Defiant finds itself navigating the Rift often, acquiring loot found only in this new world where Eyrie, Arathelle, and especially Morevi lay. It was a world where magic and potions were widely in practiced, though the most ancient and dark powers of these arts are forbidden, not that everyone obeys. In these lands, the defiant English possess a faster ship and the black powder. Ships and crews fall easily to their cannons, rifles, and guns. Captain Rafe's favorite ships to plunder belong to Morevi and carry the most exotic wares, silks and teas; though the warrior women who guard these ships are formidable foes. The privateer's success earned him a death sentence if ever his feet touched Morevi soil.
Askana Moldarin, the First Queen of Morevi proved to be the most cunning and deadliest. Having ascended the throne during a rebellion that overthrew the King, ended the patriarch system, and purged hoards of men from the land, her country and matriarch was threatened by treason at home and threats abroad. Having no one she could trust, she meets with the privateer, Rafe, the most successful pillager of her merchant ships. Why? The young King of Eyrie, finding the new matriarch distasteful, yearned for the conquest and overthrow of the Morevian queen and sought to take her lands for himself. The Merchant Circle on behalf of the Eyrie often paid Captain Raft for the bounty he seized from Askana's ships. The Merchant Circle assumed Rafe would gladly join them in a plot to unseat the queen. Unfortunately, for Eyrie, Rafe was the only privateer to refuse their money for such an endeavor and because of that one fact, Queen Askana gambled that somewhere deep within this scoundrel's soul was a man of honor, who if given a chance, would choose valor over greed.
A queen, a privateer captain, a couple of younglings from the Royal Guard and an unlikely assortment of pirates set out to discover who threatened the throne. An unexpected assassination attempt and deceit from an unlikely source force improvisation and send the motley crew sailing to the one person who may turn the tide of an uprising, King Henry VIII; though his vices bar initial negotiations, he proves to have a few surprises of his own.
The Morevi's writing is superb and detailed down to the proper language of the time and the multitude of weaponry. The reader immediately recognizes elements of Morevi that are evocative of the orient and martial arts. The patriarch of England in contrast to the new matriarch of Morevi is vivid. At first it seems the two worlds are completely different, yet as the account progresses, the reader realizes that England and Morevi are extremes of a sort and that the best world is one in which there is an equalization of the power between men and women. Such a land is portrayed in the Elvin kingdom, which is the only domain to remain neutral and outside the conflict... though the elves are not infallible and if their uncharacteristic failure to fulfill an undesirable duty lets the more just cause prevail, well no one is perfect.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana, June 5, 2002
This review is from: Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana (Paperback)
This book pulled me into the action from the start. The characters are more true to life, the style of writing paints such a visual depiction of everything, there's very good fight scenes and just enough romance without going over the top. The plot has a refreshing feel to it. There were quite a few places that I could not put the book down because I had to find out what came next! It has strong female characters that don't insult my intelligence. Like Harry Potter books, this will be one that I read more than once. Hoping there will be a Morevi II!
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