Wind From A Foreign Sky [Hardcover]

Katya Reimann (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Tor (1986)
• ASIN: B000MVP03O
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Decent ideas and images, poor execution, November 21, 2005

By 

the_smoking_quill (South Carolina) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Wind from a Foreign Sky (The Tielmaran Chronicles, Book 1) (Paperback)

Gaultry is a young, beautiful, spirited huntress, who has been raised by her great-aunt, a hedge-witch, on the border of Tielmaran. One day, the outer world cruelly ends her idyllic life, as a squadron of soldiers seeks to abduct her, and she finds herself a key figure in a prophecy that will bless or curse the entire realm.

Ms. Reimann creates, for the most part, a well-imagined world with some fresh touches. However, the kindest thing I can say about her telling of the story is that, this being her first novel, she shows glimmers of potential. To identify the major problems: First, the story begins, for the sake of excitement, as Gaultry and the prophecy are about to collide; consequently, the plot is over-burdened with flashbacks and info-dumps about the history of Tielmaran--information that could have been much more gracefully integrated via an earlier starting point. Second, the magic 'system' involves drawing power from the realm's gods (yet spells are called spells, not prayers), and its workings are never defined well enough to bear the crushing burden of the book's climax, which also spins out of control from Ms. Reimann's inexperienced quill. (An unfortunate example from p. 374: "There was a weird short-circuited merry-go-round through all the bodies in the circle, an unpleasantly long dance, before the Glamour-spirits were properly settled." Note that neither circuits nor merry-go-rounds are otherwise known to exist in Tielmaran.) Finally, several plot-threads are left dangling, presumably for the second and third installments.

Overall, this is worthy of a (cheap) used purchase or a library loan for undemanding fans of escapist fantasy. (Books like Green Rider by Kristen Britain and The Sword by Deborah Chester came to mind as I read this one.) However, I would certainly recommend above all of those, if one can tolerate more vivid descriptions of violence and sexual content, A Game of Thrones by George Martin; The Briar King by Greg Keyes; Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb; Rules of Ascension by David Coe; or anything by Guy Gavriel Kay (especially A Song for Arbonne and Tigana). Two stars.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Epic fantasy well-done, November 7, 1999

By 

Jennifer Mo - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wind from a Foreign Sky (The Tielmaran Chronicles, Book 1) (Paperback)

Katya Reimann's debut novel is surprising in its thorough world-building and exciting (and even) pace. The well developed religion and geography are fascinatingly different; equally interesting is the system of magic used consistently throughout.

Aside from an excellent background, there's also a fast-paced plot with plenty of suspense and surprises and some truly likeable characters. Gaultry's relationship with the male protagonist is one of the more intriguing I've run across-- NOT your usual sappy and predictable romance. And unlike most epic fantasies, Wind has a satisfactory conclusion, though a few strands are left dangling.

What else is there to say? If you like fantasy, try it! While I found the sequel to be a disappointment, Wind from a Foreign Sky is an excellent fantasy.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Quality, March 20, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Wind from a Foreign Sky (The Tielmaran Chronicles, Book 1) (Paperback)

I generally don't read books in this category, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I couldn't put this book down. I actually read it in one sitting, I was so engrossed. Thinking that perhaps I'd like other books in this genre, I tried a few (on people's recommendations) and was terribly disappointed. This book is an excellent read. I highly recommend it to anyone.