For the first real post here, I'm actually reviewing four books. The four are published as a quartet, which, I feel, let's me get away with grouping them in this way. Besides that, once you read them (as, no doubt you will absolutely be doing on my say so), you will understand why I was hesitant to divide them.
And so I present for your perusal and enjoyment, The Song of the Lioness by Tamora Pierce.
The quartet follows the story of Alanna of Trebond, a girl who longs for adventure and glory rather than the quiet life of a noble girl. In her own impetuous way, she proposes a trade with her identical twin brother, Thom: She will disguise herself as a boy and go to the palace to learn to become a knight and he can go to the City of the Gods and learn the magic he's always been so keen on. Thom agrees, and within a few pages, Alanna--now called Alan--is off on a quest that no woman has attempted for generations.
The first novel of the four, quite aptly called, Alanna: The First Adventure, follows Alanna from the inception of her plan through her first four years as a page in the royal palace of Tortall. There, she makes her own place in the social hierarchy as the smallest, most relentless page.
Though she makes friends with a diverse cast of characters (George, the King of Thieves, Myles of Olau, the court drunk and the crown prince are her particular favorites), she also makes enemies. Ralon of Malven, a suitably nasty foe who takes an instant dislike to Alanna, proves a thorn in her side throughout her time at court. He plays pranks, starts fights, and takes pleasure in setting fire to the young Trebond's prodigious temper. Ralon also proves the impetus for Alanna to improve her swordplay and to think creatively. Then there's Duke Roger. Prince Jonathan's cousin is a charming man, well-liked by nearly all and a powerful sorcerer. Alanna dislikes him immediately, though she can't quite put a finger on why. Still, she has more important things to worry about--like the everyday trials and tribulations of being a maturing girl with growing chest and monthly irritation--let alone masquerading as a boy, so she keeps her reservations about Roger to herself, watching from the wings and doing her best to be the most memorable page the palace has ever seen.
This first book stands on its own as a charming introduction to the world of Tortall. While some of the images are fairly standard fantasy tropes, it is the characters that make this book memorable. Alanna is at once amusing and relatable and the supporting characters lend color and depth to the story. It is mature enough to capture the imaginations of readers already into their teens and approachable enough for slightly younger readers. I first read it when I was eleven, my younger sister when she was eight. Both of us found that as we read it again, later on, we found new aspects of the story that were applicable. Every time, though, it left us thirsting for more.
The second book of the four, In the Hand of the Goddess, chronicles the four years Alanna spends
as a squire to Prince Jonathan. Now a teenager with all the hormones and idiosyncrasies that come with it, this book is as much about Alanna's development as a person as it is about protecting Jonathan from the mysterious sorcerer bent on his destruction.At the beginning of the novel, Jonathan is one of only a few who know that Alanna's actually a girl. He is also her best friend and her most staunch ally. As war breaks out between Tortall and neighboring Tusaine, it becomes increasingly clear that whoever is after Jonathan is equally set on destroying Alanna. The king places Duke Roger in command and for weeks, it seems he is deliberately baiting his younger cousin: placing him far from the battlefield with a garrison of soldiers doing little more than sharpening weapons and polishing mail. The king's edict--that they defend only the left bank of the river that separates the valley, rather than pressing Tusaine's soldiers back to their own border--further hinders the Tortallan army.
Things escalate after the war, though Alanna's troubles are based more in the realm of love than the skills she's acquired as a warrior. At nearly sixteen, she's as confused as ever about love. It doesn't help that she's being courted by two very different men! She's also sought help from George's mother, Mistress Cooper, to teach her how to be a proper lady--dressing, curtsying, dancing, the lot. As a page, she's been taught proper men's behavior. When she reveals her sex after earning her shield, Alanna reasons, she will be expected to comport herself as a lady as much as a knight, so she sets about learning the second set of court manners.
Still, someone is after the royal family. When the queen falls ill, Alanna ventures her theory with Myles, who admits his own misgivings about a certain noble gentleman. Learning to skate with Jonathan and a few of their friends, Alanna falls through a weakened patch. Later she learns that someone had salted the area she'd fallen through. Occurrence after occurrence lend weight to Alanna's suspicions. It is only after her Ordeal of Knighthood that the villain is revealed and Alanna proves herself worthy of the shield she's spent eight years trying to win.
Tired of snow (and more importantly, being cold), The Woman Who Rides Like a Man opens with Alanna and her family bondsman, Coram, in the Great Southern Desert, travelling from oasis to oasis in search of an adventure fitting a knight while tempers at Court cool off.
After spending the first two novels fighting for the singular goal of becoming the first female knight in more than a generation, the third novel really begs the question--what's next? The obligatory plot tying Alanna back to Court and capitol politics act more as a vehicle to the underlying plot of the story, the one in which Alanna decides who she is going to be on her own terms. Adopted into a clan of desert tribesman after she kills their shaman in a magical duel, Alanna is forced to act as teacher rather than student for the first time. With that comes its successes and its pitfalls. She must learn to interact with Jon not as Knight to Squire but as lovers, and there's always George and his affection to be dealt with.
In the meantime, George is fighting his own battles against a shadowy man who's after his crown. Thom is up to something in the City of the Gods that drains Alanna's Gift and the magic of many others besides. It seems there is to be no rest for the lady knight, but then again, those who have the gods meddling in their lives rarely get to rest.
The final act of the quartet is the longest book of the four, coming in at just over 300 pages. It is also book that solidifies Alanna's reputation in Tortall from curiosity to legendary. Named for the device on her shield, Lioness Rampant follows Alanna as she begins her biggest adventure y
et. The Dominion Jewel, with the power to move the earth and harness unspeakable magics has been lost somewhere in the mysterious Roof of the World. With the old king and queen gone, Jonathan is about to take an unsteady throne. The king's death was suspicious and to many of the citizens of Tortall, Jonathan is just too young and inexperienced to take his birthright.Using an old map given to her by Myles, Alanna learns the location of the Dominion Jewel and decides that it could help Jon stabilize his position in Tortall and give her own reputation a sense of legitimacy. With Coram, the legendary warrior the Shang Dragon, and her ever-present pet Faithful in tow, Alanna heads east. On her way she encounters a princess fleeing a vicious civil war and her young bodyguard and a gaggle of child refugees, but that's only the beginning. Over the course of the story, she faces down gods, elementals, foreign knights, traitors, George's shadowy foe and his agents, a lover afraid of her magic, sorcerers and an old enemy returned. In the end, though, it's all in the course of duty of the Lioness who finally discovers who she is and where she truly belongs.
The Song of the Lioness captures the spirit of traditional high fantasy without the ego that comes associated with similar works. Tortall and its world is as much a character in the story as it is a location, and so rich and vividly fleshed out that it leaves the reader wishing for a sojourn, however brief, within her borders. As the original Shero, Alanna sets opens this world to the reader in a way that is almost painfully real: she earns her glory and feels every nick and bruise along the way. There is enough romance to keep the story real and enough action to provide respite from the confusion such emotions inevitably bring.
This quartet is ideal for readers making the transition from young adult to adult fiction, boys and girls alike. It provides a strong heroine, brilliant supporting characters and plots that are straightforward without being overly simplistic. While there is a great deal of violence and a fair amount of sex in the books, the topics are portrayed as merely another part of life without being lewd or tasteless. They make a wonderful gift and a great summer read that will almost certainly be leaving readers hungry for more!
(For more information about Alanna or other books about Tortall, head to author Tamora Pierce's site at: www.tamorapierce.com. The Song of the Lioness is available at most bookstores and on amazon.com from Random House, Inc.)
