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164th out of 1,564 books
—
10,514 voters
Myrren's Gift (The Quickening #1)
by
Fiona McIntosh (Goodreads Author)
For the sake of an imperiled kingdom, the line between "traitor"and "savior" must blur . . . and vanish.
Though barely a teenager, Wyl Thirsk must now assume the role he has been destined for since birth: commander of the Morgravian army -- an awesome responsibility that calls him to the royal palace of the crown prince Celimus. Already a cruel despot who delights in the su...more
Though barely a teenager, Wyl Thirsk must now assume the role he has been destined for since birth: commander of the Morgravian army -- an awesome responsibility that calls him to the royal palace of the crown prince Celimus. Already a cruel despot who delights in the su...more
Paperback, 528 pages
Published
January 31st 2006
by Harper Voyager
(first published November 26th 2003)
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Typical fantasy novel, but two things made it worse for me (warning, spoilers):
1. The main character, Wyl, is born not handsome. However, he is treacherously betrayed and killed, but wait! The witch he had mercy on that was burning at the stake had secretly given him a power that he switches bodies with whoever kills him, so now he has a perfect, handsome body. Whatever happened to seeing the beauty within a person? Awful message.
2. At the end of the book, in the heat of the moment Wyl tries to...more
1. The main character, Wyl, is born not handsome. However, he is treacherously betrayed and killed, but wait! The witch he had mercy on that was burning at the stake had secretly given him a power that he switches bodies with whoever kills him, so now he has a perfect, handsome body. Whatever happened to seeing the beauty within a person? Awful message.
2. At the end of the book, in the heat of the moment Wyl tries to...more
This book is so bad that I started rewriting it before I even finished it. Which I have not yet. And have no intention of doing unless I run of material in the rewrite.
Have some reasons why I had to leave a public space while reading it because I thought I was going to scream/throw up. This books hits a level of misogyny that I wasn't aware was possible given the writer is a woman. There is a moment of rape apologism (rape apology?) that made me want to puke. There is a systematic and state-cond...more
Have some reasons why I had to leave a public space while reading it because I thought I was going to scream/throw up. This books hits a level of misogyny that I wasn't aware was possible given the writer is a woman. There is a moment of rape apologism (rape apology?) that made me want to puke. There is a systematic and state-cond...more
Nifty first outing from a fairly new author. The plotting is tightly paced and keeps railing along at fairly high speeds. McIntosh's use of magic in the story is subtle and suitably rare, keeping it mysterious and somewhat confounding to the characters, which is to the good. Some of the characters are somewhat stock, but the main villain is almost gleefully evil and unredeemable which actually works very well here. the character's a sadist and megalomaniac, instead of just being misunderstood, w...more
This was passed on by a relative along with the other two books in the series. Whether I'll read them is a matter of doubt. The characters felt a bit cardboard cut-out-y and Koreldy was becoming the only character I liked when she killed him off. Valentyna managed to become the most irritating character and McIntosh needs to stop writing romance until she learns there are other ways of falling in love than at first sight. Also if that dog isn't the manwitch person he spent the last bit of the b...more
This really was a buy a book buy its cover. I must have looked at this book so many times before i actually bought it and I probably based it on the fact that she was an Australian Author ( go figure). The first time I read it I was blown away by the details and the concept of the story. It was really the second time that I read the book that I began to enjoy the flow of the story lines. It really was quite an emotional rollercoaster for some of the main characters and the idea that a single per...more
The concept behind this series is an interesting one. Unfortunately, the execution is weak. The three-book plot relies on character stupidity to keep it going, and the prose reads like a Harlequin parody. I kept reading mainly to see how bad it could get.
Le Dernier Souffle est un livre surprenant: il commence très calmement avec peu d'actions et presque pas de rebondissements, la première moitié du roman ce lit assez lentement, puis l'histoire devient peu à peu de plus en plus saccadée et imprévisible. Le suspens monte graduellement au fil des pages au point qu'on lit les 100 dernières d'une traite et qu'on voudrait commencer le second tome sans faire de pause. J'avais peur en lisant les premières pages que l'histoire soit un peu commune, banale...more
I tried really hard to get through this book, but just couldn't! To be fair, I thought it showed a lot of promise at the beginning and set the scene really well. In fact, I was really excited about reading it after only a couple of chapters. Unfortunately it went downhill quite rapidly. It fell into way too many fantasy cliches, the protagonist was bland, and the level of (sometimes sickening) cruelty in the more violent scenes put me off. The twist of discovering what "Myrren's gift" actually w...more
I bought this from the "pay what you can" rack at my local library, though it had never been a library book. I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of the writing and the twists of the plot. There are two sequels, which I have ordered from Amazon and am looking forward to reading.
What I learned from this book is, if you had a good idea for a Fantasy novel say, 20 years ago, and you didn't write it, sooner or later someone else will come up with your major plot point...or something very s...more
What I learned from this book is, if you had a good idea for a Fantasy novel say, 20 years ago, and you didn't write it, sooner or later someone else will come up with your major plot point...or something very s...more
This series is seriously one of the most depressing series I have ever read. This series is not a masterpiece but is still interesting in its on ways. In this series anything that could go wrong did in a horrible way. If anything its interesting to read on just to see what else could go wrong. With how depressing this series is the brief moments of joy there are make them all the better. Even with all this I still thoroughly enjoyed this series although this isn't a series for everyone.
Wonderful fantasy! Characters and plot are executed perfectly and is overwhelmingly engaging to the reader. Certainly a "can't put down" book. Even in the midst of writing a thesis (as I am myself) I found it impossible to disengage from McIntosh's characters and story line. Truly wonderful fantasy, just as I like it. Political intrigue, selfishness, selflessness, strong female characters and overall a story one can get truly lost in! Wonderful!
Possibly my favourite series I have read thus far. An awe inspiring mature fantasy story. This and the rest of the trilogy are well crafted books which cater strongly to an adult audience, but are still very readable to a bit younger crowd. I really am not sure how to review these titles as it has been a number of years since I have read them. I can say I would highly recommend this series to anyone interested in fantasy books.
When an innocent young girl condemned for witchcraft is given the ability to wreak revenge on her murderers she has no idea how that will play out other than, to the man who grants her respect and mercy, she bestows a gift.
How and what the gift is is unknown until years later when he is about to meet his own end. Only then is the full power of Myrren's Gift unleashed.
I quite enjoyed this tale even if the plot is slightly contrived to better fit a story that is really a bit on the predictable sid...more
How and what the gift is is unknown until years later when he is about to meet his own end. Only then is the full power of Myrren's Gift unleashed.
I quite enjoyed this tale even if the plot is slightly contrived to better fit a story that is really a bit on the predictable sid...more
This book and the following two of the trilogy were fantastic. I had never read anything of Fiona McIntosh before and it has been a while since I had picked up a book I couldn't put down. I was like a crazy woman seeking out the second and third book the moment the first was finished. Since then I've lent my copies to friends who have also loved it. Totally engaging and many twists and turns.
Although I'm not too fond of fantasy, I liked this book. Only the end was a bit disappointing.
The first pages I kept turning. The fantasy world of the three countries and their kings, soldiers and women were described in a way that I believed in them. Sometimes the people were very naive, though, or even rather stupid.
Probably I'll read part two, if I can find it, and see how the characters will develop.
I read the book in Dutch, where it was called De Bezieling (Myrren's geschenk)
The first pages I kept turning. The fantasy world of the three countries and their kings, soldiers and women were described in a way that I believed in them. Sometimes the people were very naive, though, or even rather stupid.
Probably I'll read part two, if I can find it, and see how the characters will develop.
I read the book in Dutch, where it was called De Bezieling (Myrren's geschenk)
When Wyl Thirsk, recently General of the Legion after the death of his father, uncomfortably watches the torture of an alleged witch his kindness to her results in her gift to him. This gift will completely and unexpectedly alter his life as he is involved in the enmity of the new king towards him and his family and the political maneuvering of the neighboring countries.
A nice read. I liked the gift/curse thing. I thought the main character Wyl was a bit stupid in his decisions and choices and the characters were a bit two dimensional. Parts of the ending didn't feel right as if one of the characters underwent a complete personality change but all in all I liked the book. I'm certainly going to read the next installments in the quickening series.
Jun 28, 2011
Lowed
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
ALL FANTASY LUNATICS
Shelves:
books-read-2011
Just when I thought I had Fiona Mcintosh all figured out, she gives me this jaw-breaking twist that ended the life of one of my favorite characters- which in turn led to the throwing of the hardbound copy of this damn book!
Yeah yeah. I got over that part now.
But seriously, you thought Robin Hobb was cruel to her characters? Then you have not read McIntosh.
Yeah yeah. I got over that part now.
But seriously, you thought Robin Hobb was cruel to her characters? Then you have not read McIntosh.
I haven't read the trilogy in 2 or 3 years, but I still think about it to this day. Amazing detail and twists. Just when you think you've got McIntosh figured out, she throws you a twist that knocks you off of your horse, making you scramble to figure out what her new expectations. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good read and a good suspense.
Have done little but read for several days due to this book and it's sequel. I should be working, having coffee with friends, domestic stuff, checking emails etc but no I was reading. I do love the occasional fantasy book and these became my addiction. Now to see how long I can resist reading book three, as I should really talk to the family sometime.
finally - i have found another author i truly adore and i know that when i begin one of her books i will transported into another world, time, place, realm. What would fiona McIntosh be doing if she was sharing her gift with the world? she is an amazing writer and this series was fantastic i would highly recommend it to anyone.
In some respects, Myrren's Gift is an average fantasy romp with everything you'd expect in a fantasy novel; court intrigue, battles, magic, a bit of romance etc etc. At times it's just a little tedious because it feels like I've read all of this stuff before. Certain charters seem to lack depth, and perhaps also intelligence, and it is frustrating to watch said characters trying to solve problems when the answer is so, so obvious.
However, the book certainly isn't terrible. There are well writte...more
However, the book certainly isn't terrible. There are well writte...more
i loved this book i wanted to read the next one but my school need to order it so im stuck until it gets there although they have the 1st and the 3rd its strange that they dont have the 2nd but oh well its a must read if u love magic and battles and the stories that have heriones instead of heros
This is about the Quickening, a mysterious force that is bestowed upon the protagonist. This is the first book in the series. I didn't like that some of the characters you get to know and like in the book are killed off. I am not sure if I would bother reading the second in the series.
I quite like the idea behind this book. Some of the circumstances are quite unfortunate but make for a more interesting story. I find ms. McIntosh likes to have very emotionally filled stories where her characters go through all sorts of terrible things but it usually has a happy albeit sometimes bitter sweet ending. The quickening is no exception.
This has so much potential! It didn't meet it for me however as the writing was stilted and there was WAY too much unnecessary violence.
Such a pity - but alas I will put myself through reading the other 2 because my mum owns them and I may as well see where it goes.
Such a pity - but alas I will put myself through reading the other 2 because my mum owns them and I may as well see where it goes.
My first Fiona McIntosh book & I am hooked. Absolutely love the detailed description & breathtaking twists. If you do not consider yourself a fan of fantasy yet this book has been recommended to you, give it a whirl, I was in the same position & was to disappointed!
There's a difference between good writing and good storytelling. This book isn't going to be the next Lord of the Rings, but it was one of the best stories I've read in years. Easily in my top 5, anyone who enjoys fantasy will LOVE this book. I guarantee it.
Aug 03, 2011
Christel Mirassou
added it
Dans la famille : "j'ai plus que la poisse, mais je continue quand même", je demande le fils, le héro de l'histoire. Oui parce qu'il ne lui arrive que des malheurs à ce pauvre Wyl, ainsi qu'à toutes les personnes qu'il rencontre. Mais on finit par se dire que c'est son destin et on s'attache à lui très vite, comme on déteste aussi très vite le super méchant!! Ceci dit, passé quelques moments absolument horribles comme la description quasi réaliste d’une scène de torture, on se plaît à suivre les...more
This is a great book. Everyone that I have recommended this to has loved it. Fiona has a great way of keeping you on the edge of your seat and having to turn the next page. The other series are good but the Quickening series is by far the best of the bunch so far.
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Fiona writes best selling historical adventure-romance alongside the heroic-romantic, often brutal, fantasy she built her career upon. She lives in Australia but frequently roams the world meticulously researching the locations and gathering material for her historical novels that have international settings. Her books are published worldwide and in various languages.
Her most recent historical fi...more
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Feb 02, 2013 01:47am