Talon of the Unnamed Goddess, a Fantasy Adventure [Kindle Edition]

C. R. Daems (Author), J. R. Tomlin (Author)

Book Description

Aisha is the newest Talon of the Raptor Clan, mercenaries prized by rulers, nobles, and the wealthy as elite bodyguards. Her skill with a blade and her magical rune have won her a prized place as a Talon, but she wins her fights through wits as much as her skill. Guarding a spoiled young princess is Aisha's first assignment for the clan. Surrounded by dangerous plots, keeping the girl alive takes all of Aisha's guile and so does dealing with the warrior prince who seems to be falling in love with her. When assassination turns the princess into a queen on the run, Aisha needs every tool she possesses to protect her young charge, help her find the strength to grow up and reclaim her throne.

2010 Epic Award Finalist for Fantasy

Other Fantasy Novels from C. R. Daems and J. R. Tomlin: 

Laying the Odds, a Fantasy Adventure 
Blood Duty, a Fantasy Adventure 
Wings of Evil, a Young adult Fantasy

Historical Novels from J. R. Tomlin
Freedom's Sword, a Historical Novel of Scotland
A Kingdom's Cost, a Historical Novel of Scotland

Editorial Reviews

Review

There was a lot to like about it: a beautiful and original fantasy world,  a great main character, and a solid plot.  -Brewster's Bookshelf

Product Details

• File Size: 494 KB
• Print Length: 240 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: Talon Novels; 2 edition (June 24, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B00580V7YU
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #55,595 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable fantasy that doesn't quite fulfill its potential August 26, 2011

By W. B. Kamffer

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Talon of the Unnamed Goddess is a fantasy adventure tale with much to recommend it, but which, in my opinion, ultimately falls short of fulfilling its potential.

The story follows a young woman named Aisha Talon who has undergone special training to become one of the Talon assassins/warriors/bodyguards/hired-knives. But we quickly learn that it is not because of Aisha's fighting prowess that she has successfully completed her training, for though she fights very well, it is her calculating mind that sees her through, as she constantly out-wits her opponents. We see this side of Aisha early on as she completes her training, and the authors utilize this ability of hers repeatedly throughout the book to solve various problems.

Fresh out of training, Aisha is assigned as the chaperone/bodyguard of a princess, and in an ensuing coup, the princess Rhiannon escapes with Aisha, and thus begins the quest to reclaim her throne. I suppose one could properly describe the book as a war story, as civil war is essentially at the heart of the matter, and there are very few chapters that do not center on the fighting. Rhiannon, under Aisha's guidance, learns to make alliances, make contracts with the Talons, twist arms to get what she wants, and win the people's support in the war.

Firstly, let me begin my review by talking about the magic system, as this is a fantasy. Magic revolves around a series of six sigils that impart powers such as warrior skills, lie detection, illusion, healing, and two others I can't now recall. But there is a seventh sigil, one that nobody has ever possessed before because the goddess granting it has never allowed the sigil to "take" to a man or woman. Until Aisha. She gains the power of negation, and keeps it a secret to hide her advantage.... In essence, negation allows her to negate all operating sigils in her surrounding, so that someone with a truth sigil will not know she's lying, or someone with a warrior sigil will think he can fight but in fact loses the ability, and so forth. The authors use her negation skill sparingly, which is a good thing, as it is an incredibly powerful ability. In all things, Aisha exercises excellent judgment.

The plot itself is straightforward and linear, progressing from point to point with very few surprises. In fact, the surprise is rather taken out of the story by Aisha's ability to accurately predict what people will do. She would be quite the chess prodigy if she were a real human being, and while this makes her a very strong and able woman in a man's world, it made everything seem far too easy. The plot comes across as light-weight because you never really feel Aisha is going to meet her match. You never feel there is any threat to her whatsoever. Ironically, for a fantasy, this is not due to magical ability but to acute mental facilities.

There is also a bit of romance here, and for me this was the most disappointing aspect of the book. It seemed almost as though the authors felt obligated to play to genre stereotypes and include a romantic interest for our intrepid young heroine. It felt tacked on and rather out of place in a story that focused so heavily on war. That the love story is one of love-at-first-sight and the man can't keep his eyes off of her and proposes marriage almost in their first conversation, well, you see what I mean. It was distracting and entirely unnecessary. If anything, the romance only serves to give Aisha the kind of problems that planning a war seem unable to provide her: i.e. a challenge.

Finally, a word more about Aisha's character. She is a very strong female character, and struggles growing up in a predominantly male environment as she trains to become a Talon. All of the trials of youth have instilled a toughness in her that is admirable. However, it is very hard to see Aisha as the nineteen-year-old that she is. I understand that her training would have matured her faster than normal, but the authors constantly remind us of her youth only then to have us believe that old men, and experienced in war and politics, bow to her wisdom in everything. It seemed a bit of a stretch at times, and I think she needed a foil to cross her advice, as well as to fail in judgment a couple of times. Nevertheless, I expect readers will enjoy the Chess Master mind she has, which is a quality I've not encountered in a fantasy for some time.

Over all, Talon of the Unnamed Goddess is an enjoyable distraction for a weekend. I don't think anyone is going to come away from this thinking it is a masterpiece of the genre as there are problems, but it is a fun diversion and worth picking up nonetheless. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Wish I could give it more stars May 13, 2012

By J. Smith

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I thought the main points of the story and plot were excellent ideas: the main character succeeding through wits rather than brute strength, the original concept of magic "sigils" enhancing people's power, and the role of the raptor clan in the society made for a great start to the book. Unfortunately the book has too many editing issues and some secondary plot points that really detract from the story.

While the ideas in this story are wonderful, their execution is lacking. I noticed many times where the verb tenses were incorrect, as well as pronouns (they versus us) being used incorrectly, as though the author had lost their train of thought while writing and didn't catch the mistake in proof-reading the story. The dialogue was also a bit awkward in spots and needed to be a little more concise, even though the vocabulary of the book is appropriately complex. Also, toward the end of the book a character is described as "whining" when they have only ever shown strength and courage.

The other thing lacking was character development and plot twists. The main character, Aisha, is well developed, though she doesn't grow or change during the story. The girl she is charged with protecting, pri'Rhiannon develops more as a character than the hero of the story. Aisha also succeeds far too often, I can only recall one failure on her part during the entire story, and even that was worked out with little trouble, so there were no surprising or unexpected plot twists. The love story between Aisha and another character is unnecessary and not developed at all. One moment she is focused on fighting and duty, the next she is madly in love without ever really getting to know her love interest at all, or even spending more than a day with him.... It would have been better to drop the "romance" all together rather than keep the shallow, unrealistic relationship that occurs.

I liked the book, I wanted to keep reading it to see what happened, and I would be very happy to recommend it to others if it could get a thorough editing and a slightly more complex plot. Read more ›

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars A great concept but poor storytelling June 21, 2012

By aliceinwonderland

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

First off, I really like how original this story is. The use of sigils and the Talon warriors really made for a great tale with a lot of potential. However, I feel like the author lacked character development and strength. Even the main character, Aisha, who is wise, strong, and gifted with one of the strongest sigils, didn't give me enough character impression to make the story worth continuing. I got about half-way through the book when I became bored with Aisha's constant triumph and her capability to just sail through every situation with ease. She kills her enemies very easily and has a clear-cut view in every problem. She is even capable of violating her clan's rules, which, instead of being punished for it, the clan just ultimately agrees with her--and they're in the middle of a war!! The characters just didn't cut it for me--I found the characters empty and unrealistic. The storyline and potential of this book is very prominent, but with weak characters, this book is a no-go for me.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down August 6, 2011

By 0628perfect

Format:Kindle Edition

Aisha Talon is commissioned to protect a noble girl. She is put to the test right away when their is an attempt on her life. Aisha is clever and uses her wits. That is how she survived to become a Talon. She outwits her enemies and keeps up a cover to confuse her enemies. Suddenly the noble she is protecting must become queen. However with Aisha by her side she grows to become a great leader. I read it in a day because I couldn't put it down. I loved the book. I absolutely loved this book.It was gripping, suspenseful, and well written. The planning, cunning, and wits that the characters posses is amazing. It is yet again another strong female character that leads hundreds of men some of the much more experienced than she. I don't understand why such a strong character had to get married, but I think the two fit each other. It is a great story with several strong female characters and growing up when the world gets tough around you. The two main young female characters showed strength, wit, and responsibility beyond their years. I loved it. I really can not wait for more.