The Seer and the Sword [Hardcover]

Victoria Hanley (Author), Victoria Lanley (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 11 and up | Grade Level: 6 and up

Princess Torina, who has the ability to see the future, and her friend Landen, who seeks a sword that belongs to his conquered kingdom, are separated when a treacherous murderer gains power, but from exile each works to restore peace and the rightful rulers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British author Hanley pens a romantic royal tale of intrigue in the tradition of King Arthur. Princess Torina, "eyes sparkling, hair wild," is the only child of hard-hearted warrior King Kareed. After the king defeats the peaceful monarch of Bellandra, he brings home the country's famous sword and gives to his daughter a magic crystal and Landen, the prince of Bellandra, to be Torina's slave. What begins as an uneasy friendship between Landen and Torina grows into a bond of trust when the girl saves his life due to her ability to see the future in the magic crystal. Years later the two become estranged when Landen informs Torina that her lover, Vesputo, is deceiving her and has only ambitions to the throne. Vesputo turns vicious, and both she and Landen are forced to leave the country. They separate, travel far and wide, and eventually find themselves major players in a complicated political plot with Vesputo at its center. This is a lengthy novel, and the narrative's vacillation between different locations and points of view becomes disorienting; the pacing also suffers from fits and starts. However, Hanley's characters are heroic and vulnerable, smart and hot-blooded. The romance rings true and the action sings with excitement: the climax literally comes down to the executioner's scaffold in the penultimate chapter. Fans of romance and the Round Table genre will be swept up in the plot. Ages 12-up.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 6-10-Princess Torina is delighted when her father, the King of Archeld, returns from his conquest of the neighboring kingdom. He has brought home the magical Sword of Bellandra; a crystal globe that he gives to his child; and, to Torina's horror, he presents her with the defeated country's now-enslaved Prince Landen. She immediately frees the boy, but the orphan remains in the king's household and trains as a warrior. Over the next decade, Torina becomes a seer (the crystal stone allows her to divine the future), while Landen sets aside his pacifist upbringing and becomes a skillful soldier. Both assist the high king in his efforts to unite several small, rival countries and repel the attack of brutal invaders. This political setting sounds much like Arthurian England, but Archeld's royal court has a more Elizabethan tone, being rife with poison, intrigue, and hidden alliances. Hanley competently establishes a large cast of secondary characters and neatly weaves together the far-reaching threads of consequence spun out from the cruelty of the king and the mercy of the princess. Fans of Tamora Pierce's books should enjoy this long, sprawling novel, which is less wryly humorous than Pierce's work but is often more thoughtful about the outcomes of peace and warfare, aggression and compassion.-Beth Wright, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, VT

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 11 and up
  
• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Holiday House; First Edition edition (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823415325
• ISBN-13: 978-0823415328
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (104 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #861,848 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

57 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Four at once, January 9, 2002

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Seer and the Sword (Hardcover)

Most stories can be classified as one kind of story, but "Seer and the Sword" can count as four: fantasy, coming-of-age, political adventure and romance. Fans of Tamora Pierce may find something very much to their liking here.

The story opens with the spirited young princess Torina of Archeld, a beautiful and strong kingdom -- of which she is the only heir, when she marries. Her father has just conquered the peaceful kingdom of Bellandra and brings her back two gifts: a tiny crystal globe and the captured Bellandran prince. Torina frees the prince, Landen, who is allowed to learn how to fight along with the young soldiers-in-training, who see him as a weakling.

Torina soon discovers that she can see glimpses of the future in the little ball, and befriends Landen after she saves his life. A few years pass, and Torina is betrothed to Vesputo, a cold and ruthless soldier who pretends to be kind and loving around her. But Landen knows that Vesputo only want to marry Torina for her crown, that he really cares nothing for her. But Landen has to leave when he is suspected of rebelling against the king -- and then the king is murdered. Landen changes his name and becomes a respected soldier -- and waits to move against Vesputo.

Torina, the only witness to her father's murder, is blackmailed into agreeing to a marriage with Vesputo, and to using her crystal to show him the future. Using her wits and skill, she escapes and hides away in the countryside of a neighboring land. But when a King-Arthur-like high king gives her the chance to defeat Vesputo, she takes it. And in Archeld, Landen and a friend move in to find the famed Sword that supposedly will allow him to defeat any enemy...

This is, despite the terrible plot description on the jacket flap, a very intense and multilayered novel. Hanley, unlike many authors, manages to evolve the characters' personalities throughout the book: Torina goes from naive, emotional and trusting to more mature, guarded and thoughtful; Landen transforms from an embittered teen to one who is more forgiving and merciful.

Fans of Tamora Pierce and Robin McKinley will probably like the generic medieval setting, without the cultural influences of reality, along with the tough heroine and the dashes of magic. Fans of Patricia McKillip may also enjoy the subtle musings on revenge. But it's the clashes between kingdoms and characters that really sell the plot, paralleling the maturation of the heroes, and finally them both springing into action.

The only real flaw? Well, sometimes the writing is too brief and undescriptive in important scenes. I actually missed one of them and had to skim back. The climax is breathtakingly written, however, and the dual concepts of the seer (one every generation, for all the lands) and the sword (which is actually a rather small part of it). In addition, some peripheral characters are neglected, and some questions left unanswered.

However, the overall result is a tight and well-written, well-plotted and well-characterized fantasy/adventure/romance. Though Torina and Landen spend a great deal of the book away from each other, you know that they've fallen for each other. Another theme that is dealt with but not beaten to death is gender roles and the ability of anyone to help protect their land, by whatever means they can.

As far as objectionable material: there's mild profanity used in this book, no dirty content, but there are a large number of murders, a few near misses, and very blunt threats toward Torina's mother. Given the political content (which will bore younger readers), the deaths and the emotional intensity of the characters losing friends and family, this book probably isn't for the younger fantasy reader, but will be fine for twelve and up.

Fans of McKinley or Pierce will definitely enjoy this story. Highly recommended.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I give it 100 stars!!!!, July 30, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Seer and the Sword (Mass Market Paperback)

I couldn't love this book any more!!!! I love many characters and will hold a place in my heart for the seer and the sword for EVER!!!! This book had everything...romance(a wonderful one, even more than one if you can spot them), action and plenty of it, adventure, morals, and magic!!! I really truly want everyone who loves any of these things to read this book... especially if you liked Prydain Chronicles, Chronicles of Narnia, and the arkadians!This book is so great, i read it in one day. I really, truly could not put it down! I was so caught up in it all i did was read. And so will you. You'll be swept up in the plot and you'll love every minute of it... from the romances, to the adventures landen and torina have, seeing every point of view of almost every important character. It was a powerfully written book that is destined for fame and will be your favorite on the shelf for years to come. Don't hesitate to buy my favorite book and what will be yours too!!!

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, November 22, 2001

By 

Alicca (MA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Seer and the Sword (Hardcover)

This is the kind of book that you read over and over, no matter your age. I read it first from the library, and the next time I went to the bookstore I bought it. (Well . . . I ordered it and picked it up when it came in, but same diff.) It starts when the young Princess Torina is given a stone and a slave when her father comes back from a triumphant war. The slave is the only son of the former king of the conquered country, and a few years older then Torina. Landen, the boy is called, is set free by the impulsive princess, and sent to live in the barracks. And when Torina looks into the crystal, she sees the baby her mother is carring being born a boy, and stillborn.

That is what happens.

Torina is a seer, a great one, who are very rare. She uses her crystal to see the future - though she can not see her own. As you can guess, she and Landen fall in love - but not before an evil falls upon the kingdom. Thhis is a book of love, betrayal, war, and despair - and hope. Read it.

You'll love it.