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The Whitefire Crossing

(Shattered Sigil #1)

Courtney Schafer (Goodreads Author)

3.70 · Rating details · 2,338 ratings · 259 reviews

Dev is a smuggler with the perfect cover. He's in high demand as a guide for the caravans that carry legitimate goods from the city of Ninavel into the country of Alathia. The route through the Whitefire Mountains is treacherous, and Dev is one of the few climbers who knows how to cross them safely. With his skill and connections, it's easy enough to slip contraband charms ...more

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Paperback, 375 pages

Published August 1st 2011 by Night Shade (first published July 26th 2011)

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Lists with This Book

r/fantasy's Official Underrated and Underread Fantasy

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Average rating 3.70 ·

Rating details

· 2,338 ratings · 259 reviews

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Start your review of The Whitefire Crossing (Shattered Sigil, #1)

Sep 24, 2011 Mark Lawrence rated it it was amazing

woah, I've been reading this book forever! Just as with my last 10 books this is a reflection of my stupidly small amount of free time! I'm now supposed to read 2 books by the 5th of May for a newspaper review - help!

Anyhow, putting the focus back on The Whitefire Crossing: This is an excellent fantasy tale with an original form and interesting setting. The story is told from two points of view, two halves of a developing friendship, one told in the first person and the other in third person. It ...more

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Sep 01, 2011 seak rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Those who want high magic use.

Recommended to seak by: Justin

Shelves: 2011, arc-review

In 2007, a good friend of mine took me to a movie called Into the Wild . You may already know it, but the short version of this true story is that a guy on his way to Harvard and a hugely successful career decides to give up all his money and stuff and make his way to Alaska.

When I walked out, all I wanted to do was go on one big, epic adventure meeting random people, learning how to survive on leaves and grass (hehe) and sky and rainbows.

I think we ended up heading to Vegas a week later on ...more

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May 24, 2017 Nimrod Daniel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

The Whitefire Crossing is a very enjoyable adventure-fantasy read, that is somewhere between epic fantasy and sword & sorcery. It starts more like a S&S novel but gets a lot of epic fantasy flavors as you go along. Fantasy enthusiasts who like these sub-genres might find it to their liking. I definitely count myself as one of them :)

Setting - the setting is pretty interesting, and mainly focuses on two cities and the mountains between them. While one city allows the use of magic with almost no l The Whitefire Crossing is a very enjoyable adventure-fantasy read, that is somewhere between epic fantasy and sword & sorcery. It starts more like a S&S novel but gets a lot of epic fantasy flavors as you go along. Fantasy enthusiasts who like these sub-genres might find it to their liking. I definitely count myself as one of them :)

Setting - the setting is pretty interesting, and mainly focuses on two cities and the mountains between them. While one city allows the use of magic with almost no limitations, the other city has very strict rules against any use of magic beyond very simple charms. These rules are enforced by pretty strong magic wards. Yeah, you got it right, they have mages that enforce the rules against the use of magic :) .
As for the mountains - it's very clear that mountaineering is more than just a hobby for the author. Writing about things you love is always a good recipe for a great outcome, and I liked that part. There's some added value for the readers, as they get a glimpse into this world, that's at least how see it.

Magic system - the magic system is intriguing and it seems like more will be revealed in the following books, as there are still a few types of mages that we're not familiar with yet. Plus, there's another type of magic that only children can use. Unfortunately for those kids who can tap this special power - they lose it on puberty, which is in contrast to what we're familiar with in the genre as magic users gain more power as they get older. That puts those children in a very interesting situation when they get older and lose their power. Ask yourself, how losing a special power would affect you psychologically?

Characterization - the characterization is really good and is definitely among Courtney's strengths as an author. Dev and Kiran, our two main characters, are very-well portrayed characters and both are also very compelling. The supporting cast of characters were also well-drawn and feel quite real.

Plot - The plot is quite intriguing with a few twists that I liked, especially one surprising plot-twist towards the ending. More than that, the book has a satisfying ending and leaves a few loose ends that make you curious to know how things will turn for Dev and Kiran.

Writing-style - the writing-style is very engaging and fun to read. Most fantasy books have a third person narrative (excluding UF and YA, I guess), but never combine first and third person narrative in one book. Here we see a different approach. Kiran's POV is written in a third person narrative, while Dev's POV is written is a first person narrative. This approach works really good here, and this did a great service to the plot, as it keeps Kiran's secrets not only from Dev but also from the reader. The switch between the two narratives felt very natural to me, so there's nothing confusing here.

All in all, it's a good debut, that would appeal to S&S/epic fantasy enthusiasts. I really liked it, and I'm looking forward to reading book 2 :)

4-4.25/5

Note: if you live outside of North-America then you can get the ebook only directly from the author only (at least for now), that's what I did :) . You can find her email address on her site. ...more

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Jun 17, 2014 Dan Schwent rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2014, lendable

A smuggler named Dev is hired to escort a young man from Ninavel to Alathia, taking him through the treacherous Whitefire Mountains. But when the young man turns out to be an apprentice Blood Mage with an angry master on his backtrail, Dev gets a lot more than he bargained for...

I had this on my radar for about a year. When the ebook went on sale for $1.99, I knew the time was right.

The Whitefire Crossing is a refreshing change of pace from most fantasy novels on the racks. Gone is the pseudo- A smuggler named Dev is hired to escort a young man from Ninavel to Alathia, taking him through the treacherous Whitefire Mountains. But when the young man turns out to be an apprentice Blood Mage with an angry master on his backtrail, Dev gets a lot more than he bargained for...

I had this on my radar for about a year. When the ebook went on sale for $1.99, I knew the time was right.

The Whitefire Crossing is a refreshing change of pace from most fantasy novels on the racks. Gone is the pseudo-medieval Europe setting and generic quest story. The setting of The Whitefire Crossing reminds me much more of the American West. Ninavel is an analog to Las Vegas, with it's dependence on Mages for water and its lawlessness. The Whitefire mountains are a stand-in for the Rockies and the protected border of Alathia could easy represent the US-Mexican border.

Dev, smuggler with a heart of gold, reminds me of a mountain-climbing Han Solo, in it for the money but also having a kind streak. Kyran, apprentice Blood Mage, is a pretty believable pissed off young man wanting to escape his master's hold on him.

The magic system was pretty interesting. I like the idea of kids born with magical talents, The Taint, and losing them once they hit puberty. Dev's origins did a lot to explain why he was who he was. Ruslan was a pretty vile villain and Blood Mage reminds me of the dark side of the Force quite a bit.

The Whitefire Mountains setting did a lot to separate this one from the rest of the fantasy herd. I saw on Courtney Schafer's bio that she's into mountain climbing and her love of it shows through in the descriptions of mountain terrain, flora and fauna.

I liked the book quite a bit but it wasn't without its flaws. For one thing, the story took a nosedive for me at the 60% mark, once they left the Whitefire Mountains behind. A new threat was introduced and the story lost some of its luster. That's about my only complaint, though.

The Whitefire Crossing is the first book in a series but it stands pretty well on its own and was well worth the $1.99 price tag I paid for it. Four out of five stars. ...more

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Apr 27, 2017 Milda Page Runner rated it really liked it

Recommended to Milda by: Alissa

Shelves: action-adventure, fantasy

4.5*
Loved it! It’s been awhile since I had so much fun with epic fantasy. Story hooks you in with mystery from the get go and then keeps the suspense with the journey through treacherous mountain passes, murder, blood magic, twists and betrayals, politics and budding friendship. Smooth and flowing prose without unnecessary flourishes or philosophising; there is no romance and it’s not too dark – all focus is to action adventure and characterisation. Very engaging book with likeable characters an ...more

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Apr 27, 2017 Gavin rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This was a decent fantasy adventure story. The plot was interesting and the characters were a likeable enough bunch.

Dev is a guide who takes merchant caravans through the Whitefire Crossing mountain paths. The mountain crossing is what links the city state of Ninavel to the country of Alathia. Dev also has a secondary job as a smuggler. He mostly smuggles small charms into the restrictive Alathia. In need of money quickly Dev accepts a riskier than normal job. Instead of smuggling goods he agre ...more

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Sep 19, 2019 Sad Sunday (If I say it's bad, it's bad) added it · review of another edition

DNF at 25%

Two dudes travel trough mountains. And they travel. And travel. Travel. And travel.

description

It's solid classic fantasy. Too solid. Too classic. Nothing unexpected happens. There is evil, there is good. It might be a "bromance" tale, but characters seems too generic to "master" and "apprentice" roles. To quote Heidi Klum: "Snoozefest". ...more

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Apr 10, 2012 Michael marked it as to-read

I've had this on my to be read pile for some time now, and thanks to being picked by a group I'm in I have a good excuse to move it to the top of the TBR pile. I'm excited to get started. ...more

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Apr 07, 2012 Jeff Salyards rated it it was amazing

There are two things I really look for in any fiction: compelling characters that feel fleshed out, full of contradictory impulses, doubts, jealousies, and all the other human foible stuff; and a clever or unique take or treatment, an angle that separates it from everything else out there. The second is especially important in fantasy novels, which has a history almost as long as storytelling itself if you go back to Odysseus and Gilglamesh, so sometimes falls into the unpleasant habit of recycl There are two things I really look for in any fiction: compelling characters that feel fleshed out, full of contradictory impulses, doubts, jealousies, and all the other human foible stuff; and a clever or unique take or treatment, an angle that separates it from everything else out there. The second is especially important in fantasy novels, which has a history almost as long as storytelling itself if you go back to Odysseus and Gilglamesh, so sometimes falls into the unpleasant habit of recycling tropes without bringing anything new to the table.

And I’m here to say, The Whitefire Crossing, the debut effort by Courtney Schafer, has both of those elements in spades. On its surface, it doesn’t appear all crazy unusual. It has a scoundrel with a complicated history named Dev, who’s a smuggler, but in the Locke Lamora mold as far as criminals go—he’s clever, likable, and not completely amoral or bloodthirsty. His sections of the book are told in first person.

And then there’s Kiran, a young secretive mage’s apprentice who’s on the run for reasons that aren’t immediately clear. He needs to get out of the city of Ninavel and into the country of Alathia undetected. There are plenty of obstacles (most won’t touch for fear of spoilage) but none greater than the inconvenient mountain range in between. In an interesting and bold choice (perhaps to help maintain the mystery for the bulk of the novel), Kiran’s sections are presented in third person limited.

This violates a cardinal precept most creative writing instructors proclaim from on high: don’t mix and match your POVS—pick one, and stick with it. So the story goes, mixing them confuses, frustrates, and potentially alienates readers. And while that’s not the worst advice, Schafer pulls it off here. It does take a chapter or two to adjust to the shifts between the characters/alternating POVs, and while this helps maintain some of the secrets both from Dev and the reader, it seems a natural rather than contrived choice once you get used to it.

So, structurally you have something that sets the novel apart (and in a good way, since it works!). But once of the other things that immediately sets this novel apart is the smuggling itself—it requires traveling through the mountains, and while Dev is skilled at transporting gems and small charms over the mountains, getting an inexperienced person through the mountains is a different proposition.

The characters themselves are well-drawn, their exchanges believable, and they’re both pretty well layered, as they each harbor their own secrets. But while there are plenty of other good things going on in the novel, the mountain crossing itself is where it truly shines. Most authors, gloss over travel of this kind (ocean in pre-modern times, mountains anytime, desert pretty much any time, hellish swamps, etc.), and because most readers aren’t experts on the topic, we grant authors a lot of latitude and suspend our disbelief, unless the writer clearly makes some horrible gaffes.

But when an author DOES know the terrain and territory, and is really familiar with all the challenges and dangers involved, it can turn a rote journey into a gripping one filled with tension and terrific realism. And boy, does Schafer know mountaineering. While the sections of the book that take place in urban environments are certainly handled well enough, the mountain crossing is absolutely fantastic in its rendering,

At the end of the day, the main characters are front and center, and they carry the novel, but the pure verisimilitude achieved in the mountaineering section really elevates this novel (pardon the pun) to another level.

I look forward to reading the next in the series. Although I’ll be sad if the mountains don’t feature prominently. Unless Schafer is also an expert in spelunking. Which is entirely possible.
...more

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Dec 10, 2012 Blake Charlton rated it it was amazing

4.5 stars. an excellent start to what promises to be an lively and epic series. the two PoV characters are likeable, vastly different. the interplay between the two as the cross a vivid mountain scape make the book come alive. in fact, the whitefire mountain range and the surrounding lands place such a vibrant role they become, in effect, as memorable as the characters.

my only qualm is with the magic system, which is to my tastes too soft. to be clear, there is nothing wrong with soft magical s ...more

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May 03, 2011 T. Frohock rated it it was amazing

First of all, I enjoyed this novel. I wouldn’t be writing like this if I didn’t. I mean, I really, really had a good time reading it, and hey, isn’t that what it’s all about?

So what can you expect from Schafer’s debut? I know we all like to pigeon-hole books into categories. It’s not a bad thing, it’s just so we can have some kind of idea of what to expect. I think the best way to describe The Whitefire Crossing is to use Schafer’s label of an “adventure fantasy.” With a heavy emphasis on advent ...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Bastard rated it really liked it

**I posted my review on Only the Best, while Seak posted his on Bastard Books and other crap.**

You read fantasy and you wish you could become a wizard detective, a clever thief, Superman...but, a rock-climber? That's precisely what I wished to become after I was done with Courtney Schafer's debut novel, The Whitefire Crossing . Not that the book itself was about rock-climbing, but the passages in which it was featured, were quite compelling. I'm scared shitless of heights, so one can dream. I **I posted my review on Only the Best, while Seak posted his on Bastard Books and other crap.**

You read fantasy and you wish you could become a wizard detective, a clever thief, Superman...but, a rock-climber? That's precisely what I wished to become after I was done with Courtney Schafer's debut novel, The Whitefire Crossing . Not that the book itself was about rock-climbing, but the passages in which it was featured, were quite compelling. I'm scared shitless of heights, so one can dream. It's the first book in The Shattered Sigil series, followed by The Tainted City projected for a 2012 release.

Dev is an outrider for caravans as they travel from one city to another, particularly through the mountains in which he uses his mountaineering expertise to scout for any danger. He also takes smuggling jobs on the side. He's been lauded to be very good at his job, though a risk taker for his love and thrill of rock climbing, he's been risk averse on the smuggling jobs he takes; until now. Losing all his savings due to some circumstances, savings he needed to save the life of someone he cares and is responsible for, he's forced into smuggling a young man, Kiran, into a city with a heavily guarded border against his better judgement. Unbeknownst to him, Kiran is a mage on the run from a very powerful and dangerous mage who'd stop at nothing to get him back.

The book is narrated in both first and third person limited perspectives. First person belongs to Dev, while the third person limited belongs to Kiran. I personally love this exercise, while I know some will find the style not to their liking, but I thought it was handled quite well. The switches in POV are marked preceding the passages, so there will be no confusion. I don't think readers will have problem getting into rhythm if that is of concern.

The Whitefire Crossing was a real treat of a novel. I'm not a fan of books that spend a good portion travelling, yet this novel packs some good energy and enthusiasm along with a thriller element through this making it quite entertaining and fresh. It's in fact the best part of novel. Two thirds of the novel in or so, the energy of the book drops substantially as the action and movement slows down and the plot not as interesting as what came before it. Main problem for me that some of the "reveals" were already heavily foreshadowed and easily inferred so they lost the impact when introduced along with the emotional impact in our characters. Picks right back up towards the end though with some exciting turn of events followed by an aftermath portion which sets up the next stage of the series in a manner which is of great interest to me with some promise of political intrigue which I enjoy very much.

The novel itself can be characterized as one about choices and consequences, juxtaposed with themes of trust and freedom. Throughout the whole novel both of our main characters are presented with a myriad of choices, choices that weigh heavy on them. It's these dilemmas that drive the character conflicts throughout the novel. There's a lot of introspection in which these struggles are depicted, in particular when they involve questions of trust versus risking freedom. If that isn't enough, both characters are confined by self-interest agendas that may force them to betray each other, and themselves for that matter, as they view it as an inevitability of their situation charged by shackles from their past and potential future, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The book features plenty of magic use, and I thought some of it was quite interesting when considering the cost-benefit analysis of magic usage. Personally would like to see more details of how the magic works and what limits does it actually have. For purposes of what was featured in this novel, they're not that important but some events towards the end hints to me that they might be in the future. The Whitefire Crossing is limited in scope as plot needs demand, so worldbuilding suffers a bit because of it. But don't ignore that which was featured coming to life in the pages, particularly through the mountain trek. There's plenty of anecdotal evidence throughout the novel though, which fuels the imagination about the possibilities in this world. Very much looking forward to how the boundaries of what we've been educated on expand in future installments.

Courtney Schafer has written a very promising debut which I highly recommend. Well written in an unorthodox style giving a fresh energy to some traditional ideas among the new. Main strength being the character conflicts presented throughout, and the enthusiastic and detailed narrative of mountaineering portions of the novel energized by Schafer's expertise of rock climbing. Plenty of action and a fast moving book which should keep readers entertained and turning the pages. Sequel of the novel is The Tainted City , very much looking forward to it, and hope many of you give this series a try. ...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Justin rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011-debut, read-2011, fantasy, adventure, 2011-release, night-shade

http://staffersmusings.blogspot.com/2...

I always hear the phrase, "write what you know." My reaction has typically been who the hell would want to read a fantasy novel about bodybuilding, basketball, or energy policy? Of course the answer is - my mom. Thankfully for me, and everyone else who will have the pleasure of reading The Whitefire Crossing, Courtney Schafer's knowledge of mountaineering has a much broader appeal.

When I received my advanced copy of Whitefire, I took a minute to read about ...more

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Aug 04, 2011 Liviu rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2011_release_read, genre-fantasy, read_2011

I finished the novel and while the style flowed well and the book makes you want to turn the pages and see what happens, I ultimately did not care that much about it.

To be honest this is a book I would have taken a look and after the first page said, nice prose but I have 50 or more books of much higher interest and put it down, but Robert's review (my coeditor at FBC) made me curious so i gave it a higher priority. In the end as mentioned I enjoyed it more than i expected but it never rose to t ...more

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May 14, 2012 Kaila rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2012, fantasy, non-european-fantasy-by-women, mountains

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this review. I LOVED this book. And if you look through my review history, you'll know that's a rarity. How do I even write 5-star reviews? I don't get much practice!

The story:

The story presented is a simple enough concept: Dev is a smuggler of magical goods. He crosses the Whitefire Mountains in order to smuggle these goods into a neighboring kingdom. This time, his cargo isn't merely a few trinkets or amulets, but a young man, Kiran. Hijinks e ...more

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Jan 18, 2019 Jennifer (bunnyreads) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2019, bingo-r-fantasy-2018, fantasy-adventure

It’s taken me years to get around to reading this book something I kind of regret now because it was quite enjoyable, I blew through it in just a few sittings. The first half of the story moves at decent clip and is damned hard to put down.

Kirin, escaping from Ruslan his mentor and a powerful Blood Mage, with the hired help of Dev, a smuggler, attempts crossing the mountain pass into the protective walls of Alathia where he hopes to hide behind their magic blocking barrier. With Ruslan hot on hi It’s taken me years to get around to reading this book something I kind of regret now because it was quite enjoyable, I blew through it in just a few sittings. The first half of the story moves at decent clip and is damned hard to put down.

Kirin, escaping from Ruslan his mentor and a powerful Blood Mage, with the hired help of Dev, a smuggler, attempts crossing the mountain pass into the protective walls of Alathia where he hopes to hide behind their magic blocking barrier. With Ruslan hot on his heels, Kirin’s jump from the frying pan, lands him in the proverbial fire, when he falls onto the radar of another powerful and possibly crueler blood mage, who wants to use Kirin’s strong magic to get a foothold of power in the country.

The flight through the dangerous mountain path combined with the threat of Ruslan finding them made for some nice tense reading and there was just enough of the mountaineering and cold weather/snow details, to really bring home the risks that were involved (outside of the risk of being captured by an angry mage).

The middle is maybe not as tense but still has enough going on to keep you turning the pages and gives us a little bit of time to get to know Dev and Kirin’s characters separate from one another- which I think is a good thing when reading buddy stories, that they have personalities outside of how they play off one another.

The end was a bit rougher and not near as strong as the beginning. There were some minor points that could have been stronger for me- with Simon, Ruslan’s return, and one little thing with Cara and Kirin, but all very subjective to my tastes, and super hard to go in-depth about without spoilers.

There are a couple types of magic. I’m not quite sure I understand them fully, yet. The Tainted like Dev had, is in kids and they lose it when they hit puberty, though I’m not sure if this is restricted to Dev’s people only.
And then there are the mages like Kirin, who are trained to use the magic and I assume have the magic always. It works for me as is, and I never worry about explanations of magic in a series when things will most likely get more explanation as it goes anyway.

This story finishes up tidily, while leaving lots of space to continue. I really liked how it set itself up for book two. There were a couple of additional characters added that I am excited to come back for- one of them being Captain Martennan and I’m hoping for more Cara. Overall this was a quick enjoyable read and I’m excited to continue this series.

3.75

...more

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Feb 18, 2014 Mike (the Paladin) rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

Here's another I'm going to open with...I'm sorry, but I don't really like it.

I do like fantasy, epic fantasy, urban fantasy. sword and sorcery fantasy....but sometimes I find that even with a fairly well written book, I'm just not the "target audience".

The characters do get well filled out here and the plot while meandering kind of moves along. The first half of the book takes place in crossing the mountains and the varied dangers (both natural and magical) faced. Then the book moves into a sor ...more

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Jul 27, 2011 edifanob rated it it was amazing

Shelves: my-books, 2011-reads

Beside all the stress I finished reading another great fantasy reading.

There is more behind the story as you think at first sight.
Mountain climbing plays an important part in the book. I do not have any experience in this area but Courtney created breathtaking scenes.

I liked the two main characters - Dev and Kiran - more and more after every revelation.

I look forward to read the next book in the series. I hope I will write and finish my full review before the publishing date of the next book.

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Nov 24, 2013 Alissa rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-ebooks, favorites

4.5 heartfelt stars. Only, don't try to read this book without the second installment ready at hand! ...more

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Jan 02, 2016 wishforagiraffe rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ceriddwen-project-2015

This book blew me away. As a debut, it's awesome. It's tight, the editing is great, the concept is well executed. The characters are distinct people who are all motivated by reasons that make sense, even if for narrative tension, we don't find those reasons out right away. I really enjoy the narration style, where you switch POV between the two main characters and that's it. There isn't a huge cast to keep track of, but it's still a rather epic scale story. Courtney does a great job ramping up t ...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Mihir rated it really liked it

Courtney Schafer's debut was a breath of fresh air amid all the wonderful debuts from Nightshade books, combing excellent characterization with a rollicking story, she wove the story of 2 different but strong willed individuals that have to come together to survive and find a new way to outlive their persecutors. Can't wait for the Tainted City... ...more

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Dec 05, 2016 Hannah rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, giveaways

I read it.

I read it all the way through, and once again I have to feel guilty about leaving a bad review for a book I wouldn't normally pick up. (I won this as a Reddit prize.)

Here we have a fairly standard fantasy tale with a Big Bad and an ingenue and a jaded thief. OK, so some people like that. What I liked was that the jaded thief was a rock climber and held an in-world profession related to that. The rock climbing passion from the character/author started shining through around the 20% mar ...more

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Sep 20, 2011 Mike rated it really liked it

The Whitefire Crossing, the debut novel of Courtney Schafer, is an exciting adventure fantasy in a unique world. On its surface the plot is a simple one: Dev, a smuggler and talented climber, is in desperate need of cash and so takes on a dangerous mission to smuggle a person out of the city of Ninavel and into the country of Alathia. What makes the tale interesting are the complications surrounding that job and the rich sense of history behind each character.

I’m rather a fan of the working clas The Whitefire Crossing, the debut novel of Courtney Schafer, is an exciting adventure fantasy in a unique world. On its surface the plot is a simple one: Dev, a smuggler and talented climber, is in desperate need of cash and so takes on a dangerous mission to smuggle a person out of the city of Ninavel and into the country of Alathia. What makes the tale interesting are the complications surrounding that job and the rich sense of history behind each character.

I’m rather a fan of the working class hero. Dev is a prime example of that trope. He is a simple man who is good at his job. Sure his smuggling activities are something less-than-legal but the only reason he does that it is to earn the much needed cash to fulfill a promise to his deceased mentor. That is rich and familiar territory. There is more to it than that as well though. Dev, a mountain guide and outrider, has a deep seeded love of climbing. In truth, it is almost an addiction and one tied deeply to his past. The children of Ninavel, the city where Dev lives, are often born with the ability to float and fly. The orphan children are almost always taken in by gangs of thieves and trained to use their magical talent to break walls and steel. Eventually the gift fades and the children are sold off to often unsavory types. For Dev his skill at climbing is an attempt to recreate the glory of his former gifts. There is a certain Dickensian feel to his back story, orphaned thief turned semi-honest outrider, that gives his character a bittersweet and borderline tragic feeling.

Our other main character Kiran is interesting in a different way. Born with the innate magical talent that didn’t go away he was taken in by mages; the elite upper-class of the mage-founded Ninavel. Isolated at a young age he is reared to be a wielder of great magical power and to look down at the lesser untalented people of the world. Like Dev’s climbing, Kiran’s gift of magic is very much like an addiction constantly tempting him and undeniably dangerous. That discussion of innate abilities, whether it is Dev’s faded gifts or Kiran’s magical abilities, is one of the novels most important aspects and the examination of who we are is a result of those gifts, despite those gifts, or something else all together. What defines these characters is at the crux of both their internal and external conflicts.

The Whitefire Crossing is completely character driven. The narrative split more-or-less evenly between Kiran and Dev. There are blessedly few moments where Schafer detours from the novels conflicts to provide necessary exposition and most of the world building comes as a direct result of learning who these characters are. By providing readers with the perspectives of two character with wildly different viewpoints experiencing the same things it allows Schafer to enrich the world she has created and give readers a more complete view of things. This is particularly evident during Dev and Kiran’s flight over the mountains where switching back and forth between the characters allows for a very natural exploration of the mechanics behind Kiran’s magic. Later, towards the novel’s end there are similar moments with the magicians of Alathia and contrast between their methods and that of Kiran and his former master is explicitly examined in a way that feels surprisingly subtle.

While I found the opening of The Whitefire Crossing a bit slow once Dev and Kiran are on the road the novel picks up and never slows down. Schafer does an phenomenal job of making you care about these characters, calling that feeling into question, and bringing you right back to caring again. The world building is just present enough to provide detail for current and past of our leads without getting in the way of plot. There is certainly a lot of room to explore world beyond both Ninavel and Alathia but I never felt deprived by the lack of that exploration. The Whitefire Crossing is a complete tale that comes to a satisfying conclusion that simultaneously introduces a complication that sets up a future volume and I am looking forward to seeing future adventures with Kiran and Dev. ...more

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Jun 16, 2013 Nathan rated it really liked it

Shelves: rated-4-star, read-2013, author-female, high-fantasy, wwe-2013-challenge

Fantasy Review Barn

Good Idea: Taking advantage of a free book deal and downloading a book that has received good ratings from all of your friends.

Bad Idea: Not reading the book for over a year because you are scared the “rock climbing elements” will overshadow everything else in the book.

I can’t believe I let this sit on my Kindle without reading it for so long. I truly did put it off because all the talk was about how the author is a rock climber and put it into her book; my brain went meh and Fantasy Review Barn

Good Idea: Taking advantage of a free book deal and downloading a book that has received good ratings from all of your friends.

Bad Idea: Not reading the book for over a year because you are scared the “rock climbing elements” will overshadow everything else in the book.

I can’t believe I let this sit on my Kindle without reading it for so long. I truly did put it off because all the talk was about how the author is a rock climber and put it into her book; my brain went meh and I skipped it repeatedly. My loss.

Yes, the book does contain some rock climbing elements. Protagonist Dev is an outrider who scouts the terrain for trade caravans with climbing being one of the many duties. Dev is also making a bit of a side profit by smuggling magical items into a city with very strict controls on magic. The book starts with almost no bull****; Dev going to his usual contact and learning that this time he is being asked to smuggle a person across the border. With reasons of his own to take the cash he reluctantly agrees, taking on Kiran as an “assistant” to provide cover on the next run.

Bouncing back and forth between the point of view of both Dev and Kiran (with Dev’s chapters being in the first person) the author artfully makes us care about both characters; even when their goals may not be aligned. Strong engaging characters may have been my favorite thing of many this story. Not only do we have Dev and Kiran, both good people hiding something; but several of the support characters had almost as much life as the two protagonists. Villains were pure evil but for some reason this was a story where that didn’t bother me as much. Usually I like my villains to have a human element, but complete monster worked in this environment surprisingly well.

Pacing was a huge point in this story’s favor. A good amount of the background info was told within the journey rather than funneled down our throat. There was plenty of action, with magic that was enough of a threat to matter. By switching PoV’s regularly I never got bored with one character, and by keeping it at two I never god mad when a switch happened; I knew I would see him again soon. I have learned over time that I almost always prefer my fantasy in shorter chunks, at about 350 pages this book was perfect for what I needed.

“World building” doesn’t really occur here, but there is some very good “small area building.” Only hints of a larger world are shown, this book deals with two cities and the passage between them. But it is so full of life! One city thrives on magic, living in an almost magical anarchy where mages of different types can do anything they want. The other is almost Orwellian in their attempt to keep people safe from the magic; using the very magic they are suppressing to enforce the rules. Charms are sold for different uses, some quite powerful. Different mages use different power bases, and if some of the “blood mage” power felt like mana in a video game to me it is probably proof that I have played too many damn video games.

My only real complaint comes the warded city of Alathia, it of magical suppression. The city is protected by spells that will alert the guard if the wrong types of magic are used, while ignoring the more benign. In theory. In reality it felt like one of the most blatant author’s conveniences I have ever read, a nice security blanket that let the author do just about anything with it. We see all kinds of magic take place within it without setting off the alarms, but also see the guards called in for something they didn’t come for the first time we saw it. I would have liked some more consistency on that front, but maybe it is addressed in later books as a misconception (or deliberate misleading). In any case, it didn’t distract much from the reading.

Oh yes, I even liked the areas of the book that dealt with mountain climbing.

4 stars
...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Stefan rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, advance-reading-copy, ebook

Dev works as an outrider for caravans crossing the Whitefire mountains, going from the city of Ninavel to the kingdom of Alathia. To pad his income, Dev also does some smuggling on the side. After all, there’s a prohibition on magic in Alathia, so Dev can make a handsome amount of money transporting various magical items from magic-friendly Ninavel across the border. As The Whitefire Crossing starts, Dev is asked by his contact to take along an unusual package: a young man called Kiran. The surp Dev works as an outrider for caravans crossing the Whitefire mountains, going from the city of Ninavel to the kingdom of Alathia. To pad his income, Dev also does some smuggling on the side. After all, there’s a prohibition on magic in Alathia, so Dev can make a handsome amount of money transporting various magical items from magic-friendly Ninavel across the border. As The Whitefire Crossing starts, Dev is asked by his contact to take along an unusual package: a young man called Kiran. The surprisingly high reward is what finally convinces Dev to take on this risk, because he is hoping to raise enough money to free a young girl before she is sold into slavery...

Dev is an interesting main character, especially because of his history as a “Tainted” youngster. Some prepubescent children have minor magical skills, making them ideal assistants in various criminal enterprises. Unfortunately, the magical “Taint” usually wears off with the onset of puberty, at which point the children become useless for crime and are often sold into a much less savory business... Dev’s history makes him especially sensitive to this — hence his desire to save children from this fate.

The first half of The Whitefire Crossing is excellent, entertaining adventure fantasy. The descriptions of the journey through the Whitefire mountains are fascinating. Author Courtney Schafer is a mountain climber, and it shows in the many knowledgeable and exciting descriptions of climbing expeditions. To explain Kiran’s presence, Dev pretends that the young man is learning to be an outrider, but when it becomes clear what he really is — the apprentice of a feared bloodmage — the adventure takes on a completely different tone. What’s more, there’s a spy in the convoy who may put the entire venture in jeopardy.

Unfortunately, The Whitefire Crossing loses steam in the second half, once the caravan arrives in Alathia. The tension and beauty of the mountain scenes disappear and are replaced by a more standard fantasy plot involving a rivalry between two mages, with Dev and Kiran stuck in the middle. While this section of the novel isn’t bad at all, it lacks the originality and excitement of the first half. If I could give star ratings to separate sections of novels, the first part of The Whitefire Crossing would get a solid 4 stars. The rest isn’t quite as good, but Courtney Schafer still shows that she can write a compelling and original fantasy story with original world-building, interesting characters, and surprisingly confident prose.

The Whitefire Crossing is a fun fantasy adventure that’s incredibly polished for a first effort. Based on its first half, I was at one point looking around on the Internet to see if this was an established author working under a pseudonym. I felt that the novel lost steam in the second half, but I nevertheless plan to keep an eye on this series and author for the future, because there’s real promise here for many good stories to come.

(This review was originally published on www.fantasyliterature.com on 8/19/2011) ...more

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Feb 04, 2013 Joel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: hard-copy

I picked up The Whitefire Crossing a while ago - I had seen it mentioned on r/fantasy a few times, and really enjoyed Courtney Schafer's AMA, as well as random comments and conversations I'd seen her have online. The book's premise interested me, and the mountaineering aspect was something you don't see a ton of in fantasy. I nominated the book for the r/Fantasy Book Club's July book of the month, and was thrilled to see it win, and numerous people pick up the book and help discuss it.

To describ I picked up The Whitefire Crossing a while ago - I had seen it mentioned on r/fantasy a few times, and really enjoyed Courtney Schafer's AMA, as well as random comments and conversations I'd seen her have online. The book's premise interested me, and the mountaineering aspect was something you don't see a ton of in fantasy. I nominated the book for the r/Fantasy Book Club's July book of the month, and was thrilled to see it win, and numerous people pick up the book and help discuss it.

To describe how I felt about TWC in one word: shocked. Shocked that it was this good. First time novels are always a dicey proposition, especially ones that are on a mid-sized publisher and there isn't a massive review base for. However, Courtney seemed well-thought-of in the community and the book interested me. However, I wasn't prepared for the level of excitement, the twists and turns of the plotline, the depth of the characters or the quality of the writing. The book was very professionally written, felt real and visceral, the characters reacting in ways that seemed to make sense for their characters, not arbitrarily making decisions for the sake of the plot. The dialogue was realistic and witty, and the character conflicts felt solid.

The magic system in the novel wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it worked perfectly for what it needed to in this novel, and was more than adequately presented as extremely powerful and very scary. The mages are borderline omnipotent when left with their powers unchecked, and the blood mages in particular were scary as hell. The antagonists had a very hard edge to them, and their evil deeds presented and left for judgement.

The mountaineering was an aspect that both excited and concerned me - Courtney's climbing and outdoors background is well documented, and I did have a bit of concern that the climbing aspects would be overdone, hard to follow, far too prevalent. The opposite was true - it made for a very nice augment, a bit of something different in the story, as well as something that moved the plot along. Courtney's love for climbing and the outdoors is very apparent, however is not something you're bludgeoned with. The actual mountaineering is easy to follow and not overly technical, presented in a manner that is digestible for those of us who would just rather not be hanging off the side of a cliff for funsies.

Overall, I honestly loved this book. I blasted through it in general (in what little reading time I've had of late), and looked forward to the next time I could read it. I had a couple late nights because I couldn't put it down, and the final 75 pages absolutely flew by last night. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to people. ...more

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Feb 10, 2012 Mia rated it really liked it

This story is told from the points of view of the two main male characters, Dev and Kiran. The unique feature is that Dev's point of view is told in the first person while Kiran's is from the third person. This varying perspective gives you a bit of a double take at first but you quickly settle in to enjoy the tale.

Dev and Kiran were thrown together out of necessity. Dev was an expert mountain guide and Kiran needed a guide to smuggle him out of one city into another in the quickest and most inc ...more

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Oct 22, 2014 Kathryn Ford rated it it was ok

Shelves: fantasy

2.5 stars

This book is very unusual in that it is told from a first person perspective, that of Dev, a smuggler, and a third person point of view, that of Kiran, a stowaway mage.
At first I found this quite jarring. But, I got used to it. However, Kiran was so irritating, I kept wishing for Dev's parts of the chapters.

A lot of this book was extremely boring. Most of the plot twists are already anticipated, so there were hardly any surprises.
As already mentioned I liked Dev, but found Kiran whine ...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Sarah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kick-assery, magic

ABSOLUTELY GLORIOUS.

I'm not usually a fan of heavy fantasy (GOT made me sleepy, for some reason), but this book. THIS BOOK.

This book made me want to go spelunking and hiking and mountain-climbing. This book made me wish I was in it. This book practically left my brain electric, and I almost had a seizure after reading THIS. BOOK.

...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Lisa rated it really liked it

Shelves: reddit-fantasy

Here's my full review: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2013/0...

Really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading Tainted City. ...more

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Fantasy Buddy Reads: Whitefire Crossing (Shattered Sigil)	39	31	May 06, 2017 02:30PM
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eBook version on sale today only	2	8	Jun 17, 2014 07:00PM
/r/Fantasy Discus...: July 2013: The Whitefire Crossing - Discussion	45	121	Jul 31, 2013 03:13PM

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About Courtney Schafer

Courtney Schafer

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A voracious reader, Courtney Schafer took up writing when she found that fantasy books weren't published fast enough to satisfy her craving for new worlds full of magic and wonder. When not writing, Courtney figure skates, climbs mountains, squeezes through desert slot canyons, and skis way too fast through trees. To support her adrenaline-fueled hobbies and writing habit, she received a degree in ...more