The Sorcerers' Plague: Book One of Blood of the Southlands [Mass Market Paperback]

David B. Coe (Author)

Book Description

Series: Blood of the Southlands | Publication Date: February 3, 2009

David B. Coe enthralled readers and critics with his Winds of the Forelands, an epic fantasy full of political intrigue, complex characters, and magical conspiracy. Now he takes the hero of that series to new adventures across the sea on a journey to the Southlands.
 
Grinsa, who nearly single-handedly won the war of the Forelands, has been banished because he is a Weaver, a Qirsi who can wield many magics. He and his family seek only peace and a place to settle down. But even on the distant southern continent, they can’t escape the tension between his magical folk and the non-magical Eandi. Instead of peace, they find a war-ravaged land awash in racial tension and clan conflicts. Worse yet, his own people try to harness his great power and destroy his family.
 
Amid the high tension of clan rivalry comes a plague that preys on Qirsi power across the Southlands with deadly results. When the disease is linked to an itinerant woman peddling baskets, one old man takes it upon himself to find answers in the secrets of her veiled past.
 
With wonderfully creative magic, dark secrets, and engaging characters faced with a world of trouble, Coe deftly weaves an epic tapestry that launches a richly-entertaining new saga in an unknown land.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Coe follows the Winds of the Forelands series (Weavers of War, etc.) with this absorbing trilogy opener set across the sea in the Southlands, where a mysterious plague is heightening tensions among three groups: the Qirsi, who wield life-draining magic; the Mettai, who cast spells with blood and earth; and the nonmagical Eandi. Decades earlier, the plague destroyed the Mettai villagers of Sentaya, leaving only young Lici alive. No one in Lici's adopted village of Kirayde realizes the depth of her mental scars until she disappears 64 years to the day after her arrival, intending to use blood magic to punish the Qirsi she feels were responsible for the plague. Fans will cheer on Forelands series hero Grinsa, a powerful but pacifist Qirsi, who ties the two series together as he strives to understand Lici's motivation and aims to find a peaceful resolution to the escalating Qirsi-Eandi strife that follows in her wake. (Dec.)
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Review

"The Sorcerers' Plague satisfies with sharply-drawn characters and an intense, intelligent plot. I eagerly await the next book of the Southlands." —Kate Elliott, bestselling author of Spirit Gate

"Coe’s new series is his best yet: appealing characters, twisty plot, and absorbing world."—Sherwood Smith on The Sorcerers' Plague

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy; First Edition edition (February 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765355507
• ISBN-13: 978-0765355508
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #542,124 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, December 21, 2007

By 

W. L. McCalla Jr. (Indiana) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Sorcerers' Plague: Book One of Blood of the Southlands (Hardcover)

The Sorcerers' Plague: Book One of Blood of the Southlands is a great new novel that continues the wonderful storytelling that David Coe started in the Winds of the Forelands series.

Continuing with great characterization, wonderful plot and a new intriguing world Mr. Coe sets his bar one higher and may have written his best book yet in my opinion.

Grinsa, Cresenne and their daughter, Bryntelle, characters from the first series arrive looking for a new home in the Southlands trying to understand this strange land and even stranger customs and prejudices even from others of their own race.

Lici, an old Mettai woman plagued by a past of death and tragedy, seeks revenge on the ones she feels responsible for her loss.

Besh, a villager from the same village that Lici has lived for many years, looking into the mystery that is Lici, Besh discovers some interesting facts about her past and goes out try try to stop her and find answers before its too late.

Old characters and new, Mr Coe gives them depth and personality in his writing. With a fresh new story and series that will make his fans wanting more. I can not wait until the second book in this series comes out.

I highly recommend this book to any fantasy reader.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great author, great series, April 22, 2010

By 

McW (West Virginia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Sorcerers' Plague: Book One of Blood of the Southlands (Mass Market Paperback)

My husband introduced me to this author through Coe's first books, a trilogy called the Lon-Tobyn Chronicles, if I remember right. Those are very enjoyable books, but his Winds of the Forelands books blew me away. The Sorceror's Plague being sort of a continuation of the Winds of the Forelands story (set in the same general world, incorporating a couple of the same characters), I loved reading it as well. I am currently about halfway through the second book in this Blood of the Southlands series, The Horsemen's Gambit, and enjoying it as well.

While the Winds of the Forelands books are almost sort of a thriller heavily invested in complex court politics and race relations, the Sorcerors's Plague involves a bit less of the court politics. The story is, however, still driven by race relations, and it's very interesting.

As with the Winds of the Forelands books, The Sorceror's Plague is not your average cliche fantasy with dragons and unicorns and elves and magical creatures and so on. One of the races involved can use a limited number of magic types, and I really like the concept of magic basically draining the user's life each time they use it. It's an interesting explanation for where the power kind of comes from. Long story short, I find these books to be creative and very satisfying reads, so I definitely recommend them - just be sure you start with Rules of Ascension, the first book in the Winds of the Forelands group! (Also be aware that there are some mature themes and content, so you may want to check them out yourself first before giving them to kids; I'd probably rate them PG-13.)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Characters, July 29, 2009

By 

Heather Myst (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Sorcerers' Plague: Book One of Blood of the Southlands (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved the Winds of the Forelands series so I had to give this series a shot. So far this does not have the action or twists of Winds but the characters are so well developed and I feel as if the story ended in book one just as the plot is about to boil. I'm guessing that we are in for some surprises in The Horseman's Gambit and I am really looking forward to the release of book two. I would rate this at 4.25 stars out of 5.