The Ring of Fire (The Children of Ynell 1) [Paperback]

Shirley Rousseau Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1979

In most regions of  Ere to be a Seer, gifted with telepathic and visionary powers, means death--or does it?  For some it may mean an even worse fate: destruction of their minds and enslavement by the dark powers determined to conquer the world. Zephy and the goatherd Thorn are dismayed to discover that they themselves are Seers, but once they know, they are driven to escape from the repressive city of their birth and rescue others, many of them children, who have been captured and imprisoned by its attackers.

A Kindle edition of this book is available in an omnibus titled The Shattered Stone.

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Avon Books (Mm) (October 1979)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0380471914
• ISBN-13: 978-0380471911
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,385,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shirley Rousseau Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. She attended the San Francisco Art institute. Shortly after graduation, she married and worked as an interior designer while her husband attended USC. "When Pat finished school, I promptly quit my job and began to exhibit paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows," Murphy explains. Her work could be seen in many traveling shows in the western States and Mexico. She continues, "But when we moved to Panama for a four-year tour, in Pat's position with the U.S. Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write."

She has published sixteen children's books, a young adult fantasy quintet, the Dragonbards fantasy trilogy, and The Catswold Portal. "It was while working on this adult fantasy that I knew I wanted to explore further the fascinating world of sentient cats. I began to see the gray tomcat, whom I knew well in real life, as a feline detective with a brash attitude--and the die was cast. I launched into the Joe Grey mystery series. I like discovering anew with each book how the three cats interact with their close-knit world of human friends--Joe Grey in-your-face abrasive, Dulcie of a gentler nature, and Kit wildly imaginative."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Psychic teens of repressive world fight for their freedom!, March 29, 2004

By 

Ms. K "kechkay" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ring of Fire (The Children of Ynell 1) (Paperback)

This is an excellent fantasy novel suitable for teens and up. I really loved it!

On a repressive medieval world, in a land where most independent thoughts are considered sins, a handful of teenagers learn that they have forbidden psychic powers. These psychic gifts of power and prophecy are the ultimate sins, punishable by death. While they struggle to learn to use their powers, a man from a militaristic "iron curtain" country is mysteriously welcomed by the town leader. When fatal "accidents" to Gifted Children continue to occur around the man, it becomes clear that the rest must flee for their lives. And when their fears of an invasion are realized, the Children of Ynell must escape to accomplish yet another mission.

I have read science fiction and fantasy for thirty years, and don't know how I missed these books. They have a medieval economy similar to Anne McCaffrey's Pern, and psychic abilities similar to her Rowan and Pegasus novels, and yet a totally different flavor of teens rebelling against all that is oppressive and needs to be changed. The qualities of Good and Evil and the nuances between them are highlighted in this struggle against the crushing repression of a religion twisted by the elite for their own uses. The bravery and compassion of these Children, suddenly in possession of great powers that could easily be used for personal gain, are inspiring. The story is clear and simple, but contains layers that only become evident as the reader continues.

The story has stuck with me for several years, and I'm delighted to find the rest of the books on Amazon!! I think you'll enjoy them too!

(...)

5.0 out of 5 stars Now available in a Kindle omnibus edition, February 24, 2011

By 

Sylvia Engdahl (Eugene, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Ring of Fire (The Children of Ynell 1) (Paperback)

This book and the next in the series, The Wolf Bell, are now available for Kindle in an omnibus edition titled The Shattered Stone. (The remainder of the series is is in another omnibus, The Runestone of Eresu.) If you liked this book, please review it there.

Sylvia Engdahl
Webmaster for Shirley Rousseau Murphy