A Tremor in the Bitter Earth: Book 2 of the Tielmaran Chronicles [Mass Market Paperback]

Katya Reimann (Author)

Book Description

Series: Tielmaran Chronicles | Publication Date: March 15, 1999

It is a time for celebration in Tielmark, at long last free from the age-old rule of the decadent but powerful Bissanty empire. Yet as the young glamour witch Gaultry Blas travels to witness the sacred rites which will renew her prince's magical bond to the land and its twin goddesses, she had no idea of the trials that await her and all Tielmark. Foiling an attempt by Bissanty assassins to taint the prince with dark, poisonous magic, she finds herself thrown into the midst of a sinister and dangerous plot. With one of the assassins as her unlikely ally, she must journey deep into the heart of Bissanty-where it will take all her skill and magic to uncover the last hidden ties that bind Tielmark's destiny to that of its depraved former masters...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In Reimann's first novel, Wind from a Foreign Sky, woodland huntress Gaultry Blas and her twin sister, Mervion, used the wild magic of their Glamour-souls to remove a dangerous traitor from the Prince's Court and defeat enemy nation Bissanty's plans to control the Free Principality of Tielmark. This sequel picks up with the twins saving Prince Benet from poisoning by a young Sha Muir assassin, Tullier. Convinced that beneath the assassin's training lies a soul worth saving, Gaultry earns the enmity of the Court by preventing Tullier's suicide, installing into his body half of her own Glamour-soul in order to withstand the poison that fills his Sha Muira veins. When Gaultry's friend Martin is kidnapped by Sha Muir assassins, Gaultry and Tullier set off to save him, only to find that the Sha Muir appear to be pawns in a much larger game of Bissanty political intrigue. Though Reimann's writing is sometimes disjointed and overblown, the ever-more-tangled plot moves swiftly along. The book ends with more plot threads dangling than tied up, but that's okay, as there's clearly plenty of story remaining to be told in the richly detailed world Reimann has created.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The theme of the highly satisfactory sequel to Reiman's Wind from a Foreign Sky (1997) might be expressed as, "For every solution, there is a new problem." At the end of Wind, the prince of Tielmar had saved his realm from foreign enemies and acquired a consort. Now the foreign enemies come back for another round; first among them is an assassin who immediately has the sorceress Gaultry Blas fully exerting herself to defeat him. The plot rapidly thickens, what with riddles to solve, murders to prevent or avenge, comrades to rescue, and the gods themselves taking a hand in the proceedings. One would be hard put to find any really novel fantasy concepts in Tremor, but readers will quickly and pleasurably find plenty of action, complex but plausible motivation and characterization, and well-done world building in the second Tielmaran Chronicle. Thus, it is likely to appeal to a great many fantasy fiction lovers. Roland Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Tor Fantasy; 1st edition (March 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812549341
• ISBN-13: 978-0812549348
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,664,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Can a Good Witch Save an Evil Empire?, July 17, 2000

By 

Michael Gosselin - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Tremor in the Bitter Earth: Book 2 of the Tielmaran Chronicles (Mass Market Paperback)

The second of Katya Reimann's books, this book starts off differently than the first, and takes us on a whole new journey.

The restless Gaultry Blass, serving as an honored guest in the court of the new Prince of Tielmark. She secretly hopes for something to do, and gets it when she and her sister foil an assassination attempt against the prince. However, one of the assassins from the Sha Muir nears death, and Gaultry saves his life. In doing so, she gets her wish for "something to do", as she must take the spy back to enemy soil in an attempt to save the life of her friend Martin Stalker.

Once again, we have a whole world to discover, and it is refreshing to read about the Bissantry Empire from their point of view. Unlike the typical (and simplistic) good and evil, we can see the way each country sees the other, and it is a theme that can apply to how we see other people and other nations. In the end, we wonder what influence both the huntress and the assassin have on each other, and will this new experience change the way the countries develop.

My only regret is that we still do not get a feel for Gaultry's twin sister, Mervion, who could and should be important in the development of the character. I believe that the twins were set up to explore the two personalities that women (and men) feel, and yet we only see the side of the independent Gaultry, not seeing the saavy Mervion, nor the relationship of the two sisters. I hope this is explored in future novels.

Overall, another enjoyable read.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A heroine with real faults-FINALLY, June 14, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Tremor in the Bitter Earth: Book 2 of the Tielmaran Chronicles (Mass Market Paperback)

Gualtry Blas is a woman, a sister, a lover, a daughter.....with real feelings that any person can relate to. She is neither made into a goddess, super warrior saving the world, nor the lowest sea-urchin, but Gualtry's view of herself is the most important of all because this is where the audience is able to connect with Gualtry and even switch places with her. Not only does Reinmann allow for you to understand one character, but she gives the audience several chances to act out other roles and experience dramatic irony. These novels are written at somewhat of an advanced level touching on stream of conciousness, dramatic irony, 1st person as well as 3rd person omiscenisent, so on so forth. These techniques combined inable the author to give the reader an accurate portrayal of events, and such occurences create a beautiful, well mastered story without knocking you off of your feet with pazzazz or glamour.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Swashbuckling adventure story! Female protagonist!, February 25, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Tremor in the Bitter Earth: Book 2 of the Tielmaran Chronicles (Mass Market Paperback)

I liked this one even better than the first Tielmaran book. It begins by developing even further the court and political intrigues set up in "Wind From a Foreign Sky". Then it climaxes into a rousing adventure story replete with chases, fights, break-ins, and rescues- lots of action in a well-realized and detailed world. Gaultry is a strong but realistically-characterized female lead, it's great to see her in action!