Thirteen Orphans (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: earthly branches, thundering heaven, white opal, Auntie Pearl, Righteous Drum, Flying Claw (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lindskold (Through Wolf's Eyes) delivers an enjoyable but unremarkable series launch. Brenda Morris, an innocent quarter-Chinese college student, is abruptly thrust into the hidden world of the Thirteen Orphans, descendants of magicians who take the forms of Chinese zodiac animals and draw magic from the game of mah-jongg. Brenda fights valiantly against otherworld elements who seek to steal the Orphans' power, but indulges in a painfully juvenile crush on a killer who attacks her father. From a fascinating premise, the narrative stalls repeatedly under the weight of awkward exposition, explanation of magic and mah-jongg and analysis of offscreen events. Stiff, unrealistic dialogue interrupts crisp, clean narrative prose. The only sparkle comes from mysterious assassins Flying Claw and Righteous Drum. After this serviceable setup, readers will mostly hope for the interesting sequel promised by the abrupt conclusion. (Nov.)
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From School Library Journal

Adult/High School–Nineteen-year-old Brenda Morris lives a comfortable life bounded by a loving family, good friends, and her college studies. One summer night, though, after a young man dressed like a Chinese warrior attacks her father and uses magic to alter his memories, Brenda learns that she is descended from one of 13 nobles who fled another world to seek refuge on Earth. Now, after almost a century, the heirs of those exiles are under attack. Brenda joins with a handful of other descendants in a desperate attempt to save their heritage. Yet she also finds herself drawn to the attacker. Who is friend, and who is foe? Lindskold has created a convincing tale of a young woman entering adulthood, assuming responsibility for herself and for others, and making sometimes-wrenching decisions. Action is brisk in the first and last thirds of the book, while the middle concentrates on developing relationships between the characters and providing background information. The story is nevertheless an attention-grabber throughout. It ends with questions and conflicts still unresolved, while the unexpected arrival of a new character sets up the next book in what promises to be an engrossing series. Recommend this one to teens who enjoy urban fantasies by authors such as Charles de Lint, Jim Butcher, or Lilith Saintcrow.–Sandy Schmitz, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (November 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765317001
• ISBN-13: 978-0765317001
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #72,176 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fine Urban Magical Story, December 14, 2008

By	Sacramento Book Review "SacramentoBookReview.com" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

Besides the plot being interrupted by ungainly rules of the books magic and the game mah-jong, this book is an interesting urban fantasy read that should attract readers of Charles de Lint and Jim Butcher. Thirteen Orphans revolves around young college freshman, Brenda Morris, and her battles to help protect the Thirteen Orphans. Each orphan represents one of the Zodiac signs, with the cat thrown in for good measure. The orphans hid their power away in the game of mah-jong and promised to keep the world safe from the strife their powers had created. When their war from ages past comes to earth, the scattered Orphans must act fast if they are to safe the ones they love and their own throats.

Jane Lindskold created many likable characters to represent the Orphans, like the Rooster, who is skilled at his magic but has never had the chance to prove his prowess in combat, and the Dog, a former soldier that never knew he would be expected to learn, harness and use the magic his ancestors had bestowed on him. Brenda's father was the Rat, and she discovers that she has some of his powers. With the help of the remaining Orphans, Brenda must help to fight otherworldly powers to protect the Orphans. Although unremarkable, this book is sure to please any urban fantasy lover.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting if rather pedantic, October 6, 2009

By	DragonRock LTD "DragonRock LTD" (Richardson, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thirteen Orphans (Mass Market Paperback)

The major failing of this book is that the action to fact dump ratio is really low. Not enough action, way to much fact dump. For the first 100 pages basically all you get is the "Beep Beep Beep" of the dump truck unloading on you. It is done in character at least, since Brenda (the main character) knows nothing about the magical world the other characters can reasonably lecture her about it. But I did start wishing they would get on with it (as does one of the characters about half way through the book. The author should have listened to the Dog and gotten on with it faster).
I really like the idea of using the mahjong limit hands to encode spells but the introduction to the game in the book gets old fast if you know anything about how to play. Hopefully now that the world has been set up, book two will have more action. I did enjoy the book, I just didn't find it fabulous.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars fascinating coming of age urban fantasy , November 11, 2008

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

One-fourth Chinese-American, South Carolina resident Brenda Morris is attending college as a freshman when her world turns upside down staring with a father-daughter weekend that makes no sense to her especially when he leaves her with her Aunt Pearl in California. She suddenly finds herself caught in the middle of the mystical hidden realm of the Thirteen Orphans. These mages use mah-jongg as their power source and can shape shift into the animals of the Chinese zodiac; her aunt is the Tiger.

Although her preference is to not get involved, Brenda courageously battles against deadly otherworldly foes when just a few days ago she would scoff at their existence. The odds are against her side as the original thirteen is down to a few, struggling she finds herself attracted to a predator who tried to kill her father Gaharis. Still refusing to quit, Brenda continues to fight against experienced more powerful adversaries while her veteran allies are being eliminated.

This opening urban fantasy is a fascinating coming of age tale that uses the Chinese Zodiac as the focus of magic. Like most first acts, the emphasis is on setting up the world even when the prime real estate is Northern California. Thus the plot is slowed down so that the rules of magic and mah-jongg are explained. Still fans will enjoy THIRTEEN ORPHANS as the college frosh soon goes from worrying when she will stop growing taller and turn curvier to staying alive.

Harriet Klausner