Customer Reviews

Path of Fate

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

In a nutshell, "Path of Fate" is what would happen if Gayle Greeno's "Ghatti's Tale" series met and married Joanne Bertin's "Dragonlord" series. There are mind-melding animal partners, a reluctant heroine who doesn't want to leave a career she loves, and evil, evil mages.

I won't say the plot was original, but the book was decently written--although I did catch a few awkward sentences and grammatical errors. The pace and language were good, and the plot twists were well executed. And even though the characters were more "types" than fully realized individuals, they were written fairly well.

I liked that Resil, our heroine, had to pay for a big mistake right at the beginning--that of refusing Saljane the goshawk as her divinely sent "ahalad-kaaslane". I also liked that Reisil was a poor judge of character from time to time, as well as unsure of herself. It made her seem more like a real person.

I have a feeling that as Ms. Francis' career progresses, we will see great things from her. As it is, "Path of Fate" was a good first effort.

Ever since she was a baby, abandoned by her mother all Reisil ever wanted was a place to call home. Growing up in Kallas, she was fostered to different families so that nobody would have to bear the burden of another mouth to feed for any extended periods. When Reisil is old enough, the village pays for her training as a healer and she hopes that they will want her to stay with them permanently.

Just when it looks like her dream will come true; the goshawk comes to bond with Reisil, choosing her to be one of the Lady's soldiers in the fight against evil. Reisil tries to avoid this dubious honor but when a noble woman from another country is kidnapped in Kallas and spirited away, Reisil accepts her destiny to find her. If she fails, the realm of Kudas will be plunged into war against an army that can use magic to cause terrible harm.

Very rarely does a writer's first novel come along that is so realistic and emotionally moving that it achieves total acclaim from reviewers and readers alike. PATH OF FATE will because of the strong protagonist who grows and changes to meet each situation that comes her way. She charms her way into the readers' hearts and the audience will adore the special relationship she has with Saljane the goshawk who has a winning and loveable personality of her own.

Harriet Klausner

Unlike other fantasy novels I have struggled through in the past, with omnipotently dynamic main characters that exist outside of the world they live in, Di Francis has created a place where the soul, magic and nature work together. What brings Kodu Riik together as a community is this mythology that thrives in every single person in the town of Kallas. I like the way that purpose and meaning was woven into the daily ritual of guards, innkeepers and even the homeless squatting outside the town walls.

By establishing a vibrant community like this from the beginning, Di Francis instilled a unique vitality to the main character, Reisil, the newest "ahalad-kaaslane"; guardians with animal companions chosen by "The Blessed Lady" to protect "her people". Reisil had many personal struggles that tugged at her new responsibility and I liked that. Even those with mystical powers can feel all-too-human insecurities at their heels sometimes. Reisil's struggle honored the complexity of being human; that there are times that you must listen to your inner truth instead of following the "official" wisdom sanctioned by elders who over time may have been blinded by their egoes.

I could go on and on but I'll get to the point - obviously, I LOVED THIS BOOK and look forward to picking up PATH OF HONOR when it hits the shelves!!!

How do you do justice to the first novel written by someone you admire? I feel that the description available here doesn't do this book service at all, and many people won't read what they don't understand. I urge anyone who sees this: please read this book!

Reisiltark desires only to belong. She has fought her whole life to find a place for herself, building up to being Kallas' resident healer after the death of her mentor. And when it seems that she has finally accomplished her goal, Saljane, her bonded ahalad-kaaslane, comes to tear down her perceptions of herself and her world.

The names may become a bit confusing for some who are insistant on being able to pronounce everyone's name. That aside, there is a reason this book is universally touching: it reveals the simple human desire to be ourselves and yet belong, a conflict that we all struggle with. She laughs and cries, makes mistakes and helpful realisations. She's strong, stubborn...yet afraid of recrimination. It doesn't matter if we live in the US or in Kodu Riik, Reisil is the epitome of "us." The best part of the book was reaching the end and realising how far Reisil had come as a person -- and hoping that she will continue to move forward.

I look forward to following her struggles, saving Kodu Riik, bonding further with Saljane...and ultimately fulfilling herself. The second book cannot come fast enough.

To put it bluntly, "Path of Fate" is one of the very most average debut fantasy novels ever written. The story follows Reisil, an orphaned young woman with a talent for healing, in a the town of Kasal on the border between two warring nations. A peace has recently been achieved, but certain groups in both countries would prefer that the war continue. A delegation of foreigners arrives in Kasal on their way to sign the treaty. Soon, however, chaos breaks loose and Reisil invites herself along on a quest to make one last bid for peace.

The strength of the story is undoubtedly in the grittiness. Characters get beating, bashed, bruised, burned, frozen, and decayed during the course of their travels and their many clashes with evil. Their are no miraculous recoveries, nor any immediate returns to action after an injury. The toughness of the characters and the desperations of their mission takes on a more in the face of such harsh treatment. Traveling and fighting in the days of yore were nasty business, and you can feel the truth of that in "Path of Fate".

The weaknesses of this book, unfortunately, are many. Firstly, infodumps are extremely common, especially at the beginning. There are also a number of clunky literary devices. The villains in this book have a propensity for discussing their evil plans in the open, without first checking to make sure that no one is watching them. Additionally, the ending (or rather the endings, since there are two very similar climaxes) comes across as something of a ripoff. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that one character is literally granted God-given powers sufficient to wipe out all the bad guys at one blow.

This is an outstanding first novel. Reisil, the heroine, is a complex character, with complex emotions. On the one hand she is exasperatingly pig-headed, on the other she has a huge and noble heart.

Of course, it is the hero or heroine's prerogative in any story to fight against evil, to persevere when the going gets tough, to lay down his/her life for a just cause. Reisil certainly does all of this!

Although this is a fantasy, it reads almost like a true story, thanks to the depth of characterization. In my view, fantasy is more compelling when there are elements of truth and reality woven into a world of magic, because then it is much easier to enter completely into the story.

The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the goddess and god which appear in the story. I felt they lacked something, though I'm not sure what. Maybe they needed a touch of poetry - something, anyway, to make them less wooden and improbable. Gods are always difficult to portray in a fantasy story, probably because you wonder why they let horrible things happen if they are all powerful. That's a tricky problem that every fantasy book has to address in one way or another. Although the seemingly evil god in Path of Fate had a very interesting twist, he went beyond the plausible into a dimension that lacked depth. The good goddess, in my opinion, could have done with a bit more compassion.

I read Path of Fate very recently and enjoyed it alot. Its about a girl named Reisel who grew up as an orphane; always taunted by the children. She finaly feels like she fits in as a tark until the day she is chosen to be an Ahalad-kaaslane. She refuses as long as she can, not wanting to lose her place and lover. Then something terrible happens, and she has to make her choice. I did think that at times, Reisel got to much power; but it was an overall good book. I hope you enjoy it.

Being an obsessive Sci-fi/fantasy nut, with a voracious inner bookworm, I was excited to come across "Path of Fate" at my favorite bookstore. In a sea of tired, jaded authors, it is a pleasure to find Diana Pharaoh Francis's fresh look at the genre.

The first few chapters were slightly heavy with the weight of a great deal of heroine and setting information in a short amount of space. However, once the bond is forged between our main character and her companion, the book hooks you. The interaction between Reisil and Saljane, and their tenuous but strengthing relationship adds a soft counterpoint to the tension of the mission they are on. Fans of Mercedes Lackey's Valdemar Series will likely enjoy this book, with its Human/Animal connection concept. There is just enough suspense and action to keep you reading, with mostly satisfying conclusions to the difficulties that arise.

From reading this novel, I greatly hope Francis will continue to evolve and grow in her own writing style through the course of the next few novels, and I eagerly look forward to picking up the next installment in the "Path" series when it comes out.

Having been a long time reader of fantasy fiction, I had my doubts the first few chapters in the book, which seemed to bristle with restrained emotion and hidden feelings -- the same which Reisil has as she denies Saljane day after day. But by the end of the novel, my heart soared with the shared heart of Reisil and Saljane.

Diana Francis shows a wonderful command of the English language that seems to be lacking in many mass-marketed fantasy fiction in recent years. She allows a rich sensuality in her words in just the right amount -- enough to light the scenes for you in your own imagination, to stir your own senses in harmony with Reisil's, and to help you join Reisil on her journey. The book is highly spiritual, and will most certainly please nature lovers as well as fantasy fiction lovers. When you reach the end of the journey, and find it is not over yet, you will also be waiting with anxious breath for the next flight of Reisal and Saljane.

Reisil didn't want to be ahalad-kaslane, but when the daughter of the Patversemese ambasador is kidnapped, she sees that she has no choice. She sets out with her goshawk, Saljane, on a journey to find both the kidnapped woman and herself. Along the way she learns what it means to be ahalad-kaslane and just how important Saljane is to her.
Although this novel seems complete by itself with its solid ending, I can't wait for the next book. There is so much more than can happen as Reisil and Saljane embark on the journey to becoming trained ahalad-kaslane.