Mystic and Rider (The Twelve Houses, Book 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

Sharon Shinn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2006

Gillengaria seethes with unrest. In the south, hostility toward magic and its users has risen to a dangerous level, though King Baryn has ordered that such mystics are to be tolerated. It is whispered that he issued the decree because his new wife used her magic powers to ensnare him…

The King knows there are those in the noble Twelve Houses who could use this growing dissent to overthrow him. So he dispatches the mystic Senneth to assess the threat throughout the realm. Accompanying her is a motley band of magic-users and warriors including Tayse, first among the King’s Riders—who holds a hard view of mystics in general, and Senneth in particular.

But as the unlikely allies venture farther into the south, they will face death in a land under the sway of a fanatical cult that would purge Gillengaria of all magic users. And they will come to realize that their only hope of survival lies in standing together…

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

While not as original as Shinn's popular Archangel trilogy, this first of four in the Twelve Houses series, set in the land of Gillengaria, is tailor-made for the growing audience of fantasy fans who like a good juicy romance. Elderly King Baryn sits on a shaky throne, wed to a strange childless queen, and hides his only heir, a daughter. To investigate rumors that Gillengaria's southern noble houses are plotting revolt and fostering a pogrom against mystics born with supernatural powers, Baryn sends out five diverse individuals: Senneth, a female mystic who commands fire; Kirra, an aristocratic healer and shape-changer; Kirra's shape-shifting servant, Donnal; and Tayse and Justin, two elite King's Riders deeply distrustful of mystics. After rescuing the boy Cammon (an orphan empath) and a raelynx (a savage cat), the party undergoes increasingly perilous adventures while a disturbing attraction between Senneth and Tayse builds into profound and forbidden love. Shinn's spellbinding characterizations, especially that of the hard-bitten Tayse, who loses his heart to the powerful yet vulnerable Senneth, animate this familiar parade of shifting political alliances and disparate adventurers who gradually bond. Shinn's complicated pantheon of gods fallen mostly into disregard, a plethora of unsolved puzzles and ample promise of her characters' lives "changed by love" in future installments make for a rich beginning.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Gillengaria abounds in magic, yet its mystics, the carriers of magic, aren't well regarded. Tolerated in the North by royal order, in the South they're feared, even hated. Lately it appears that organized riders are attacking and murdering mystics. To verify and assess the situation, King Baryn dispatches fire mystic Senneth to the South. With her are foremost King's Rider Tayse; Baryn's shape-changing mystic daughter, Kirra; Kirra's mystic servant, Donnal; scrappy street-urchin-turned-Rider Justin, whose only lost fight was with Tayse; and orphaned Cammon, found serving ale in a tavern, who Senneth suspects is a mystic. They make a tension-filled group, especially because Justin is hostile to mystics and Tayse is uneasy around Senneth. Much of the book concerns their learning to trust and accept one another, and to work together. Pressing deeper into dangerous territory, they hear that the southern king's new, mystic wife has bewitched him, and a moon-goddess cult bent on eradicating mystics is suddenly popular. It's all too clear that, when the 12 ruling houses begin choosing sides, civil war could be the upshot. Clean, elegant prose is, as usual, one of the joys of a Shinn novel, and here it conjures entirely likable major characters and an interesting group-development narrative. Never tripping over the plot twists and complications, Shinn gives us an easy, absorbing, high-quality read sans gratuitous bloodshed and violence. Paula Luedtke
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 421 pages
• Publisher: Ace (February 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0441013031
• ISBN-13: 978-0441013036
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (34 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #326,275 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sharon Shinn is a journalist who works for a trade magazine. Her first novel, The Shapechanger's Wife, was selected by Locus as the best first fantasy novel of 1995. She has won the William C. Crawford Award for Outstanding New Fantasy Writer, and was twice nominated for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. A graduate of Northwestern University, she has lived in the Midwest most of her life.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fairly predictable, but very enjoyable anyway, June 9, 2005

By 

Sophia (the Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Mystic and Rider (The Twelve Houses, Book 1) (Hardcover)

In "Mystic and Rider," Sharon Shinn introduces her readers to a new fantasy series. This book covers the journey of a rather strained party of travelers, four magically-gifted "mystics" and two King's riders who are assigned to protect them, as they move through the kingdom, trying to discern if rebellion or other issues are surfacing.

The book is definitely predictable. I had figured out several key plot devices well before the major characters did. It is also derivative: other authors have covered the "hate and fear magicians" topic before. However, I am still giving it five stars, because the plot is enjoyable, the characters are believable and interesting, and the world-building is great. I especially enjoyed that both Tayse and Sennath are very strong, but also very vulnerable at the same time. The villains are dangerous, irritating, and fanatical, but very believable. I also enjoyed watching the gradual evolution of the characters and their relationships with each another. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment.

31 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mixed Feelings, March 8, 2005

By 

Jessica G. "lilac_jive" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mystic and Rider (The Twelve Houses, Book 1) (Hardcover)

I'm opting to give this book four stars, simply because the ending was satisfying and I did enjoy reading it. There were some flaws though that irritated me throughout the way, and I was very disappointed in Shinn's writing style (her Archangel series seems to be very popular, and although I haven't read it, from the way I've seen her work described I expected better).

First off, it was very predictable. Not in the just-like-every-other-fantasy sense, although it wasn't anything terribly new, but I often found myself rolling my eyes since it would be obvious what happened next. I got the sense of just being strung along on a series of mediocre adventures with all obvious outcomes.

It took me about halfway through the book to actually bond with some of the characters, and it was not even close to the bonds I've felt with characters from other books (maybe its a problem, but I can really grow attached to a character if they're written right). I'm sure your meant to, since there are situations meant for just a thing, but it just doesn't work. For example, Tayse (the hero) stops talking to Senneth (the heroine) for ridiculous reasons. I understood why, in a sense, but I felt like I was missing a whole lot to make me actually relate to him. I get the feeling that Shinn was grasping at straws to create conflict between her main characters.

Despite all that, I was relatively happy closing this book. The loose ends were tied up fairly well considering this is the first book in the series, and I'll be able to wait patiently for the next book to come out. But maybe that isn't such a good thing, since some of the best books I've read keep me aching for the next chapter. I recommend this book as a light read, and if you go into it with few expectations I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It is definetly not a bad book, but it simply lacks what I want out of epic romantic fantasy. But who knows? This is just the beginning.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It hooked me, despite being fairly average, June 30, 2009

By 

Serene (Marina, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mystic and Rider (The Twelve Houses, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Mystic and Rider is the first in a series of fantasy novels staring a group of friends who are lead by Senneth a woman with mystical powers. Her team is composed of three other mystics and two soldiers. They are on a quest to discover the feelings of the people in the kingdom. On the way they encounter several traitors and a wild creature called a raelynx. I listened to the audio edition of this novel and found had potential but felt it lacked edginess and depth.

I like a bit more... Edge in my fantasy. Senneth and her group never felt quite real. There was no sexual tension, no edge, and certainly very little grit. Even when Senneth is injured this occured off stage. The relationships are all pretty chaste, almost like a young adult novel. Senneth loves Tayse, Donal loves Kira, etc, but they don't do anything other than get mad when they feel ignored/slighted or yearn very subtlely for each other.

Thus, listening to this story, it took me a long time to feel anything for these characters. I also felt the male characters were poorly described. For instance I know that Kira's hair is gold, and Senneth's is White, and what the ladies are wearing, but the guys are usually just described as dark. We learn towards the end that Donal is bearded, but by then, I had created an image of him in my own head, and it did not include a beard.

I think this was an ok effort. The author is capable of more, and I would've liked to see her ditch the Raelynx who was a bit annoying after awhile. Also Cammon (sp) grated on my nerves. I think this could be improved by maturing the series a bit and adding a bit more grit. I don't need every gory detail, but surely in a group of two women and four eligble guys there is more going on than playing cards and being bland. I want action! Hurt feelings! A coarse joke or two, something to make me feel these characters are less Ken and Barbie and more real.