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184th out of 2,148 books
—
5,605 voters
Mystic and Rider (Twelve Houses #1)
by
Sharon Shinn
Gillengaria seethes with unrest. In the south, hostility toward magic and its users has risen to a dangerous level, though King Baryn has ordered that such mystics are to be tolerated. It is whispered that he issued the decree because his new wife used her magic powers to ensnare him… The King knows there are those in the noble Twelve Houses who could use this growing diss...more
Mass Market Paperback, 432 pages
Published
February 28th 2006
by Ace
(first published March 1st 2005)
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Mystic and Rider is about three mystics and two King's Riders out on a mission. In their world mystics are what they call people with magical abilities. The three on this mission are a mysterious woman named Senneth, a highborn lady named Kirra, and Kirra's servant Donnal. Senneth intended to go on her quest alone but the king ordered her to have two of his King's Riders guard her on her quest. The two chosen were a young Rider named Justin, and a battle hardened man named Tayse. Neither of thes...more
I'm giving this book a relatively low score because this first one struck me as a rather generic Sword and Sorcery. The backdrop is faux pseudo-European. The King's Riders reminded me of Lackey's Heralds (albeit without the magical trappings) and as for the dilemma of the mystics? I can't agree with the reviewer who wrote that fantasy don't commonly tackle social intolerance, particularly paired with religious fanaticism. Such themes are common, particularly when dealing with magic users. The hi...more
Feb 22, 2013
Bt
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
*shrug*
Recommended to Bt by:
Liked "Summers at Castle Auburn"
I gave up on this book about halfway through. I felt bad because the book wasn't bad or anything. It was just... unremarkable. At the end of each chapter, I'd wonder whether to plow through one more or go start an interesting book.
There was practically no plot to speak of. I only started the book last night, but already, I don't remember what exactly the group's mission was supposed to be. Whatever it was, they seem more concerned with their own agenda than with gathering reports or anything fo...more
There was practically no plot to speak of. I only started the book last night, but already, I don't remember what exactly the group's mission was supposed to be. Whatever it was, they seem more concerned with their own agenda than with gathering reports or anything fo...more
Dear sweet lord I loved this book.
I have a hard time getting into a lot of fantasy. It can just seem so, well, silly. You know, like the book you don't want to admit you're reading because you're worried you only like it because it's secretly just a bodice-ripper romance that happens to have dragons and magic... which themselves can make you believe that what you're reading isn't really reading as much as it is wishing you were Harry Potter...
Anyway, I find that in addition to the above anxieti...more
I have a hard time getting into a lot of fantasy. It can just seem so, well, silly. You know, like the book you don't want to admit you're reading because you're worried you only like it because it's secretly just a bodice-ripper romance that happens to have dragons and magic... which themselves can make you believe that what you're reading isn't really reading as much as it is wishing you were Harry Potter...
Anyway, I find that in addition to the above anxieti...more
An engaging novel that is more a slice-of-life (or as Le Guin would say, a carrier bag) sort of story about a collection of adventurers roving a fantasy landscape -- which is uncommon for such otherwise typical fantasy fare (mages and rangers on a secret mission for their king, falling in love/finding themselves).
With this book just setting the stage for a whole series, there is consequently no closure on the political/cultural issue that dominates the 400+ page book; we don't even find out if...more
With this book just setting the stage for a whole series, there is consequently no closure on the political/cultural issue that dominates the 400+ page book; we don't even find out if...more
She loved nothing so much as fire, variegated as autumn and leaping with an uncontainable vitality. To her it was the source of all beauty, all power, all creativity, all destruction. 17
After they’d cleaned up the meal, they all just sat there, by common consent unwilling to seek bedrolls and the nightmares that might come with sleep. 33
People should have someone to mourn them, when they die, someone should be sad. 33
Existing without any pride, what a terrible way to live. 64
She liked the dee...more
6 likes · like · see review
In a world where magic and magic users (called Mystics) are feared and hated in the South and tolerated at the king’s order in the North. The king sends a mixed group of Mystics and Riders (the king’s martial / trusted representatives) to investigate the rumors of trouble in the south. Leading the party is Senneth the friendly, unknown, and strongly powerful Mystic; not an easy task when even the King’s Riders do not trust Mystics.
The book is a fairly light hearted considering the serious natur...more
The book is a fairly light hearted considering the serious natur...more
3 likes · like · see review
I have a weak spot for shero fantasy fiction. Long post-liberation, we females have so much to fight. A still male-dominated system; women who try to succeed by acting like a man and hurting the rest of us, directly through management or indirectly through association; our bodies which are ever changing, ever coming up with new betrayals; raising children, keeping a job, dealing with a spouse or worse yet, dating. Then there are bills, fashion, car troubles, taxes, politics, global warming, worl...more
2 likes · like · see review
Mystic and Rider is unusual epic fantasy. It's written by a woman!
It has quite an interesting protagonist(Senneth; Tayse doesn't count); very cool first chapter; solid plotting, very good setting, quite a fluid narrative all in all. Generally quite engaging reading, especially with Senneth in the lead role.
Unfortunately, Senneth is the ONLY character that is interesting enough to be very likable. The others are bland, often indistinguishable, and quite forgettable. Although the narrative is usua...more
It has quite an interesting protagonist(Senneth; Tayse doesn't count); very cool first chapter; solid plotting, very good setting, quite a fluid narrative all in all. Generally quite engaging reading, especially with Senneth in the lead role.
Unfortunately, Senneth is the ONLY character that is interesting enough to be very likable. The others are bland, often indistinguishable, and quite forgettable. Although the narrative is usua...more
Mystic and Rider is the first installment in a fairly standard long-arc wars-and-thrones fantasy series by Sharon Shinn. A group of three mystics (gelfling! :) no, they're magicians that can shapeshift and control the elements) and two Riders (particularly loyal king's soldiers) set out on a mission to take the pulse of unrest and rumors away from the king's capital city. This first novel of the series describes what they find.
Shinn avoids the worst of epic fantasy's conventions. They only pick...more
Shinn avoids the worst of epic fantasy's conventions. They only pick...more
I didn't intend to read this book. I went to the library to find Archangel, because I love it and wanted to read it again, and found Mystic and Rider on the shelf next to it. I checked it out on a whim, and thoroughly enjoyed it.
While not as good as Archangel, it's still quite good. The setting is nothing special--certainly not as original as Samaria--but it is solid. The plot, probably the book's weakest point, is simplistic, bordering even on boring. It is the characters that really makes Myst...more
While not as good as Archangel, it's still quite good. The setting is nothing special--certainly not as original as Samaria--but it is solid. The plot, probably the book's weakest point, is simplistic, bordering even on boring. It is the characters that really makes Myst...more
This book was a very easy read, with a simple style and a fairly straightforward plot, and that's exactly what I needed after some of the recent...more eyerolling...fantasy novels I've had to hand recently. Shinn doesn't take herself too seriously, and peoples her world with decent characters and a seemingly solid structural underpinning to the society those characters inhabit.
It does suffer from some elements of predictability, particularly Surprise Twists at the end that were seen a long ways...more
It does suffer from some elements of predictability, particularly Surprise Twists at the end that were seen a long ways...more
1 like · like · see review
This book is more deserving of a 3.5 than a 3. The story is enjoyable and the characters, while not always fully developed, believable and fun.
A group of 5 riders is sent by the king to find any signs of restlessness in his kingdom. The problem, 3 of them are mystics (magic users) and there is a growing hatred of all magic users. Early in the story a 4th mystic joins the group and later a wild and very dangerous cat.
The author does a fairly decent and believable job of describing the political...more
A group of 5 riders is sent by the king to find any signs of restlessness in his kingdom. The problem, 3 of them are mystics (magic users) and there is a growing hatred of all magic users. Early in the story a 4th mystic joins the group and later a wild and very dangerous cat.
The author does a fairly decent and believable job of describing the political...more
Jul 24, 2011
Kiersten
added it
A fabulous novel. I read and enjoyed several of Shinn's books for teens, and I came across this at a nonlocal library and pounced on the chance to read it—and loved it.
I really liked Shinn's choice to start off the prologue from the viewpoint of a character who was neither a hero nor villain nor random passerby—intrigue, oolala! Even if he never returns to the story, it added an extra level of depth to the universe without seeming totally arbitrary or unnecessary.
The plot, even with only very va...more
I really liked Shinn's choice to start off the prologue from the viewpoint of a character who was neither a hero nor villain nor random passerby—intrigue, oolala! Even if he never returns to the story, it added an extra level of depth to the universe without seeming totally arbitrary or unnecessary.
The plot, even with only very va...more
Jan 03, 2011
Kenya Wright
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like boring fantasy books!
I stopped at chapter 6. I just don't have the time to read books that are not interesting after six chapters. The characters didn't interest me at all. Perhaps if the author would have stayed on one view or had the characters doing more in the earlier chapters it would have kept my interest. The first chapter was outstanding and I was drawn in the book.... and then it began to drag! Yeah Yeah mystics are mistrusted... Yeah Yeah Senneth is "mysterious"... Then the houses' names... what was the au...more
I actually read the 3rd in this series first because it was the only book by this author that our library had when I decided to read something of Shinn's. I liked it so well that I immediately got on line and ordered the first 2. This is the 1st in the series. For me it was a real page turner and until I finally finished it I had several very late nights staying up loathe to put it down. The book takes place in the time of kings, horses are the main means of transport. The King has his Riders wh...more
YAY!! What a great ending! And it was great because if you know me, you'll know that I'm a romantic at heart so anything that is even slightly romantic makes me want to *swoooooon*. And since the ending was slightly swoony, I LIKED IT!
The story centers on five individuals who are commanded by the king to travel through the lands and find out what is going on in the kingdom and if rumors of rebellion are true. Three of the individuals have magical powers and two of them are Kings Riders, the mos...more
The story centers on five individuals who are commanded by the king to travel through the lands and find out what is going on in the kingdom and if rumors of rebellion are true. Three of the individuals have magical powers and two of them are Kings Riders, the mos...more
I found this book rather hard to rate. On one side, I absolutely loved all the characters. On the other hand, there was really nothing exciting about this book. The characters travelled, made camp, went to a hotel and ate, travelled, made camp, went to a camp and ate, and again and again and again. Honestly, Shinn could have cut off about 300 pages of th book due to those reasons. When excitement started to happen, and let me tell you it didn't happen all that often, it sort of lacked the umph i...more
I really like Sharon Shinn. I've yet to read anything by her that didn't appeal to me, this book included. What I think appeals to me so much is that although the setting is clearly magical and out of this world, the characters are not. They live and breath.
They also keep you on your toes. I kept expecting one thing from a character and getting another. This was especially true of Justin. At the beginning I was sure he was going to turn out to be the villian but the way his character played out...more
They also keep you on your toes. I kept expecting one thing from a character and getting another. This was especially true of Justin. At the beginning I was sure he was going to turn out to be the villian but the way his character played out...more
* World-building - FOUR STARS.
Not particularly original, but realistic, with concrete details. I was able to easily visualize and follow along their journey in my mind's eye.
* Plot, characterization, etc. - TWO and a HALF STARS.
Clunky prose, torturous dialogue. Weak characterization of everyone except Senneth and Tayse -- the two main characters who were appropriately complex and interesting enough to carry the story. However, I appreciated that there are no helpless characters that needs freque...more
Not particularly original, but realistic, with concrete details. I was able to easily visualize and follow along their journey in my mind's eye.
* Plot, characterization, etc. - TWO and a HALF STARS.
Clunky prose, torturous dialogue. Weak characterization of everyone except Senneth and Tayse -- the two main characters who were appropriately complex and interesting enough to carry the story. However, I appreciated that there are no helpless characters that needs freque...more
I read this series completely out of order, but as far as character development goes, it changes little. The relationships are believable and easy to figure out. Further on in the series though, if you read them out of order, they give away the ending of the book before, so it's best to read them in order.
This is a series set in a mythical land with Twelve Houses ruled by a king or queen. There are people in the kingdom with special powers known as mystics. As the book opens, we see mystics bein...more
This is a series set in a mythical land with Twelve Houses ruled by a king or queen. There are people in the kingdom with special powers known as mystics. As the book opens, we see mystics bein...more
Like most book lovers, I read at least a little every day. I'm a believer that "life is too short to read bad books," and I hope that every book I read will be a winner. But there are times when I want a sure thing. Like maybe on a special occasion or on a trip where I don't have my backup bookcase handy. For me, a sure thing is Sharon Shinn. Wonderful world building. Characters you'd like to know. And some you despise, but not because they weren't real. Romance, intrigue, action.
This is the fi...more
This is the fi...more
This book was pretty good, though I think I would have liked it better had I not read it right after an amazing book. Six companions set out on a quest to seek information on a stirring war.
I found this book rather slow. It was a lot of journeying, and Sharon Shinn did really well on that part, I've definitely read a lot worse. There were quite a few plot twists, politics, and magic, but some of it was kind of confusing and after something theoretical was said everyone seemed to take it as truth...more
I found this book rather slow. It was a lot of journeying, and Sharon Shinn did really well on that part, I've definitely read a lot worse. There were quite a few plot twists, politics, and magic, but some of it was kind of confusing and after something theoretical was said everyone seemed to take it as truth...more
Absolutely loved this book. It's full of adventure, fast-paced, and has a lovely romance threaded through the story. Shinn has constructed a magical world full of political intrigue and complex characters. The protagonists are Senneth, a mystic with the ability to control fire, and Tayse, a member of the king's guard who is driven by honor and duty. I'd be happy to spend thousands of pages with these two, who grow to trust and love each other as they face dangers on the road and discover somethi...more
I began the series by reading the second book "The Thirteenth House". This sort of spoiled the series a little--the second book might have been better if I had started at the beginning. To me, the second book is slightly different than the rest.
I recommend reading them in order because each story continues near where the previous one ends. Shinn builds a interesting locale for this set of 5 books. Good mix of magical fantasy and stories of the nobility--each House is basically governed by a Lord...more
I recommend reading them in order because each story continues near where the previous one ends. Shinn builds a interesting locale for this set of 5 books. Good mix of magical fantasy and stories of the nobility--each House is basically governed by a Lord...more
I'm surprised by how engaging I found this book considering that for a good portion of it nothing much actually happens. There is a lot of traveling and a lot of conversation. Many scenes where the characters sit around camp sharing stories about their lives or discussing history, politics, and religion. Basically, a lot of info-dumping and more telling than showing. But surprisingly this didn't bother me. I still found the story really enjoyable and liked seeing the characters learn to trust an...more
Sharon Shinn is one of my authors of choice for high quality fluff, and Mystic and Rider doesn't disappoint. The setting is fascinating, the fantasy politics are brilliant (she manages to have involved politics between the Twelve Houses as well as many others and it is always interesting and never confusing), and the romance is sweet and satisfying. The magic is fascinating, and I like how Shinn explains everything without falling into the "as you know, Bob" trap (things are explained to a chara...more
Wow. WOW. What a gorgeous book!
I never thought I would enjoy fantasy so much. Well ok, the romance part helped a bit :) But it was so fascinating to see this illusional world full of so many details and looking so real, and all the main characters together, side by side, through good and the bad, on a journey to change so much in everyone's lives. There was magic, there was adventure, there was danger, there was love, hope, friendship - everything. But the thing I liked best of all was this feel...more
I never thought I would enjoy fantasy so much. Well ok, the romance part helped a bit :) But it was so fascinating to see this illusional world full of so many details and looking so real, and all the main characters together, side by side, through good and the bad, on a journey to change so much in everyone's lives. There was magic, there was adventure, there was danger, there was love, hope, friendship - everything. But the thing I liked best of all was this feel...more
Apr 30, 2011
Estara
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
people who like self-confident women coming out on top
Recommended to Estara by:
I was re-reading Quatrain and decided I wanted to read Senneth and Tayse's book again
Shelves:
read-in-2011,
re-read
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I need to start working through Sharon Shinn's backlist. I can't recall any of her books that I didn't like and many are some of my favorites. This book is a strong contender for future favorite (I have to wait a bit for the afterglow to die down before I can declare a true favorite).
Mystic and Rider features a party of magical mystics and King's Riders working together on a mission of discovery, tasked by the king to find out how the southern parts of the kingdom are doing. The answer they find...more
Mystic and Rider features a party of magical mystics and King's Riders working together on a mission of discovery, tasked by the king to find out how the southern parts of the kingdom are doing. The answer they find...more
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I’ve been writing stories and poems since I was eight years old. My first poem was about Halloween: "What is tonight? What is tonight?/Try to guess and you’ll guess right." Perhaps this inauspicious beginning explains why it took me till I was in my thirties to sell a novel. It occurred to me early on that it might take some time and a lot of tries before I was able to publish any of my creative w...more
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“She should leave you. Or you shouldn't leave her. I haven't worked it out yet. But you shouldn't be apart.”
—
8 people liked it
“You have not traveled enough," she said. "Or you'd know that every journey
makes its own map across your heart.”
—
7 people liked it
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makes its own map across your heart.”
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