The Temple at Landfall [Paperback]

In the Temple in the city of Fairfield, a young woman named Lynn does the important work of helping women reproduce. She is a sort of psychic DNA-knitting doctor/priest and is called an imprinter. Imprinters are chosen very young for their psychic abilities and are taken from the families to serve Celaeno, the great goddess of the people. Everything about Lynn's world is focused on prayer, imprinting, and the teachings of Celaeno. The imprinting skill she shares brings in a fortune in "offerings" (required by the Church) from eager women desperate for children.. There is no separation of Church and State; they are one and the same.

After a couple of decades of this mind-numbing, psychologically draining work, the book opens with Lynn in a state of depression. Once a month during a religious ritual on the steps of the Temple, she sees the outdoors. Otherwise, she is locked into the tomb-like environment of the Temple, never to have a lover, never to have freedom, never to know anything but a life of service. She is basically held captive, a prisoner of her own abilities-until the day Sister Smith, from the larger Temple in Landfall, appears and wrangles with the authorities to take the talented imprinter far away to a bigger, more powerful Temple. Lynn is excited to make the long journey during which, perhaps for the last time, she can enjoy the forests, the cool air at night, and the freedom to walk on the woodland paths and see the moon.

A squadron of Rangers, including Lt. Kimberly Ramon, is assigned to escort the Sisters and Lynn on the long journey over the mountains and to the south. And this is where the adventure begins. For the first time since childhood, Lynn is among real and interesting women, and she is quite taken with Ramon, who has her own secrets and griefs. "As much as anything, Lynn enjoyed the honest, open banter, although the jokes were frequently bawdy. To Lynn's mind they were fair less offensive than the conversation of the sisters; the intimidation by pious quotes, the political backstabbing disguised in religious platitudes. The soldiers spoke of a world Lynn would never know, but it didn't matter. Their stories were like breathing fresh air after years of choking in incense" (p. 76).

The soldiers are also brave, and when they are attacked on the journey, everything about the trip changes. Lynn's ability to envision herself as a free woman begins to grow. But can she shake free of the grip of the Church? How far will the powers-that-be go in order to keep her to themselves?

This fundamentalist society, operating based upon bits and pieces of lore, abridged history, inaccurate facts, and misguided good intentions, is all the more frightening because it is peopled only by women. In Fletcher's world of Celaeno, it's not men with the compulsion to render matters of life into simplistic and often bone-crushing black and white; women can be and are just as dangerous.

With rich, glorious prose, Jane Fletcher has created a spell-binding world and a variety of fascinating and multi-dimensional characters. The world is so compelling that I couldn't help but wish I could quite literally go there! Lynn's quest, as well as Kim Ramon's quest, make for exciting reading. At its heart, the book is an adventure/quest, but it is also a mystery. Who are these people? Where did they come from? What happened to the men, if, indeed, there ever were any? The back story of the previous 533 years is unraveled slowly, but surely, for the reader so that by the end of the book, all is revealed.

THE TEMPLE AT LANDFALL (which was originally published in England as THE WORLD CELAENO CHOSE) is absorbing and engrossing tale-telling of the highest order, and the really exciting thing is that although this novel is complete and "finished," the door is left open to explore more of this world, which the author has done in subsequent books. I can't wait to read the next Celaeno volumes, and this book is a keeper that I will re-read again and again. I highly recommend it. ~Lori L. Lake, MIdwest Book Review

There are two basic premises to fantasy storytelling. One: the possibilities are endless. Two: don't lose your audience. This book can be held up as the paradigm for all fantasy storytellers. Jane Fletcher creates an engaging central character in Lynn so well that a reader forgets the words and begins to experience the tale. Lynn has an extraordinary skill that is beautifully balanced by grounded, natural human feelings. Fletcher knows her craft and executes it well. Too often, writers attempt to hide their shortcomings with an excess of superflous words or a bombardment of technological wizardry. Fletcher has no need to employ such smoke and mirrors. She is a first class author with an enchanting imagination. I'm glad that this book was written and I'm definitely going to read Rangers at Roadsend and Wall at Westernfort.

I can't seem to put the books in this series down. Like many of you, I read a lot. I have run across many good books in the last several years, but most of those have been stand-alone stories that end when the last page is read. For the most part, I have not found many series that have held my attention from start to finish. However, the Celaeno series by Jane Fletcher has set its hooks in me and won't let go.

I bought these books when they were new releases by Bold Strokes Books. (Admittedly, with the exception of mystery series and anthologies, I buy all their new releases every month, even if I'm not SURE I'll like the stories - simply because I'm almost guaranteed a good book. Note: Not a plug for the publisher, but a personal opinion.) I'm not generally a fan of medieval settings, so the series sat on my `to be read' shelf until recently. I was so wrong to let them sit. The dates in the books are actually set far into the future instead of in Earth's past. `Temple' opens in the year 536, which is actually 536 years after futuristic Earth scientists got lost in space and decided to colonize this new planet. The current residents of the planet are not technologically advanced, but they do have their own special kind of magic. The entire human population is female because males could not participate in the act of reproduction, nor could they survive in the womb.

Here, Fletcher brings Lynn, an imprinter (necessary for reproduction) together with Kim, a Ranger. Imprinters are supposed to remain celibate to keep their reproductive `powers' but Lynn and Kim cannot resist the pull between them. The telling of their tale is as magnetic as their bond.

Note -- My only complaint is that I don't really know what the series order is. As far as I can tell, the series order is - `The Walls of Westernfort' then `Rangers at Roadsend' then `The Temple at Landfall' (originally published as `The World Celaeno Chose') then `Dynasty of Rogues' and finally `Shadow of the Knife.' The books open in the years 553, 533, 536, 561, and 519, respectively. [The first three listed were the first three published, in that order.] Except that the Amazon.com main heading says `Shadow' is Book 1 of the series (as it would seem to be based on the year in which it opens, but is not indicated anywhere in the book), these books are not numbered, nor are they chronological. That said, I have read the first three (in the order above) already and they all seem to be stand-alone stories. Each is enhanced by background information gained from each additional read, but they seem to be enjoyable when read in any order.

Bottom Line - Even if you think you might not like this kind of book, go grab a copy and give it a chance. I was not expecting to enjoy this series, but I can't seem to put it down. I'm even trying to read more slowly to make it last. Great author, great read!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 11 reviews  4.9 out of 5 stars