Realms Of The Gods [Import] [Paperback]

Tamora Pierce (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic; New Ed edition (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0439011604
• ISBN-13: 978-0439011600
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (285 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,489,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tamora Pierce is a bestselling author of fantasy books for teenagers. Her books, known for their teenaged girl warriors and wizards, have received critical acclaim and a strong fanbase.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tamora Pierce was drawn to books from a young age. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, the child of a "long, proud line of hillbillies," her family never had much. "We were poor, but I didn't know it then. We had a garden where my folks grew fruit and vegetables and our water came from a well," she explains. But one thing they did have was plenty of books. So Tamora read.

A self-proclaimed "geek," she devoured fantasy and science fiction novels, and by the age of 12 was mimicking her literary idols and writing her own action-packed stories. It was thanks to her father that Tamora began writing. "He heard me telling myself stories as I did dishes, and he suggested that I try to write some of them down," Pierce says.

But Tamora's novels had one major difference: unlike the books she was reading, her stories featured teenaged girl warriors. "I couldn't understand this lapse of attention on the part of the writers I loved, so until I could talk them into correcting this small problem, I wrote about those girls, the fearless, bold, athletic creatures that I was not, but wanted so badly to be."

Seventeen years later, after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, a brief career in teen social work and some time spent writing for radio, Tamora Pierce held true to her childhood crusade, and published Alanna: The First Adventure, the first in a quartet about a valiant, young, female warrior. Pierce's heroine struck a chord with readers across the country and quickly earned her a loyal following.

Pierce is now a #1 New York Times bestselling author and has written twenty-five books, including her newest, BEKA COOPER #2: Bloodhound. "It's a pretty good life, if I do say so myself. Struggling along as a kid and even through my twenties, it's the kind of life I dreamed of but never believed I would get. Yet here I am, after a lot of work, a lot of worry, a lot of care for details, and a massive chunk of luck, the kind that brought me such strong friends and readers. Pretty good for a hillbilly, yes? And I never take it for granted," she says.

Pierce lives in upstate New York with her husband Tim and their three cats and two birds.


PRAISE

"[Tamora Pierce's heroines] faithfully reiterate an ideal of feminine power that relies on brains, not beauty; of feminine attractiveness that relies on competence, not helplessness; and of feminine alliances that grow stronger, not weaker, in the face of conflicts." -The New York Times

BEKA COOPER #1: TERRIER

"With its rollicking adventures [and] appealing characters . . . Terrier will be in strong demand by Pierce's fans. It will keep readers on the edge of their seats." -School Library Journal, Starred

YOUNG WARRIORS
"Memorable characters and well-drawn settings. . . . This timely and appealing anthology will surely help swell the ranks of teenage fantasy readers." -School Library Journal

TRICKSTER'S QUEEN
"The plot sweeps readers along in a whirlwind of court intrigue, deception, murder, and romance. The humor is wicked, and the plot twists will keep the pages turning to the supremely satisfying end. Teens will be inspired by Aly's determination, her resourcefulness, and her heart." -School Library Journal

TRICKSTER'S CHOICE
"Aly arrives fully formed, a snarky, talented uber-heroine. Cameos of old favorites complement a rich cast of new characters. Aly's difficulty with the complexity of colonialism adds surprising, welcome depth." -Kirkus Reviews

LADY KNIGHT
"Unrelentingly realistic in its depiction of the horrors of war, this novel draws the reader into a complete and believable fantasy world. Pierce provides exquisite details of the weaponry, topography, and culture of her world, and her control of a voluminous cast of characters is masterful." -Voice of Youth Advocates

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Mortal Spirits were Poorer with the Immortals Gone...", July 7, 2004

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Realms of the Gods (Immortals) (Mass Market Paperback)

"Realms of the Gods" is the final book in Tamora Pierce's "Immortals" quartet, and probably the best. As one can possibly guess, it's nearly impossible for someone to begin reading this series at this book - you at *least* have to read Book Three: "The Emperor Mage", though ideally you should have all three previous books under your belt: "Wild Magic" and "Wolf-Speaker" just to have the complete picture of what's going on here.

And what's going on is that our sixteen year old heroine and her mentor Numair are constantly on the move as they do their part for the kingdom against the hoards of immortal monsters spilling over the now-destroyed barrier between the mortal and divine realms and are marching against Tortall. Daine is sure that behind all of this is the ex-Emperor Ozorne, whom she toppled from his throne the previous year and is now out for revenge.

But there is another force also working against them, and indeed against the very gods themselves: Uusoae, the Goddess of Chaos who is using her newfound alliance with Ozorne to wage war against all the realms. It is in the middle of this tempest that Daine finds herself, but when she and Numair are nearly killed, the gods themselves intervene. Here finally, Daine learns the truth about her parentage, and the identity of her long-absent father.

But as happy as she is to be with her mother and father once more, she and Numair are very aware of the plight of their friends back home, and their importance in the coming battle. But the only way to return to the mortal realms is to beseech the help of the dragons, and to get there the two must take a dangerous journey across the Realms of the Gods...

Tamora Pierce really outdoes herself in this final installment, and though many may disagree, I feel that this is her best book to date, melding together a range of themes and ideas, with the cosmic battle of the gods contrasted against the human Battle of Port Legann; Daine's parental fear toward Kit the dragonet against the blossoming romance she feels for her long-time friend and mentor. Moments that feel utterly epic are matched against the everyday necessities of life, and throughout it all Daine remains an immensely likeable heroine: trustworthy, courageous, loving, kind and intelligent.

For those who have followed Daine's journey throughout the four books, this should be an immensely satisfying conclusion, filled with familiar faces: Tkaa, Kit, the badger, Jonathon and Thayet, and several new and equally fascinating ones: Gainel, the silent god of dreams (who gives Daine some fascinating dreams), Broad Foot, the god of the duck-moles and Weiryn, Daine's very own father. Most importantly for me though was the Stormwing Rikash, whose inclusion in the story completes Daine's self-growth: from a young woman who blindly hated and destroyed that particular race, to a woman who comes to consider one a friend. It is a particularly sublime bit of character development.

In fact, if there is one thing wrong with "Realms of the Gods", it is that there isn't enough of it! It could quite easily have been a novel twice as big, had Pierce taken the time to unfold the story a bit more gradually. The book is a treasure-chest of information and ideas, and I would have enjoyed reading more of it, at a more leisurely pace. However, it's fine just the way it is, and because it's a young-adult book, I can understand why she chose to keep the pace moving along swiftly.

I would have liked to have seen more from Kit, Alanna, Onua and Cloud (in particular I was sure that Kit's role had been building up in order to play a major part in this book) but the huge range of other characters compensate. The Daine/Numair romance might take some readers by surprise (she's sixteen, and he's thirty!) but they do make a strong, realistic couple, void of the mushy hearts and flowers of the usual courtly love to be found in fantasy. For those that are interested, we find out the name of Kit's mother, but strangely the badger remains simply "the badger". Finally, we are treated to a nice council of the gods at the conclusion of the story, and if you read closely enough, you might catch a cameo-appearance from a certain purple-eyed cat from the "Song of the Lioness" quartet!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars REVIEW OF THE SERIES, November 1, 2001

By 

"dafein1" (Ct) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Realms of the Gods (Immortals) (Mass Market Paperback)

Recently, my friend introduced me to the author Tamora Pierce. She is the author of several series, one being the topic of my writing today, The Immortal Series. This fantasy series was published by Random House Fantasy in 1992. It consists of four books: Wild Magic, Wolf Speaker, Emperor Mage, and The Realm of the Gods. The books are all approximately three or four hundred pages each.
The first book, Wild Magic, begins the magical journey that both the reader and the protagonist will take. The main character is a young girl named Daine. She is homeless as well as an outcast in society. At the tender age of thirteen, she is without a mother, doesn't know who her father is, and has no relatives to take her in. Her only companion is her horse, Cloud. She has an unusual ability to get a long with animals, they hear her, obey her, and some can even talk with her. Daine gets word of a job and goes to offer her services. The woman she begins to work for, Onua, is a horse handler who helps Daine realize the potential of her knack with animals. Her boss who also becomes her friend introduces her to many important people. They help her learn that her potential is enormous and take her under their wings. She finds that her skill is a form of the "gift" or a type of magic, although hers is wild magic. With the help of a powerful mage named Numair, she learns to use her magic to heal animals as well as make some interesting discoveries. Daine is able to sense immortals like Stormwings, creatures that have feathers made of knife sharp metal and live off the dead. We learn the reason for Daine being an outcast and how she once lived wild as a wolf. Daine uses this and her friendship with the animals, known in the book as the "People," to save her kingdom from invasion. Daine is constantly given help from her guarduan, a badger, who was sent by her unrevealed father. She aquires a dragon named Kitten when its mother dies in battle. Kitten along with Cloud are her constant companions.
This type of magical theme is carried throughout the rest of the series. The plot continues to hold many adventures. The setting is in a place where magic and sorcery are accepted, common and a way of life. The characters all have interesting talents as well as life stories.
In the second book, Wolf Speaker, We meet the pack of wolves Daine once belonged to. They helped the now 14-year-old Daine avenge her family's death. The wolves are in need of Daine's help in Dunlath Valley where their home is being destroyed. Daine and her tutor, Numair, travel to the valley where they find the destroyed terrain and a plot to overthrow the king. Once again, it's Daine's "wild magic'' that allows them to destroy a magical shield created by evil mages over the valley. We are given a few hints as to who her father may be.Daine learns that not only can she talk with animals but she is able to morph. Again, Daine aquires new friends, this time an immortal named Tkaa, a basilisk (a creature that can turn anything to stone).
Another fluent theme is that we are constantly left guessing who Daine's father may be. The significance of our not knowing her background and her not knowing her father is a common factor in the following books.
In the third book, Emperor Mage, Daine is specially chosen for a peace mission to Carthak, a threatening enemy to Tortall. The beloved birds of the emperor of Carthak are sick and because of Daine's healing powers and ability to converse with animals she was chosen to go.The emperor turns out to be evil and it takes courage and determination for Daine to conquer him with the help of a special gift from the badger.There is some foreshadowing of a future romance between Daine and Numair. This brings up a new theme, love...
In the fouth, and final book of the series, The Realm of the Gods, there is more trouble for Tortall. Gods pull Daine and the mage Numair into the realms to save their lives. The two feel they must return to earth, where they are needed in the desperate battle raging there. After a danger-filled trek to the land of the dragons, they make allies with its inhabitants who not only return them to Earth, but also join the altercation, along with other immortals. Daine's wild magic continues to develop, and some of the best scenes involve her interaction with beasts of various kinds. Mixed into the fighting are bits of humor. There is also a blossoming romance between Daine and Numair. All in all, a fulfilling ending to an enticing story.
I feel that many of the components of the story tie into what is happening in our world today. In each of the stories, fighting and war are major factors, and looking at the current situation of the United States as well as many other countries, we are all in the same predicament. Particularly in the story of The Emperor Mage , a situation like the one we have with Osama Bin Laden occurs. One man poisons the minds of his followers and produces an excuse for a war.
The Immortal Series is a great read that I definitely recommend. The books cover all anyone could ask for in a book. Romance, adventure, fantasy and more are all included. It is a book no teenager, more specifically girls, should be without a copy of it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Ending to a Great Series!, May 30, 2000

By 

laura - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Realms of the Gods (Immortals) (Mass Market Paperback)

Alright, I don't think I have ever been more depressed in my whole life that I have finished a series of books than I am right now. This has been the best 3 days of my life. I could not put any of the books down. I would have to say this one was my favorite because Numair and Daine go together. I knew it was coming. Numair had fallen in love with her long before this book, but he was just to stupid to realize it till he almost lost her. Ahhhhh... memories. Seriously though, this series is fantastic for girls and guys. It is amazing, I can't even describe it. I can't saying anything or else I will end up underrating it, it is that good. If you haven't read this series you had better go out and buy it NOW! If you don't you are missing out. You can't read books without reading these. What a wonderful series! I loved every second I spent reading it. Everybook was great in its own way. I LOVE THE IMMORTALS!