Warrior's Tale (Hardcover)

by Allan Cole (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
What might have been a standard nautical fantasy patterned on the Odyssey reveals itself to be a charmingly subversive lesbian feminist romp about a group of women warriors who battle wizards, demons, pirates and sexism on land and at sea. Narrator Captain Rali Emilie Antero of the Maranon Guards is in charge of a legion of women who train rabidly, fight ferociously and swear off sex with men. Typically, they've been forced to stay home in Orissa and be showpiece soldiers, but after they disembowel a raging demon in front of the entire city, they are awarded a place of honor in the upcoming battle with the rival city of Lycanth. Adventure abounds as the women sail uncharted seas, searching for the Archon, or sorceror, who is determined to destroy them and rule the world. This lighthearted novel (sequel to The Far Kingdoms; Rali is the sister of that novel's hero) turns several of the standard fantasy conventions topsy-turvy. There's the twist, for example, by which Rali, after heroically saving a local princess from drowning, enters into a sweaty romance with her-just one more winsome moment in a book brimming with whopping good fun. Author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
As commander of the all-female Maranon Guard, Rali Emilie Antero must defend the city of Orissa. When sorcerous magics threaten the city, Antero receives orders to pursue the malevolent wizard across uncharted seas, returning only when her quarry is defeated. The Odyssey-like voyage of Antero and her companions lends a picaresque quality to this sequel to The Far Kingdoms (Ballantine, 1994). While not graphic or gratuitous, the authors' forthright portrayal of lesbian relationships may limit the audience for this fast-moving and involving fantsy adventure. Recommended, with the above "caveat," for most fantasy collections.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 438 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey; 1st edition (October 11, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345387333
• ISBN-13: 978-0345387332
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,467,632 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good solid entertaining fantasy, November 19, 2001

By	Brian C. Taylor "smug feldspar magnate" (Tallahassee, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Warrior's Tale (Mass Market Paperback)

This book tells the tale of Rali, captain of the Maranonon (or something like that) guards, who is sent on a mission to wipe out an evil wizard. On the way, she and her soldiers (all female) have a series of pretty entertaining adventures. Rali is a pretty solid character, and the action is pretty much nonstop. Nothing brilliant about this book, but I would say it's probably above average fantasy stuff, which kept me reading till the end. It starts off with a war and keeps going. Lots of demons, gore soaked swords, nubile maidens, and pyrotechnic wizardry. As a warning I might point out, it has a good deal of same-sex relationships going on, which some readers might find distracting (and some might find titillating). All in all, it ain't highbrow lit-ra-ture, but it's fun to read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Warrior's Tale, January 26, 2003

By	not4prophet (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Warrior's Tale (Mass Market Paperback)

"The Warrior's Tale" is one of those extremely rare sequels that outdoes the original. For longtime fantasy fans, it's a real breath of fresh air. The narrator and main character, Rali Anterro of the Maranon Guard, is a lot more likeable than Amalric from "The Far Kingdoms", since she has a real personality and some actually feelings, as well as more interesting relationships with other people. Perhaps more importantly, the plot has some real unpredictability to it, with the heroes facing a number of different villains and dangerous situations, and sometimes having to use more than just random luck to survive. Also, the authors include at least a little bit of humor, something that was sorely absent in "The Far Kingdoms", and in general they simply manage to give the story more life this time around.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read, December 30, 2000

By	"valai" (USA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Warrior's Tale (Mass Market Paperback)

I rate this book with 5 stars in the category of adventure. This tale is filled with magic, aventure, sword fighting and all that good stuff. It's your basic book on good vs. evil. The city Orissa is in grave danger... the Archon has evil powers that could destroy the whole city! So one of Orissa's guard is sent to follow the Archon and to kill him. Oh and did I happen to mention that this guard is made up of all women? That's right! Who else goes on the quest? Well there is an old powerful wizard who decides to go and some pirates who are more after the gold and loot than destroying evil.

Much do they know that there is more than the Archon and his evil that they will have to face. They travel in boats and see more of the world than anyone in Orissa. They face betrayal, evil, depression, lack of food, and at the end there is a twist.

Romily is their only hope... their last hope. She will have to face things that go beyond all... the death of her beloved friends, she has no support except her Guard; her family does not accept her for who she is and.... she will have to forge into the magic she's always refused and denied in order to save herself and her companions.