- Hardcover: 336 pages
- Publisher: Tor Books; First Edition edition (May 17 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0312878877
- ISBN-13: 978-0312878870
- Product Dimensions: 25 x 15.7 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 603 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,721,237 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
In the wake of the successful movie adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, bookstores have been flooded with new high fantasy. Much of it is derivative and badly written; some is well written and singular. Among the rare and glorious successes is Laurie J. Marks's Fire Logic, an original, skillfully written, powerfully imagined novel of war and intrigue, a high fantasy that owes little to Tolkien's trilogy, though both are intelligent, adult works that may also be enjoyed by younger readers.
In the world of Fire Logic, the rare individuals born with magic talent are known as elementals, because they possess the power of fire, earth, air, or water. The fire elemental Emil is a Paladin, a Shaftali soldier-scholar who is about to embark on his most desired studies when the invading Sainnites capture the capitol and kill the wizard ruler, leaving no heir; now Emil must become a war commander in the remnants of the Shaftali army. Another fire elemental, Zanja na'Tarwein, is the Ashawala'i Speaker, but she cannot convince her own people of the full danger of the Sainnites. Karis, a half-giant blacksmith, has tremendous earth powers that might defeat the Sainnites--if she weren't addicted to a potent, deadly drug that steals her will. Her guardian, Norina the Truthken, is an air elemental able to see through any lie, yet she is blind to dangerous truths about both her half-giant charge and Paladin treachery. --Cynthia Ward
From Publishers Weekly
The use of magic to combat war has been used to drive fantasy plots since the genre began some with tepid results, and some, as in this case, with compelling effectiveness. In her first novel since Dancing Jack (1993), Marks has created a work filled with an intelligence that zings off the page. The land of Shaftal, occupied by the nasty Sainnites, has just lost its Earth witch ruler and, in doing so, has seemingly lost the magic that the witch held. What follows is bitter guerilla warfare. Into this war comes Zanja na'Tarwein, speaker for the people of the Ashawala'i, a woman who holds the power of elemental fire. What was not her war suddenly becomes personal when the Sainnites turn on her people and obliterate them in one night's battle. As sole survivor, Zanja becomes a resistance fighter, aiding the Shaftali with her premonitions (the gift of fire elementals) and her determination to survive. Zanja is not alone in her quest she becomes friends with other magicians who play vital parts in the war effort: Emil Paladin, a fire elemental; Norina Truthken, an air elemental and a reader of truth; the seer Medric, whose magic may be fire; and the mage Karis, whose very life is a puzzle. It's a neat trick to make the main character die (mostly) and then be "reborn," but it takes an author who can manipulate emotions skillfully to do it more than once. This beautifully written novel avoids the holes in logic typical of most stories of this nature and includes enough blood and adventure to satisfy the most quest-driven readers.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
In the border regions of northern Shaftal, the peaks of the mountains loom over hardscrabble farmholds. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
In the border regions of northern Shaftal, the peaks of the mountains loom over hardscrabble farmholds. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
AN INTERESTING IF UNEXCEPTIONAL STORY,
By
This review is from: Fire Logic (Hardcover)
Mix a little magic with a pinch of politics, add a healthy dose of invasion and guerilla warfare, flavor it with a dash of romantic involvement and you get FIRE LOGIC. The four elements, fire, water, air and earth infuse magic in certain people giving them supernatural powers in the land of Shaftal, but Shaftal has been invaded and is being occupied by a brutal oppressor. FIRE LOGIC is the first book in a series that deals with the lands wounds and the subsequent attempts to heal them.The characters are strong and fairly well developed but to be honest not particularly diverse. Almost all the primary female characters are extremely masculine (...). Of course most of the male characters are effeminate and gay, except one who is masculine, and gay. In fact one must wonder just how there are any little Shaftaler's running around at all, the concept of heterosexual romance seems to be totally unheard of in this world. Well if you're interested in that type of romance then I suppose you will find FIRE LOGIC entertaining. For those of us who find it rather uninteresting it is merely dull. The plot itself is decent. It's not the type that grabs you and won't let you put the book down from beginning to end, but it's good enough to keep you interested and maybe even look forward to the next volume. Average, professionally done work. Good enough to be RECOMMENDED but don't think you'll be reading the next great American novel.
4.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent tale,
By Muneraven "muneraven" (Saint Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Fire Logic (Hardcover)
Many fantasy books have good ideas but are poorly written. Others are well-written but bring nothing new to the table. THIS book has characters that are fresh and interesting, scenes that are emotionally strong without being overwrought, and the story kept me reading straight through.What I liked best: Compelling characters that seemed real and unique to me, antagonists who had real reasons (in their own minds) for doing bad things, and several sweet twists in the plot that kept me reading. Aspects I wish were better: Not enough description in some spots so that I didn't feel I was fully SEEING the world of the book. Also, violence that got a bit repetitive. I mean, torture loses its impact if a character gets hurt and healed repeatedly . . . All in all, though this was a great book, and I will be reading all Ms. Marks previous books and her future ones as well. Well worth buying in hardcover, as this is one you will loan out to friends. :-) Mine is already loaned out.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fire Logic,
By
This review is from: Fire Logic (Hardcover)
The G'deon who ruled Shaftal died, without an heir. Thus Shaftal had been thrown into turmoil and the Sainnites began invading. The Shaftali created a guerrilla army to withstand the Sainnites, but slowly they began to lose. Emil was a Paladin and of fire blood. Zanja was the Speaker for people, also of fire blood. Norina was a Truthken and an air elemental. Karis was a giant, worked as a metalsmith, and an earth witch. These four souls would be called upon by Fate to determine the course of their people. **** The story followed Zanja as she and the others dealt with war, torture, honor, politics, betrayal, lots of courage, and a bit of friendship. There were parts that left me breathless. Often reality intruded upon my reading and I found myself eager to return to this magical world as quickly as possible. Author Laurie J. Marks proves her talent for creating realistic characters and awesome plots! Recommended! ****
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