Customer Reviews

Tyrant Moon

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just finished this book and enjoyed it thoroughly.

The plot revolves around two central characters, Arrow, a female barbarian champion, and Thraxis, an extremely proud wizard. The author is very adept at making the the characters realistic. Neither is perfect--in fact, their quest is really to correct horrible, tragic events that they, themselves, helped set in motion out of fear and pride.

Arrow, because of feelings of inadequacy due to being a rare female champion, blindly follows a bloody leader, sowing death among innocent people. She even allows a renegade wizard to change her into a berserker because she fears failure so greatly. Finally she cannot stomach the horrible orders of her chief and flees to find help to right the wrongs she has helped cause.

Thraxis is sent to help her. Once the most proud and powerful of the wizards, he is now crippled by a death spell, and has been left nearly powerless. (He brought this on himself by being heartless toward the very wizard who later went renegade and stirred up Arrow's clan!) He still feels superior to this barbarian woman whom he has been forced to help. Needless to say, these two have a lot of clashes and misunderstandings.

You will have to read the book to find out if these two people can ever become a team strong enough to take on a renegade warlord, his army, and a powerful wizard!

My only tiny quibble with this book, and the reason I gave it 4 instead of 5, is that while all the characters, main and secondary, are wonderfully drawn, the author does not give me enough picture of the physical lands the heroes travel through. Just the vaguest of outlines--forest, town, plains. I would have loved a little more detail of places and things.

But overall I loved the book and I will be rereading this one!

By TT reviewer Chere Gruver

The Arrow that Flies the Farthest has finally made it to the Athraskani Stronghold. Now she is waiting to see if they will send someone to help her or not.

Meanwhile, Vilhardouin is giving Thraxis a choice. He can either accompany the barbarian and help combat Balthazar, since it's his fault about Balthazar, or he can stay and father a child with a woman he hates, the beautiful Melilandra. Vilhardouin is expecting Thraxis to take the choice she wants him to. Thraxis is dying and Vilhardouin knows it. She really doesn't expect him to leave the Sanctuary again. Thraxis shocks everyone when he decides to accompany the barbarian to help defeat Balthazar. Thraxis knows that it is his fault that Balthazar has gone renegade. Balthazar's power is equal to that of a child. He stole the doyan'si that Thraxis made and is using the power it contains. He also laid a death spell on a book that he knew that Thraxis would eventually use. Thraxis will not give the council a child to treat the way they did him. He would rather go with the barbarian.

Thraxis and Vilhardouin go to the waiting chamber and meet Arrow. Thraxis notices all the tattoos that Arrow has. He demands a traveling robe and a staff. They will leave the next morning at dawn. Vilhardouin has no choice but to accept his decision. The next morning Arrow has her two horses ready and is ready to leave at dawn. She notices a servant bringing out a gelding to hitch to a wagon. The gelding is very bad-tempered and her horses just roll their eyes at his display. Thraxis has trouble controlling the horse and it runs out of the gate to the Sanctuary with him. Arrow catches up and they begin their journey.

The first night they spend at an Inn. Thraxis doesn't eat meat, which causes a problem with the Innkeeper. Arrow notices that everyone seems to be afraid of Thraxis. His robe is black and Arrow doesn't understand that black robes have a lot of power and that Thraxis is more powerful than any of the other Athraskani. They get attacked that night and Arrow decides that they will leave immediately. Thraxis didn't even use his power in their defense. Arrow finally asks him why when they camp that night and he tells her about the spell. Anyone with less power than Thraxis would have been dead already, but Thraxis is powerful enough to prolong his death. Whenever he uses magic, though, it weakens him and takes time off his lifespan.

As they travel, Thraxis and Arrow become friends. Arrow teaches Thraxis how to camp and take care of himself. They teach each their respective languages. They also begin to fall in love. When they finally get out of the Empire's territory, Thraxis asks Arrow to stop at another Athraskani's home. He wants the help of Viabold, another Athraskani. Arrow agrees and they proceed to Viabold's home. Viabold agrees to accompany them and do what he can to help. Viabold is congenial company and Arrow is glad of his help. Viabold is aware of Thraxis' feelings towards Arrow and teases him about that all the time.

They still don't know the truth about Arrow and she is afraid to tell them. She is afraid that she will lose their help if they realize that she once considered Balthazar her blood brother, that Balthazar changed her into a berzerker and that is was her tribe that attacked all of the other clans among the Skald.

Thraxis undergoes the most change during the course of this story. He was a scholar and spent all his time studying in the beginning of the book. He is arrogant, self-assured and not used to doing anything for himself. Because of his illness, he is forced to do things by hand and not by use of magic. Arrow has to teach him how to make a fire, take care of the horses and set up and break camp. She is the first person that has ever treated Thraxis as an equal. She doesn't look down on him because of this, but understands and teaches him. Arrow is the first friend that Thraxis has ever had and he treasures their friendship. Arrow is the first female among the Skald to be named a Champion. The Skald use their Champions to fight and avoid blood feuds by doing this. Arrow has to fight to gain acceptance as Champion. None of the members of her clan believed that she would be able to fight well enough to win any of her challenges. Arrow has worked hard to earn the respect of her clan members. The more Challenges that Arrow wins, the more her clan chief wants. Arrow is finally forced to kill the Skald king. When her chief orders her to kill his own son, Arrow decides she can no longer be a part of this and runs away with him. They are hoping to defeat Balthazar and the clan chief. Balthazar has used magic to help them defeat all their enemies. Balthazar sees Thraxis as everything that he always hated about the Athraskani. He is also looking for the respect of his own kind and doesn't care what he destroys in the process.

This is a wonderful fantasy tale full of battles and magic. The different societies and how they interact is a wonderful aspect of this book. The societies are all so very different from each other. I really enjoyed watching how the characters interacted with each other and began to respect each other for their strengths and realizing that they are more alike than they realized. I really loved watching Thraxis change from an arrogant slob that cared only for himself, into a man that cared deeply and was willing to sacrifice himself to save a way of life. This is a thrilling fantasy that I recommend to all lovers of fantasy.

Arrow that Flies the Farthest was the Champion of her barbarian clan, the Red Feathers. She had been trained for the task since the age of five. At fifteen she killed her first Champion. Duty and honor bound, she did as her chief, Blood on the Wind, bade her to do. In greed, he challenged each clan and had Arrow defeat their Champion in combat for their land. But when a sorcerer named Balthazar joined the Red Feather clan, they became unstoppable! Balthazar had an amulet that trapped the souls of enemies and fed his magic. Using it, he made Arrow into a berserker. Speed made her a blur to others. Her strength multiplied and her senses sharpened. When Blood forced her to kill the king of all the clans, along with women and children, she rebelled.

Thraxis was an Athraskani (wizard). He was the best ever born. When Balthazar stole an amulet and left the order, he also left a death trap behind for Thraxis. Thraxis managed to stay alive, but could not stop the spell. It was slowly killing him. It took all his magic to keep the spell slow. Even so, he had only months to live.

Arrow asked the Black Council for help in defeating Balthazar. Since Thraxis was useless to them, they sent him. On the way to meet the rebels who felt as Arrow did, Thraxis searched out another Athraskani named Viabold for aide. Many secrets were revealed to each other in their travels. Only they had a chance to stop Blood and Balthazar.

***** W-O-W! Here is an awesome story! I tried to keep the vital things out and reveal only what I had to in the synopsis. You will NOT be disappointed in this book! Danger, many battles, betrayal, love, and villains that seem invincible! Highly recommended reading here! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

I'm a huge fan of Linnea Sinclair, so when on her web site she cited Elaine Corvidae as one of her favorite author, I decided I could not go wrong with it... and I was right!

Here's the story: Thraxis was THE most powerful Athraskani wizard, until rogue mage Balthazar turned his own magic against him. As any use of magic only speed progression of the curse, Thraxis has mostly given up to try to rid himself of it and only wait now for his death. However, when Arrow that Flies the Fartest shows up asking for help from the Athraskani to help defeat Balthazar, running amok in the barbarian steppes with the magic he stole, a change of plan occurs: to elude the Athraskani's machination (they want him to have an offspring before he dies so that his potential is not lost), Thraxis agrees to help Arrow. And so it is that for the first time in his life, he leaves the Athraskani stronghold, to travel to barbarian country with a barbarian woman, who carries the painful and heavy burden of the choices she made.

Thraxis and Arrow are touching and sympathetic: Thraxis is so well-learned and so completely clueless - endearing! - while Arrow, who was groomed to do a Man's Job, she never acts (to steal Jack Trainer's words in Working Girls) "like a woman thinks a man would [be] if he was a woman", if you see what I mean. We truly believe in them and in their story. Also, the heroes as well as the villains are not either black or white (personally, I really enjoy this kind of characterization) although I must admit, what delighted me the most during the book was the way Thraxis and Arrow deal and adjust to each other's utter foreignness. Great read! (Don't miss the sequel either, "Heretic Sun")

Reviewed by Sherryl King-Wilds or fantasynovelreview.com

The Arrow that Flies the Farthest (Arrow) must seek help from the distant Athraskani (wizard born). A war rages that brutalizes the honor of her tribe, no matter that her tribe is this war's victor. The Athraskani send one wizard to help Arrow, but the Athraskani--a twisted, ruthless race--deem this wizard useless; he is dying.

And so, the journey begins with two traveling companions: Thraxis, once the greatest Athraskani, and the warrior woman Arrow, once the greatest Champion of the Red Feather tribe. They are an odd couple, one born for combat, the other pledged not to kill, and each with a hidden past.

Idealistic and encouraged in his superiority, Thraxis' past mistakes glare with simplicity: he acted like a tactless jerk, and the result was a fellow-Athraskani's death curse.

Arrow's past, told in flashbacks of achingly stirring detail, is not so simple. A female Champion, she worked hard to earn the respect of her people by winning the one-on-one battles fought between Champions of the steppe tribes, battles that settled disputes with little bloodshed until her leader, Chief Blood on the Wind, metamorphosed from powerless to power mad and used Arrow and the newcomer Balthazar--the very wizard who cursed Thraxis--as a means to an end.

Now a traitor to her people and an enemy of the steppe tribes trampled by the Red Feathers, Arrow, with the assistance of Thraxis' dwindling magic and a few rebels, must try to overcome many obstacles to make amends for her broken past.

This book comes fully furnished with a distinctly flavorful steppe culture, absorbing characters, fierce fight scenes, and horrifying internal conflicts. Tyrant Moon brought me to such a level of involvement, I often found myself wiping sweat off my brow, my heart thumping like mad to the book's torrid beat. Whew!

Arrow that Flies the Farthest was the Champion of her barbarian clan, the Red Feathers. She had been trained for the task since the age of five. At fifteen she killed her first Champion. Duty and honor bound, she did as her chief, Blood on the Wind, bade her to do. In greed, he challenged each clan and had Arrow defeat their Champion in combat for their land. But when a sorcerer named Balthazar joined the Red Feather clan, they became unstoppable! Balthazar had an amulet that trapped the souls of enemies and fed his magic. Using it, he made Arrow into a berserker. Speed made her a blur to others. Her strength multiplied and her senses sharpened. When Blood forced her to kill the king of all the clans, along with women and children, she rebelled.

Thraxis was an Athraskani (wizard). He was the best ever born. When Balthazar stole an amulet and left the order, he also left a death trap behind for Thraxis. Thraxis managed to stay alive, but could not stop the spell. It was slowly killing him. It took all his magic to keep the spell slow. Even so, he had only months to live.

Arrow asked the Black Council for help in defeating Balthazar. Since Thraxis was useless to them, they sent him. On the way to meet the rebels who felt as Arrow did, Thraxis searched out another Athraskani named Viabold for aide. Many secrets were revealed to each other in their travels. Only they had a chance to stop Blood and Balthazar.

***** W-O-W! Here is an awesome story! I tried to keep the vital things out and reveal only what I had to in the synopsis. You will NOT be disappointed in this book! Danger, many battles, betrayal, love, and villains that seem invincible! Highly recommended reading here! *****

The Skald warrior, The Arrow That Flies the Farthest, knows she is the last hope to save her people, but though she would prefer hand to hand combat, she realizes she needs something more mystical. She seeks the most powerful of the Athraskani wizards, Thraxis to stop Balthazar and the magic of his jewel.

However, Thraxis is no longer a practicing wizard because Balthazar has cursed him with a death spell. Any time Thraxis uses his power, he steps closer to death. Still the Council informs him that Balthazar has misused his power and turned renegade mage. They give Thraxis a "Lady or the Tiger" choice of facing certain death using his powers against Balthazar or sleeping with the Beautiful Melilandra. He opts to accompany Arrow even if the amount of power he needs to destroy the jewel and ultimately Balthazar will kill him too. The quest leads to respect, friendship, love, and death.

TYRANT MOON is an exciting romantic sword and sorcery tale that hooks the readers from the very beginning when Arrow recruits Thraxis. She is a courageous, intelligent fighter while he is an incredible character breaking the mold of Gandulf type wizards with his trepidation to even leave his sanctuary. The use of flashbacks enables the audience to understand what occurred to the heroes especially Arrow's people, but becomes overused and disruptive to the prime plot. Still Elaine Corvidae enchants sub-genre fans with a potent spell that the S&S audience will thoroughly appreciate and feel compelled to obtain her other novels.

Harriet Klausner