Freedom's Apprentice: Book Two of the Dead Rivers Trilogy (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: spell chain, soul stone, sorcer ess, Fair One, Sisterhood of Weavers, Temple of Athena (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Blades swing and arrows fly in the action-packed second installment in Kritzer's Dead Rivers trilogy (after Freedom's Gate), set in an exotic ancient world that resembles Alexander the Great's Persian empire, except for its genies, flying chariots, "spell stone" necklaces and other magical accoutrements. In the previous book, young military aide Lauria, who tracked escaped slaves and spied for Kyros (a commander of the conquering alliance of Greek military forces and sorceresses), secretly switched her allegiance to the feared Alashi rebels, but was cast out by the steppe tribes when her previous loyalties were revealed. Now she and her formerly enslaved blood-sister, Tamar, seek to free the slaves Lauria once returned to captivity and, hopefully, regain the Alashis' trust. The tale's special strength lies in its psychological twists; the stealth missions require the heroines to free captives' minds from enslavement before even attempting physical rescues, and the resulting uncertain fine lines between friend and foe give this story considerably more depth, complexity and suspense than most sword-and-sorcery plots. (May)
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Review

"Action-packed.... The tale’s special strength lies in its psychological twists ...[the] uncertain fine lines between friend and foe give this story considerably more depth, complexity and suspense than most sword-and-sorcery plots."--Publishers weekly


From the Paperback edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Spectra (April 26, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553586742
• ISBN-13: 978-0553586749
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #990,851 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Darned good follow-up; I can't wait for the final book, May 17, 2005

By	Esther Schindler (Scottsdale, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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The middle book in any trilogy is always problematical. The author has to make the situation worse-and-worse for the protagonist, yet move the story forward. Yet, very little can be resolved, because there's a Book 3 to follow.

Kritzer does a great job. In the first book of this trilogy (don't even think of skipping it; you'd be lost), Lauria re-thought her role in the world. Instead of doing whatever Kyros wanted (in particular, catching slaves and returning them to their owners), she joined a peculiar rebellion, and earned a sense of purpose. (I won't say more, in case you didn't finish Freedom's Gate yet.)

In Freedom's Apprentice, Lauria aims to free all the slaves she'd previously recaptured, as atonement for her previous actions. As she travels around her world -- joined by her blood-sister Tamar -- she learns more about the nature of magic, what it takes to control it, and sets an even larger goal.

Oh dear, that sounds like the vague "back of the book" text, but I'm trying to avoid spoilers. The bottom line is that this second book is at least as good as the first; the author makes her world and her people believeable; and this tale is a fine place in which to lose yourself for a few hours. Recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars terrific alternate history fantasy, April 27, 2005

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

After Alexander dies, the Empire went into a decline until Penelope the first weaver learned how to control the djinn. Using their magic, they reconquered the countries that broke away from the empire, most learned to live with the Greeks as their rulers. Lauria, a free woman in service to Kyros the commander of the military garrison in Elpisia, as part of her job brings back runaway slaves who find refuge with the Alashi, a nomadic warrior group who remain free of Greek rule.

After infiltrating the Alashi, Lauria sees how wrong she was to return runaway slaves and vows to free them from their masters. A runaway slave recognizes Lauria and exposes her deception. The Alashi exile her leaving her with no home but even more determined to free the slaves she captured. With her friend Tamar who accompanies her on her quest, the two women free the slaves who are scattered all over the empire. Both women know if they are caught, the penalty for their crimes is a tortuous death.

This is the second book of THE DEAD RIVERS trilogy but it can stand alone because the storyline doesn't rely on the first book FREEDOM'S GATE. The use of djinn in the political and military arena is taken for granted and people see magic in their everyday life as something normal and natural. There is plenty of action in FREEDOM'S APPRENTICE as the heroine undoes the harm she caused to the runaway slaves. Some of the method she uses to find and free the slave are ingenious and will win her the admiration of the audience. Naomi Kritzer's world where the Greek Empire never fell and is the ruler of most of the known world is exciting and believable

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better Than "Turning the Storm", June 23, 2006

By	Rebecca Minelga "KittyWings01" (Everett, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After reading "Turning the Storm" I was disappointed in most of the reviewer's opinions. In short, I didn't like it at all. So, I was very skeptical about picking this sequel up. However, "Freedom's Gate" had me hooked and I pledged to give this one a try. I am so glad I did! Where "Turning the Storm" was frenetic and unfocussed, I found "Freedom's Apprentice" to be a well-considered, carefully produced story. Unlike Kritzer's previous sequel, this one had a direct goal in mind, the freeing of the five slaves Lauria had previously tracked down, and it also allowed for a lot of variation in scene and character development without seeming lost and confused. As a writer matures in experience, I am convinced her work becomes fuller and more matured, as well. This is definitely the case here. I can't wait to read #3!