Prince of Fire and Ashes (Tielmaran Chronicles, Book 3) [Hardcover]

Katya Reimann (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tielmaran Chronicles | Publication Date: July 5, 2002

Magic, gods, and history build to a stunning climax in Katya Reimann's Tielmaran Chronicles.

Tielmark's free prince sits imperiled by the relentless conspiracies of the neighboring Bissanty Empire. Sorceress Gaultry Blas, blessed by Tielmaran's goddess-twins, returns to her homeland yearning for peace, but instead discovers a conspiracy of evil magics. The coven of witches sworn to defend the prince's crown have gathered to attend the dying Duchess of Melaudiere, who protects their throne's unborn heir. They also have an unpleasant truth: In years past, the witches failed their oath to Tielmark. If they fail again, their lives and those of their descendants will be lost.

Forest-born Gaultry, tuned more to action than politics, navigates tricky court intrigue and is determined to work with the Common Brood witches to break the ancient Bissanty claims.

But Gaultry is stalked by a hidden Tielmaran-born enemy who is bent on shattering Bissanty chains at any cost. This enemy has waited fifty years for the alignment of the stars that will allow Tielmark's prince ascent to a kingly throne. She will not let Gaultry get in her way-for this enemy has been planning from before Gaultry's birth how to stop her.

From the intricate infighting of Tielmark's court to the barren sun-bleached battlegrounds at Tielmark's farthest border, Gaultry must call on her magic, courage, and spirit to overcome the obstacles to her realm's rightful kingship.

When the great treachery is finally exposed in a brutal endgame played out under Tielmark's towering border mountains, Gaultry and members of the Common Brood will call upon their deepest powers to crown a king-or kill the hopes of their kingless realm.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The long-awaited third and final volume of Reimann's Tielmaran Chronicles (Wind from a Foreign Sky; Tremor in the Bitter Earth) neatly wraps up previous plots, though it can stand on its own, with its well-rounded characters, full explanations and absorbing story line. Gaultry Bas, "the huntress-witch of Arleon forest," returns to Tielmark with Tullier, a young prince of the rival Bissanty Empire. Sworn to safeguard Tullier while also serving her own country, Gaultry must find a way to make her prince, Benet, king and protect his crown. In addition to battling the outside enemy, she must also combat enemies from within a coven of witches who have been waiting for the moment to bring an ancient plot to its terrible conclusion. In the process, Gaultry has to learn to understand her own strengths and weaknesses as she traverses the politics and intrigues of court life. When danger threatens to strike once more close to home, she has to depart with Tullier to fight for freedom and sovereignty abroad, leaving others to confront and foil the evils nearer to home. Deftly interweaving the various subplots in a rich yet accessible prose style, Reimann transports the reader to a world of magic and action in this rewarding and intricate read.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Fantasy at its best--danger, intrigue, compelling characters, and magic as real as yesterday." --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 480 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books; 1st edition (July 5, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312860099
• ISBN-13: 978-0312860097
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,717,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reimann's Best Yet!, July 2, 2002

By 

Jack Arnulf (Burr Ridge, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prince of Fire and Ashes (Tielmaran Chronicles, Book 3) (Hardcover)

Have you read, and loved, Lois McMaster Bujold's Curse of Chalion, anything by Steven Brust, or some early Robin Hobb? Then read this book. Or, if you've read Reimann's first two Tielmaran novels, you won't need any convincing. This is easily the best of the three -- the only problem was how long it took to write it! Return readers will get some things they expect -- fast action, powerful magic, and a beautiful sense for wild, rugged terrain -- and some things they may not -- new, ah, developments between Gaultry and Martin, and some great new characters (the Climens family, Agrat and Elizabeth, were my favorites). And of course, this book ties up the other two to end the series (for the moment anyway). Good that Reimann resisted the temptation to milk these great settings and characters dry for a hundred books, but I still hope she'll come back to them. There's plenty of magic and adventure left in this vivid world.Maybe some more stories about Agrat and her children? We can only hope... anyway, great book!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Solid, fantastic, rich, and full--even for a new reader, July 22, 2002

By 

"brazensun" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Prince of Fire and Ashes (Tielmaran Chronicles, Book 3) (Hardcover)

This book kept me up into the wee hours before I had to admit defeat and turn out the light. The characters were engaging, and the world is vividly drawn. This is old-style fantasy in the sense that the author has created a world that I'd like to visit, and people that I'd like to know.

It's also old-style fantasy in the fact that Reimann's world is completely suffused with magic--every doorpost seems to have its own charm or fetish or burnt offering to the gods. But the gods and their influence on human affairs are not overdrawn. Their motives and the extent of their actual influence remain mysterious--in a good way.

An enjoyable read. I'm still thinking about the characters a couple of weeks after I put the book down--always a good sign.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic fantasy, July 8, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Prince of Fire and Ashes (Tielmaran Chronicles, Book 3) (Hardcover)

The Arleon Forest witch Gaultry Bas captures Tullier of the Bissanty Empire before he can assassinate Prince Benet of Tielmark. Gaultry returns to Tielmark accompanied by Tullier while praying to the Twin Goddesses that her country will finally thrive in peace and domestic tranquillity. However, she also believes that for this to happen, Prince Benet must become crowned king.

The Common Brood witch coven disagrees as they conclude that the time is right to begin the final phase of a deadly and ancient plot. Though she prefers otherwise, Gaultry knows she must fight for freedom for her people as the Bissanty Empire once again threatens the sovereignty of Tielmark. To succeed she must ally with an apparent enemy, The Common Brood.

PRINCE OF FIRE AND ASHES, the final chapter in Katya Reimann's epic fantasy Tielmaran Chronicles, is a tremendous tale. The novel closes the subplots left behind from the previous two tales (WIND FROM A FOREIGN SKY and A TREMOR IN THE BITTER EARTH) yet manages to keep the prime story line of this book interesting and moving, enabling this novel to be a stand alone tale too. That well executed exciting combo is what fans will marvel about as much as the maturing of Ms. Reimann into a monster force within the genre.

Harriet Klausner