Tale of the Fox [Mass Market Paperback]

Harry Turtledove (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2000

THE MAN WHO WOULDN'T BE KING

Ever since the catastrophic Werenight isolated the Northlands from the Elabonian Empire, Gerin the Fox has hoped to settle down as the peaceful ruler of Fox Keep...but destiny seems to have other ideas. The Voice of the god Biton prophesies danger to the Northlands.

Gerin has already beaten off invaders, both human and inhuman. But this time he faces an invasion by the Gradi, led by their cold, fierce gods. Gerin has to fight fire with fire by invoking all the supernatural help he can get from the capricious god Mavrix, the aloof but powerful Biton, and the more elemental gods of those who live beneath the ground.

And just when things can't get worse -- they get worse. Gerin's neighbor, Aragis the Archer, has made one provocative move after another, and Gerin reluctantly decides that war is inevitable. But suddenly, the Elabonian Empire again turns its unwelcome attention to the Northlands, which it regards as a subject territory. Gerin and Aragis are now allies against a common enemy...and a very formidable one, with forces that outnumber both their armies put together!

Publisher's Note: "Tale of the Fox" was previously published in parts as "King of the North" and "Fox and Empire."

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 768 pages
• Publisher: Baen (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067157874X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671578749
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,217,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Harry Turtledove is the award-winning author of the alternate-history works The Man with the Iron Heart; The Guns of the South; How Few Remain (winner of the Sidewise Award for Best Novel); the Worldwar saga: In the Balance, Tilting the Balance, Upsetting the Balance, and Striking the Balance; the Colonization books: Second Contact, Down to Earth, and Aftershocks; the Great War epics: American Front, Walk in Hell, and Breakthroughs; the American Empire novels: Blood & Iron, The Center Cannot Hold, and Victorious Opposition; and the Settling Accounts series: Return Engagement, Drive to the East, The Grapple, and In at the Death. Turtledove is married to fellow novelist Laura Frankos. They have three daughters: Alison, Rachel, and Rebecca.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different Turtledove, June 25, 2000

By 

Alex Shehovsov (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tale of the Fox (Mass Market Paperback)

The fox was a welcome break from recent books by Mr. Turtledove. Do not get me wrong -- I enjoy his recent alternate reality series, especially Darkness and Worldwar/Colonization. Nevertheless i was pleasantly surprised with the Fox. When I opened the Fox's pages i was soon immersed in a almost familiar mediaeval world - Suserens and vassals, serfs and nobles... and no One Church, as happened in our world :) Also unlike many other books the Fox is not bound to A Quest (like, say Dragonlance - go get the Lance), the Fox is about life of a feudal lord with it's everyday worries and joys. And when the quest comes along, it feels natural, not full of it :-) But no spoilers for you, my friend. If you like Turtledove, and if you like a good reading, hit the "add to shopping cart" button and you won't regret it -- I don't.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! Just like "King of the North" & "Fox and Empire"., June 8, 2000

By 

Gilbert W. Mace (Northern Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tale of the Fox (Mass Market Paperback)

Yes, this and its predecessor, "Wisdom of the Fox" are consolidations of past "Gerin the Fox" novels. But I think that's been covered already.

This review will be about the book. The decision to reprint these books in two volumes rather than four (and if Wereblood and Werenight weren't already previously combined, it would have been five parts) was great. It would not be a big re-print, pushing out four novels at once, but it also gave the readers a chance to re-obtain their now worn-out and tattered copies of the older Gerin books. It's also very nice for people who have little enough space on their bookshelves as it is (incl. yours truly).

Gerin is, as usual, a fascinating monarch in his lands north of the High Kirs and the Empire of Elabon. He and his troupe (which includes a demi-god who has the body and maturity of a four year old but the voice of a 40-year-old baritone and enjoys piddling on people from upon high, a barbarian giant of a man whose origins are respectfully hidden, Gerin's own sons, his wife -- a former Oracle and quite the insatiable) are tumbled into war not once, but TWICE (okay, so it's two books. So what! It reads like one great big saga) in order to protect their homes. They call on magic and brawn to defeat their enemies. Whether savages to the North or Imperialists to the South, Gerin has to yet again fight for what he holds dear: the independence of his people and the right of sovereignty over his own land.

Set in a bronze-age environment instead of a medieval one, the Gerin novels are a different sort of fantasy, which deal in magic, yes, and warriors, yes. Good and evil, yes. Monsters, yes. Telepathy and the supernatural, y--. Whah? Hold on...those are sci-fi traits! Maybe that's why fantasy and sci-fi are always grouped together. Oh, well. It's all great fun.

Three moons there may be, but there is only ONE Gerin the Fox!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Reprinted MAterial, June 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Tale of the Fox (Mass Market Paperback)

Harry turtledove's book about the Fox are excellent. However, don't buy this thinking you are getting the lastest episode of this story. This is a compliation of two previously published works. If you haven't read all the Fox books, get this one. If you have, don't duplicate your library unless you really want to.