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Wheel of Dreams
FUGITIVE DREAMER
Kiera was desperate. The dreams that threatened to steal her soul had grown stronger in the short time since her beloved mother had died. Only if she could escape her abusive father and make her way to the witches rumored to inhabit the cities of the Blasphemers might she learn the secrets of the magic awakening within her. So when her cruel father sold her to a mercenary from the north, she went with her new husband willingly enough . . . or so it seemed.
The soldier Roshannon had no idea what made him bid for his drunken host's daughter. But when he woke the next morning to find her gone, he was compelled to pursue her, driven by the memory of her frightened face and the certainty that the two of them were somehow linked together. He had always been unusually lucky in battle; now he must pray that luck would help him track this most elusive quarry.
Kiera was desperate. The dreams that threatened to steal her soul had grown stronger in the short time since her beloved mother had died. Only if she could escape her abusive father and make her way to the witches rumored to inhabit the cities of the Blasphemers might she learn the secrets of the magic awakening within her. So when her cruel father sold her to a mercenary from the north, she went with her new husband willingly enough . . . or so it seemed.
The soldier Roshannon had no idea what made him bid for his drunken host's daughter. But when he woke the next morning to find her gone, he was compelled to pursue her, driven by the memory of her frightened face and the certainty that the two of them were somehow linked together. He had always been unusually lucky in battle; now he must pray that luck would help him track this most elusive quarry.
311 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 30, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 14, 2011
Some of my favorite romances aren't romances.
I read Wheel of Dreams several years (a decade?) ago. I remember being captivated by the characters, but I never got around to reading it again. Then a few years later, I let my husband put it in the "to be donated box." Fast forward a few more years, when I start thinking about the story. This lead to a rather amusing adventure in Google-Fu, as I tried to locate a book without benefit of stuff like title, author, character names, publisher or publication date.
The million dollar phrase turned out to be "father sells her to a mercenary," which describes the novel's inciting incident. Kiera Danio is a young woman who lives in a highly patriarchal society. Basically, it's the kind of miserable, repressive society that you'd expect where fundamentalist religious nutjobs are involved. Women are one step above cattle (maybe). Anything contrary to god's will--like science and medicine--is heresy. One could say that the only sport in the land is witch hanging.
Kiera knows that it's just a matter of time before someone discovers her prescient dreams and her ability to leave her body and enter the body of others. Her dreams have grown harder to control in the months following her mother's death. Coincidentally, her father has grown more abusive, especially since Kiera refused to marry the man he chose for her.
Then one evening her father plays host to a group of travelers, including a priest, a page and his son and a soldier. Though Kiera, who is expected to serve the meal, tries to remain as invisible as possible, she is fascinated by the soldier. Judging by his dark hair and skin and beardless face, he is one of the folk from the coasts to the north.
Eventually, her father notices her and, fueled in part by too much liquor, offers her up for sale. Kiera leaves before the bidding is done, but as she waits in her room, she finds she is hoping that the soldier will win the bid. Not that it matters, because she has a plan. Her only hope is to flee whoever she marries and go north to the city of the witches, who can teach her to control her abilities.
Nikka Roshannon isn't normally the kind of man who buys a wife, so he is baffled by his impulse to put up the winning bid for the girl. His is a culture that treats women as equals, and having spent time among the southlanders, he finds their approach to life joyless and oppressive. He is nevertheless drawn to Kiera and even more baffled by the fact that, after their wedding night, she has fled.
Kiera doesn't really expect the soldier to pursue her. Although she stole some of his clothes and a dagger, she left him several jewels to buy herself back. She soon realizes that Roshannon isn't just another soldier, but a lord from the north. Worse yet, he seems to share her ability and the two are bonded, able to feel the emotions of the other. Despite their link, she fears him and is determined not to let him catch her.
Their game of cat and mouse is sidetracked by the escalating war between the witches of the north and the religious zealots of the south, particularly when the conflict spills into Roshannon's native land.
What I liked about their relationship is that Roshannon, despite his status as a veteran warrior, isn't emotionally unavailable. In fact, his is a pretty healthy attitude toward romance and love. As the story progresses, he displays an admirable sensitivity in dealing with his reluctant bride. Kiera, on the other hand, has been shaped by a society where men are the aggressors and oppressors. In fact, even as she finds that Roshannon isn't cruel like the men in her past, she still fears what he might represent--the loss of the freedom that she has tasted. The two do get their happy ending, but it is definitely hard won.
A satisfying romance set against a backdrop of war and religious oppression. (The edition I read is out of print, but easy to find online.)
I read Wheel of Dreams several years (a decade?) ago. I remember being captivated by the characters, but I never got around to reading it again. Then a few years later, I let my husband put it in the "to be donated box." Fast forward a few more years, when I start thinking about the story. This lead to a rather amusing adventure in Google-Fu, as I tried to locate a book without benefit of stuff like title, author, character names, publisher or publication date.
The million dollar phrase turned out to be "father sells her to a mercenary," which describes the novel's inciting incident. Kiera Danio is a young woman who lives in a highly patriarchal society. Basically, it's the kind of miserable, repressive society that you'd expect where fundamentalist religious nutjobs are involved. Women are one step above cattle (maybe). Anything contrary to god's will--like science and medicine--is heresy. One could say that the only sport in the land is witch hanging.
Kiera knows that it's just a matter of time before someone discovers her prescient dreams and her ability to leave her body and enter the body of others. Her dreams have grown harder to control in the months following her mother's death. Coincidentally, her father has grown more abusive, especially since Kiera refused to marry the man he chose for her.
Then one evening her father plays host to a group of travelers, including a priest, a page and his son and a soldier. Though Kiera, who is expected to serve the meal, tries to remain as invisible as possible, she is fascinated by the soldier. Judging by his dark hair and skin and beardless face, he is one of the folk from the coasts to the north.
Eventually, her father notices her and, fueled in part by too much liquor, offers her up for sale. Kiera leaves before the bidding is done, but as she waits in her room, she finds she is hoping that the soldier will win the bid. Not that it matters, because she has a plan. Her only hope is to flee whoever she marries and go north to the city of the witches, who can teach her to control her abilities.
Nikka Roshannon isn't normally the kind of man who buys a wife, so he is baffled by his impulse to put up the winning bid for the girl. His is a culture that treats women as equals, and having spent time among the southlanders, he finds their approach to life joyless and oppressive. He is nevertheless drawn to Kiera and even more baffled by the fact that, after their wedding night, she has fled.
Kiera doesn't really expect the soldier to pursue her. Although she stole some of his clothes and a dagger, she left him several jewels to buy herself back. She soon realizes that Roshannon isn't just another soldier, but a lord from the north. Worse yet, he seems to share her ability and the two are bonded, able to feel the emotions of the other. Despite their link, she fears him and is determined not to let him catch her.
Their game of cat and mouse is sidetracked by the escalating war between the witches of the north and the religious zealots of the south, particularly when the conflict spills into Roshannon's native land.
What I liked about their relationship is that Roshannon, despite his status as a veteran warrior, isn't emotionally unavailable. In fact, his is a pretty healthy attitude toward romance and love. As the story progresses, he displays an admirable sensitivity in dealing with his reluctant bride. Kiera, on the other hand, has been shaped by a society where men are the aggressors and oppressors. In fact, even as she finds that Roshannon isn't cruel like the men in her past, she still fears what he might represent--the loss of the freedom that she has tasted. The two do get their happy ending, but it is definitely hard won.
A satisfying romance set against a backdrop of war and religious oppression. (The edition I read is out of print, but easy to find online.)
January 14, 2011
/review to come
This was really quite good, although the metaphysics got rather loopy at end. It's very much worth reading and far better than the cover art would lead you to believe. Some of the minor characters could have used more fleshing out, but I loved the major ones, especially the main female lead.
theft, payback
not instant love connection
reasonable post-sex pregnancy fears
actual death in the life-or-death bits
uses appropriate caution
does not magically know how to use a sword (WIN)
Highly recommended for persons wishing to read about an actively non-passive female character, especially one who gets herself out of her own messes.
A Del Rey Discovery Book
#1 | The Merro Tree, accidentally discover series of non-related novels.
#2 | Wheel of Dreams, intense effort to track down the complete series begins.
#3 | Bright Islands in a Dark Sea, bitter, bitter disappointment of terrible book.
#4 | The Outskirter's Secret (in The Steerswoman's Road omnibus), holy shit the forced march.
This was really quite good, although the metaphysics got rather loopy at end. It's very much worth reading and far better than the cover art would lead you to believe. Some of the minor characters could have used more fleshing out, but I loved the major ones, especially the main female lead.
theft, payback
not instant love connection
reasonable post-sex pregnancy fears
actual death in the life-or-death bits
uses appropriate caution
does not magically know how to use a sword (WIN)
Highly recommended for persons wishing to read about an actively non-passive female character, especially one who gets herself out of her own messes.
A Del Rey Discovery Book
#1 | The Merro Tree, accidentally discover series of non-related novels.
#2 | Wheel of Dreams, intense effort to track down the complete series begins.
#3 | Bright Islands in a Dark Sea, bitter, bitter disappointment of terrible book.
#4 | The Outskirter's Secret (in The Steerswoman's Road omnibus), holy shit the forced march.
November 25, 2008
Reading this for the second time. Features an assured writing style with a relaxed pace and in depth world building. The author hints at the complexity of three different cultures, dwells where it's needed, yet keeps the action moving even during characterization. This is an enjoyable fantasy with deeper implications about fanaticism and freedom.
October 11, 2013
Pretty good. Wish there was more real interaction between the 2 main characters though.
March 26, 2021
This is another 3.5 star read that I feel torn about, but I think I will round down. It was a classic fantasy adventure, with soldiers and magic and lots of traveling, but in the end it read like it was written in the 90s, which it was.
My favorite parts were following Keira on her adventures disguised as a man. This is many of my favorite fantasy tropes put together (long quest, woman disguised as man, adding strays to the crew), and I loved seeing her and her companions get themselves in and out of trouble.
I also liked Roshannon, and he goes on adventures himself, though less exciting ones than Keira. I liked both of them as protagonists, but where it really fell apart was the romance. For 80% of the book they are separated, and Keira spends most of that time dreading seeing him again and being tied to a man. I don’t know that I could really call that romance. I wish they could have had a platonic relationship and just left the soulmate stuff completely out of the story.
My other main problem is the religion element. There’s the super religious bad guys, and the “heretic” good guys, and one of their major distinctions is that the religious bad guys think women aren’t even people, and the good guys treat women as “equals.” But the problem is that even the supposed egalitarian society is still clearly gendered. I know it was probably super feminists for the 90s, but for me it made most of the good guy vs bad guy stuff fall flat.
In conclusion, I enjoyed the adventure of a classic fantasy story, but this book had nothing special or particularly engrossing to make it stand out.
My favorite parts were following Keira on her adventures disguised as a man. This is many of my favorite fantasy tropes put together (long quest, woman disguised as man, adding strays to the crew), and I loved seeing her and her companions get themselves in and out of trouble.
I also liked Roshannon, and he goes on adventures himself, though less exciting ones than Keira. I liked both of them as protagonists, but where it really fell apart was the romance. For 80% of the book they are separated, and Keira spends most of that time dreading seeing him again and being tied to a man. I don’t know that I could really call that romance. I wish they could have had a platonic relationship and just left the soulmate stuff completely out of the story.
My other main problem is the religion element. There’s the super religious bad guys, and the “heretic” good guys, and one of their major distinctions is that the religious bad guys think women aren’t even people, and the good guys treat women as “equals.” But the problem is that even the supposed egalitarian society is still clearly gendered. I know it was probably super feminists for the 90s, but for me it made most of the good guy vs bad guy stuff fall flat.
In conclusion, I enjoyed the adventure of a classic fantasy story, but this book had nothing special or particularly engrossing to make it stand out.
January 3, 2013
Not sure what draws me to this book. Maybe its the mind magic or the romance. I think if you like Andre Norton's witch world novels you will like it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews