Tahn: A Novel [Paperback]

L. A. Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2005

In a dark, medieval land, good and evil battle it out. Trapped between his master's evil commands and his persistent conscience that tells him to do otherwise, Tahn Dorn finds himself in a twisting plot that threatens not only his life but also that of the lovely Netta. After kidnapping Netta from the comfort of her home and burning her castle to the ground, Tahn realizes he can't turn her over to Samis, his evil master, as was originally intended. But as Tahn launches a plan to outwit Samis, he realizes he must also face the evils within himself. Here, compelling characters deal with the real-life struggles of redemption and forgiveness. It's good versus evil in a way you've never experienced before. A note from the author: "I knew as I was writing Tahn that the story could not end until certain choices were made. Love or self-guarded preservation? Forgiveness or bitter hate? It is my hope that readers will think about such choices in their own lives. I hope they remember Tahn and see past the surface of the next person they meet. I hope they see a potential hero in every lost and wayward child and pray accordingly. Then Tahn and I will have done our jobs."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Kelly pens a novel with a medieval setting, writing under her initials to distinguish it from her historical Depression-era inspirational fiction under the name Leisha Kelly (Julia's Hope; Katie's Dream; Emma's Gift). The lovely Lady Netta Trilett is kidnapped by a cold-blooded killer, Tahn Dorn, who slew her husband several years before. This time, however, Dorn is acting out of a somewhat unexplained newfound desire to turn over a new leaf. After Dorn stashes Netta in a cave for her safety, the evil Samis, Dorn's former leader, burns her family's home. Dorn rounds up eight children Samis had tutored in villainy and spirits them away to the cave, where he and Netta care for them and Netta wrestles with forgiving Dorn—and understanding her newfound feelings for him. Kelly develops her story well in the first half, and her characters, especially the children, are sweet and vulnerable. Some light sexual tension and violence mark Kelly's change of genre. The pace slows in the second half, and readers may struggle with the idea of a woman romantically interested in her husband's killer, no matter how much Christians believe in forgiveness. Yet Kelly's tender touch will endear her to those CBA market readers who like their historicals heavily salted with salvation themes. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

As Robin Hood might, Tahn Dorn kidnaps Lady Netta Trilett, knowing that the Trilett Castle is about to be overrun with the forces of the evil Baron Trent, who wants no opposition in his campaign to become king. After a lifetime of service to another evil lord, Samis, Tahn's submerged conscience is at last breaking free. He saves the kingdom, saves a host of children Samis is in the process of corrupting, and wins Netta's love. That's the first book, and it's a serviceable adventure, but then Kelly tacks on a second book, which teases out Tahn's torments and attenuates his courtship of Netta, while advancing the story only a little. It's too much of a good thing. John Mort
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Revell (January 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0800759990
• ISBN-13: 978-0800759995
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Finish..., November 1, 2010

By 

CodyJCrossley - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tahn: A Novel (Kindle Edition)

The beginning of this story was absolutely fantastic; I was captivated and submerged into the story. The beginning encompassed both mystery and a great style of writing.

About 30-40% of the way through the book, however, the dialogue becomes rushed, and I felt like I read the same message about God's mercy at least 50 times per chapter. I am an extremely passionate Christian, but the forced dialogue ruined my motivation to continue reading. The characters had great potential to be well-developed, but the author neglected many details which would have made everything more realistic.

It's a shame because it started off so great. You'll become immersed in the story from the beginning, but don't expect it to get any better; you'll more than likely end up disappointed as I did.

33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well-told story, September 26, 2005

By 

Brian Reaves (Anniston, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tahn: A Novel (Paperback)

In The Princess Bride, Inigo Montoya speaks the famous line: "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." While reading Tahn, I kept hearing that line echo through my head. The setting in Tahn is quite similar to The Princess Bride, being some medieval time that's still our earth while not fitting into any timeline we know of. And this novel could easily be classified as a fairy tale for adults. It's an exciting and fun ride at the beginning, though it slows down a lot toward the end.

Leisha Kelly has written several Depression-era novels (Rorey's Secret, Julia's Hope, etc), but for this novel she's chosen to go a different route and thus the name change to L.A. Kelly. Tahn is definitely not one of those historical books she's known for.

Lady Netta of the House of Trillet is awakened in the middle of the night by a somehow-familiar stranger attempting to kidnap her. What makes it even more bizarre is his claim that he's trying to save her. In shades of Oliver Twist, Tahn Dorn is an orphan raised a mercenary by a cruel man named Samis. But rather than pickpocketing, Tahn learns to kill. When he finally reaches the age he feels he can stand alone, he tries to break from his brutal lifestyle and save Lady Netta in the process because she has been targeted as the next to die.

As the story progresses, Tahn takes in the small band of orphans he himself was supposed to train and tries to protect them as well with Lady Netta's help. But when Netta realizes that Tahn is the man who killed her husband years ago, things get rough. Can she forgive the man she swore to hate forever?

As I said before, Tahn is a great adventure story that starts out with a bang and runs for a long time off of it. Both Tahn and Netta are well-crafted characters, and Samis is just plain mean. The kids are well-written for the most part as well. The problem comes in the fact that almost every character has some sort of internal struggle with forgiveness. Tahn worries about his past and how could God ever forgive him for that. Various other characters have their own struggles as well, including several last-minute additions to the cast who really seem to serve the sole purpose of slowing the story down. You'll breeze through the first half of this book, but it may take a little bit of effort to finish it-and I highly recommend you do. The ending is a good one.

While there are shades of romance in the story, this isn't a romantic novel per se. There's enough action to keep most readers happy. The biggest stumbling block in the book is the budding romance between Lady Netta and Tahn. I understand that being a Christian means forgiving one's enemies, but falling in love with her husband's killer is a bit of a stretch.

Tahn is a good book for the most part. Despite the slow second half, the story as a whole should keep you into it. And it's a pretty short read, so it won't take long to finish it.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too much Christian preaching for me, November 28, 2010

By 

Janie Eilers "Farmer's Daughter" (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tahn: A Novel (Kindle Edition)

I should have read more of the reviews. I'm not familiar with the author. I didn't realize that this was as religious (Christian) as it is. I never finished it. I loved the first half, but got rather tired of the preaching. Probably read 2/3 of the book and quit. Thank goodness it was a free book.