Wrath of Ashar: The First Book of The Kingdoms (The Book of the Kingdoms, Book 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Angus Wells (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In the north, a fire rages through the world-spanning forest of Beltrevan.  Out of the flames is born terrifying being with monstrous powers--Taws, messenger of the fire-god Ashar.  The ancient prophecies say he will raise a great Horde from the warlike tribes of the north to bring destruction to the peaceful Kingdoms of Tamur, Ust-Galich, and Kesh.  In the south, a young prophetess of the order of the lady forsakes her vows of celibacy to bear a child, for the Book of Kyrie says that a champion will arise from Tamur to meet the challenge of the Usurper.  The boy is named Kedyrn.  And as he nears manhood it seems that he may indeed be the child of prophecy, for he wields powers that none outside the Sisterhood have ever claimed.  He may be the last, desperate hope for the survival of the Kingdoms--but the Usurper has learned of Kedryrn as well, and his armies are on the march . . . .

From the Publisher
In the north, a fire rages through the world-spanning forest of Beltrevan. Out of the flames is born terrifying being with monstrous powers--Taws, messenger of the fire-god Ashar. The ancient prophecies say he will raise a great Horde from the warlike tribes of the north to bring destruction to the peaceful Kingdoms of Tamur, Ust-Galich, and Kesh. In the south, a young prophetess of the order of the lady forsakes her vows of celibacy to bear a child, for the Book of Kyrie says that a champion will arise from Tamur to meet the challenge of the Usurper. The boy is named Kedyrn. And as he nears manhood it seems that he may indeed be the child of prophecy, for he wields powers that none outside the Sisterhood have ever claimed. He may be the last, desperate hope for the survival of the Kingdoms--but the Usurper has learned of Kedryrn as well, and his armies are on the march . . . .

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (February 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553283715
• ISBN-13: 978-0553283716
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,016,969 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:

3.0 out of 5 stars Average at best, October 16, 2005

By	Andrew Gray "Beezer Review" (Minnesota) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I came across this book while searching for other some other fantasy genre books. I figured I would give it a chance as the back of the book sounded interesting. To start with, this book is really nothing different than what is already out there. The basic premise is a messenger of an evil god has come to the north and united the barbarian tribes to attack the kingdoms. One person, a 14 year old prince is the `chosen' one and he is the only one that can kill the messenger. The plot is rather cliché and straightforward.

As I said above the plot is riddled with cliché after cliché and so straightforward there is almost very little deviation from that straight-lined plot. This is not to say the story isn't a little interesting, but in a book that relies heavily on clichés I would have liked to see more twists and sub-plots within this book. I would be willing to bet that fans who have read a lot of fantasy books can read the back of the book and with a good amount of accuracy predict what will happen in this book.

The characters are nothing special either. The author tries at a minor character plot twist towards the end of the book but it is so melodramatic that it just doesn't matter; it has no effect of the feeling of the book at all. In my opinion there are only two interesting characters in this book. The main hero, Kedryn is a decent character - that of the 14 year old chosen one. The other interesting character is Tepshen Lahl who is basically a weapon master from another realm for the prince and his family, sort of like a glorified bodyguard if you will. Yet, even with how interesting he is, he is often overlooked in scenes and big segments of the book. It was almost like the author said "Oh, he's here he better make an appearance." I think this character was wasted in this book.

Another problem with this book is two-fold. The author does a rather poor job at describing the setting that the characters find themselves in, then suddenly he switched paradigms and has a very good description of something. He does not stay consistent with his process. Lastly, this book suffers at times with the show me don't tell me syndrome. At times the author tries to convey his point by telling the reader what is going on instead of allowing the reader to `see' the scene.

In all my reviews I try to either recommend or not recommend others to read this book. This is hard for me to do with this book. While there are certainly things with this book that detract from it being a good book, I can also see where others may enjoy it. In the end I think this is a personal decision. If you are looking for a book that will kill some time and not force you to exert yourself in the least while you are reading it, this may be the book for you. If however, you like fantasy books with a few plot twists and more depth (both in characters and plot) this book may not be for you. At best this is a fair attempt at a fantasy book. I am still unsure if I will continue on with this series or not.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Something new, yet familiar., July 7, 2000

By	"zendora" (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

Everyone has had one at one point in their reading life. A dry spell. A point in which you have read everything by your favorite authors and none of them seems pressured to publish anything new.

That's what was happening when I found this book. I hate having to try out new authors, but desperate to quench my thirst I starting reading Angus Wells series. After a while I found myself wondering what was going to happen in the next chapter and actually skipping a few chapters ahead to see what happened with particular characters. This book and it's series is new but it gives off a familiar feel. The author has created strong likable characters and an interesting plot.

4.0 out of 5 stars A strong showing, January 3, 2009

By	Adam Irving (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

Another fantasy series by Angus Wells, Wrath of Ashar exhibits good storytelling and good pacing. The series is written before The Godwars trilogy, and I am happy to see Wells does not use many of the devices I found problematic in the Godwars books, or at least to nowhere near the extent. The cast of characters is small, if focused, and while veteran readers of fantasy fiction will not find many true surprises, the book is a nice enjoyable start nevertheless. My one real complaint is that the book has no map, forcing the reader to mentally map out exactly where everything is. The picture comes together eventually, but a lot of descriptive narrative could have been saved with a single beginning picture. As Wells has demonstrated elsewhere, his powers for description and scene setting are used excellently here. His fight sequences are also often strong. Beyond the regular palette of noble heroes and villains, there are also some charming roguish characters. Ultimately, Wrath of Ashar is an enjoyable and entertaining fantasy, if not as strong and complex as more recent author's works. Still, a strong showing for early 90s fantasy fiction.