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Tremontaine #1.1
Arrivals
A new sun rises on the lives and fates of four players in a high-stakes game of wit and intrigue.
In a city that never was, sex, scandal, and swordplay combine in a melodrama of manners that returns readers to the beloved world of Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint! A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a passionate young Scholar with dreams beyond his reach; a Foreign spy in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a Genius on the brink of scientific revolution—when long-buried lies threaten to come to light, the stakes are high, and more than lives may be lost. Mind your manners and enjoy the chocolate in a dance of sparkling wit and political intrigue.
Duchess Diane Tremontaine, the crowning gem of her city’s high class, sits in her manor’s window on The Hill and looks over her domain with eyes that cut and a mind that schemes. Far below, and far away from the glitz of wealth, a poor country farm girl named Micah looks only toward her family, the harvest, and the complex web of math that entrances her. At the Docks, the newly arrived Ixkaab Balam surveys the same city from the deck of her family’s merchant vessel and sees a land to manipulate for fortune and fun. And at the University, a passionate scholar named Rafe bristles at the classism constraining his ambitions and dreams of revolution.
Arrivals begins the 13-part serial, Tremontaine, presented by Serial Box. This prequel to the cult classic Swordspoint is brought to you by the collaborative effort of a team of writers under the creative direction of Ellen Kushner herself.
Join the dance of swordplay and scandal, week after week, on SerialBox.com!
“Sharp blades and even sharper wits abound! Delicious new adventures await fans in this welcome return to the world of Swordspoint.”
– Jacqueline Carey, New York Times Bestselling author of the Kushiel’s Legacy series
“Lovely! Beneath a froth of silk and lace Tremontaine is finely muscled, rippling with skill and promise.”
– Nicola Griffith, author of Hild
“More Tremontaine stories? YESPLEASE. Tremontaine stories by some of my favorite, excellent writers? HELLA YESPLEASE. I can't wait to read them all! ” – N. K. Jemisin, author of The Fifth Kingdom
“A pure delight full of sparkling characters that match equally dazzling wits and swords. If you've visited the world of Swordspoint before, you'll be delighted to return; if it's your first time, you'll be welcomed in style. I can't wait to read more myself!”
– Naomi Novaik, author of Uprooted
In a city that never was, sex, scandal, and swordplay combine in a melodrama of manners that returns readers to the beloved world of Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint! A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; a passionate young Scholar with dreams beyond his reach; a Foreign spy in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a Genius on the brink of scientific revolution—when long-buried lies threaten to come to light, the stakes are high, and more than lives may be lost. Mind your manners and enjoy the chocolate in a dance of sparkling wit and political intrigue.
Duchess Diane Tremontaine, the crowning gem of her city’s high class, sits in her manor’s window on The Hill and looks over her domain with eyes that cut and a mind that schemes. Far below, and far away from the glitz of wealth, a poor country farm girl named Micah looks only toward her family, the harvest, and the complex web of math that entrances her. At the Docks, the newly arrived Ixkaab Balam surveys the same city from the deck of her family’s merchant vessel and sees a land to manipulate for fortune and fun. And at the University, a passionate scholar named Rafe bristles at the classism constraining his ambitions and dreams of revolution.
Arrivals begins the 13-part serial, Tremontaine, presented by Serial Box. This prequel to the cult classic Swordspoint is brought to you by the collaborative effort of a team of writers under the creative direction of Ellen Kushner herself.
Join the dance of swordplay and scandal, week after week, on SerialBox.com!
“Sharp blades and even sharper wits abound! Delicious new adventures await fans in this welcome return to the world of Swordspoint.”
– Jacqueline Carey, New York Times Bestselling author of the Kushiel’s Legacy series
“Lovely! Beneath a froth of silk and lace Tremontaine is finely muscled, rippling with skill and promise.”
– Nicola Griffith, author of Hild
“More Tremontaine stories? YESPLEASE. Tremontaine stories by some of my favorite, excellent writers? HELLA YESPLEASE. I can't wait to read them all! ” – N. K. Jemisin, author of The Fifth Kingdom
“A pure delight full of sparkling characters that match equally dazzling wits and swords. If you've visited the world of Swordspoint before, you'll be delighted to return; if it's your first time, you'll be welcomed in style. I can't wait to read more myself!”
– Naomi Novaik, author of Uprooted
47 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2015
23 people are currently reading
701 people want to read
About the author
Ellen Kushner
139 books606 followersEllen Kushner weaves together multiple careers as a writer, radio host, teacher, performer and public speaker.
A graduate of Barnard College, she also attended Bryn Mawr College, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She began her career in publishing as a fiction editor in New York City, but left to write her first novel Swordspoint, which has become a cult classic, hailed as the progenitor of the “mannerpunk” (or “Fantasy of Manners”) school of urban fantasy. Swordspoint was followed by Thomas the Rhymer (World Fantasy Award and the Mythopoeic Award), and two more novels in her “Riverside” series. In 2015, Thomas the Rhymer was published in the UK as part of the Gollancz “Fantasy Masterworks” line.
In addition, her short fiction appears regularly in numerous anthologies. Her stories have been translated into a wide variety of languages, including Japanese, French, Dutch, German, Spanish, Latvian and Finnish.
Upon moving to Boston, she became a radio host for WGBH-FM. In 1996, she created Sound & Spirit, PRI’s award-winning national public radio series. With Ellen as host and writer, the program aired nationally until 2010; many of the original shows can now be heard archived online.
As a live stage performer, her solo spoken word works include Esther: the Feast of Masks, and The Golden Dreydl: a Klezmer ‘Nutcracker’ for Chanukah (with Shirim Klezmer Orchestra). In 2008, Vital Theatre commissioned her to script a full-scale theatrical version. The Klezmer Nutcracker played to sold-out audiences in New York City, with Kushner in the role of the magical Tante Miriam.
In 2012, Kushner entered the world of audiobooks, narrating and co-producing “illuminated” versions of all three of the “Riverside” novels with SueMedia Productions for Neil Gaiman Presents at Audible.com—and winning a 2013 Audie Award for Swordspoint.
Other recent projects include the urban fantasy anthology Welcome to Bordertown (co-edited with Holly Black), and The Witches of Lublin, a musical audio drama written with Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom (which one Gabriel, Gracie and Wilbur Awards in 2012). In 2015 she contributed to and oversaw the creation of the online Riverside series prequel Tremontaine for Serial Box with collaborators Joel Derfner, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Malinda Lo, Racheline Maltese and Patty Bryant.
A dauntless traveler, Ellen Kushner has been a guest of honor at conventions all over the world. She regularly teaches writing at the prestigious Clarion Workshop and the Hollins University Graduate Program in Children’s Literature.
Ellen Kushner is a co-founder and past president of the Interstitial Arts Foundation, an organization supporting work that falls between genre categories. She lives in New York City with author and educator Delia Sherman, a lot of books, airplane and theater ticket stubs, and no cats whatsoever.
A graduate of Barnard College, she also attended Bryn Mawr College, and grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She began her career in publishing as a fiction editor in New York City, but left to write her first novel Swordspoint, which has become a cult classic, hailed as the progenitor of the “mannerpunk” (or “Fantasy of Manners”) school of urban fantasy. Swordspoint was followed by Thomas the Rhymer (World Fantasy Award and the Mythopoeic Award), and two more novels in her “Riverside” series. In 2015, Thomas the Rhymer was published in the UK as part of the Gollancz “Fantasy Masterworks” line.
In addition, her short fiction appears regularly in numerous anthologies. Her stories have been translated into a wide variety of languages, including Japanese, French, Dutch, German, Spanish, Latvian and Finnish.
Upon moving to Boston, she became a radio host for WGBH-FM. In 1996, she created Sound & Spirit, PRI’s award-winning national public radio series. With Ellen as host and writer, the program aired nationally until 2010; many of the original shows can now be heard archived online.
As a live stage performer, her solo spoken word works include Esther: the Feast of Masks, and The Golden Dreydl: a Klezmer ‘Nutcracker’ for Chanukah (with Shirim Klezmer Orchestra). In 2008, Vital Theatre commissioned her to script a full-scale theatrical version. The Klezmer Nutcracker played to sold-out audiences in New York City, with Kushner in the role of the magical Tante Miriam.
In 2012, Kushner entered the world of audiobooks, narrating and co-producing “illuminated” versions of all three of the “Riverside” novels with SueMedia Productions for Neil Gaiman Presents at Audible.com—and winning a 2013 Audie Award for Swordspoint.
Other recent projects include the urban fantasy anthology Welcome to Bordertown (co-edited with Holly Black), and The Witches of Lublin, a musical audio drama written with Elizabeth Schwartz and Yale Strom (which one Gabriel, Gracie and Wilbur Awards in 2012). In 2015 she contributed to and oversaw the creation of the online Riverside series prequel Tremontaine for Serial Box with collaborators Joel Derfner, Alaya Dawn Johnson, Malinda Lo, Racheline Maltese and Patty Bryant.
A dauntless traveler, Ellen Kushner has been a guest of honor at conventions all over the world. She regularly teaches writing at the prestigious Clarion Workshop and the Hollins University Graduate Program in Children’s Literature.
Ellen Kushner is a co-founder and past president of the Interstitial Arts Foundation, an organization supporting work that falls between genre categories. She lives in New York City with author and educator Delia Sherman, a lot of books, airplane and theater ticket stubs, and no cats whatsoever.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
September 8, 2016
Riverside is back! Yay!!!
I honestly didn't realize this "serial novel" was a Riverside book when I picked it up, so was quite delighted to find that it is. I still have my doubts about the story being 'shared' by a number of different writers, but I'll see how that goes when I move along to the sequels. This first installment, however, is by Ellen Kushner herself, and even though it's really just an introduction, it's got the magic!
Here we meet the Duchess of Tremontaine, a savvy but less-than-compassionate woman seeking to restore the family fortunes (and, it seems, not succeeding).
Ixkaab Balam is a young woman from a Mayan-influenced culture, sent away by her chocolate-trading merchant family for unspecified transgressions. She has a secret ambition to become a renowned swordswoman, and is full of fantastic notions of honor and chivalry, ready to run off to Riverside and get into trouble at the drop of a brightly-colored scarf.
Finally, Micah is a farmer girl who's a socially awkward math genius. On an errand, she gets lost and falls in with a number of students who immediately appreciate her remarkable skill at card games.
How will these three stories connect? On to the sequels to find out!
If you are a fan of 'Swordspoint,' 'The Privilege of the Sword' and 'The Fall of the Kings,' do not miss this one!
I honestly didn't realize this "serial novel" was a Riverside book when I picked it up, so was quite delighted to find that it is. I still have my doubts about the story being 'shared' by a number of different writers, but I'll see how that goes when I move along to the sequels. This first installment, however, is by Ellen Kushner herself, and even though it's really just an introduction, it's got the magic!
Here we meet the Duchess of Tremontaine, a savvy but less-than-compassionate woman seeking to restore the family fortunes (and, it seems, not succeeding).
Ixkaab Balam is a young woman from a Mayan-influenced culture, sent away by her chocolate-trading merchant family for unspecified transgressions. She has a secret ambition to become a renowned swordswoman, and is full of fantastic notions of honor and chivalry, ready to run off to Riverside and get into trouble at the drop of a brightly-colored scarf.
Finally, Micah is a farmer girl who's a socially awkward math genius. On an errand, she gets lost and falls in with a number of students who immediately appreciate her remarkable skill at card games.
How will these three stories connect? On to the sequels to find out!
If you are a fan of 'Swordspoint,' 'The Privilege of the Sword' and 'The Fall of the Kings,' do not miss this one!
April 4, 2021
It is through Realm (formerly known as Serial Box) that I get a chance to listen to the entire 4 seasons of Tremontaine. I’ve read two short stories set in the Tremontaine universe earlier this year and I loved them so I’m very excited to dive in again.
Tremontaine is the prequel to the cult classic Swordspoint, brought to you by the collaborative effort of a team of writers under the creative direction of Ellen Kushner herself.
Duchess Diane de Tremontaine, the crowning gem of her city's high class, sits in her manor's window on The Hill and looks over her domain with eyes that cut and a mind that schemes. From below, and far away from the glitz of wealth, a poor country farm girl named Micah looks only toward her family, the harvest, and the complex web of math that entrances her.
At the Docks, Ixkaab Balam surveys that same city from the deck of her family's merchant vessel and sees a land to manipulate for fortune and fun. And at the University, a passionate scholar named Rafe bristles at the classism that dictates his world and harbors revolution in his blood.
I love the narration of Katherine Kellgren and Sarah Mollo-Christensen. Kellgren’s voice for Duchess Diane is absolutely delish.
Note: On the Realm site you see the text scrolling as you listen to the audio, a very pleasant experience.
f/f, m/m, m/f it’s all very fluent and gay
Themes: sex, swordplay, scandal and hot chocolate!
5 Stars
Tremontaine is the prequel to the cult classic Swordspoint, brought to you by the collaborative effort of a team of writers under the creative direction of Ellen Kushner herself.
Duchess Diane de Tremontaine, the crowning gem of her city's high class, sits in her manor's window on The Hill and looks over her domain with eyes that cut and a mind that schemes. From below, and far away from the glitz of wealth, a poor country farm girl named Micah looks only toward her family, the harvest, and the complex web of math that entrances her.
At the Docks, Ixkaab Balam surveys that same city from the deck of her family's merchant vessel and sees a land to manipulate for fortune and fun. And at the University, a passionate scholar named Rafe bristles at the classism that dictates his world and harbors revolution in his blood.
I love the narration of Katherine Kellgren and Sarah Mollo-Christensen. Kellgren’s voice for Duchess Diane is absolutely delish.
Note: On the Realm site you see the text scrolling as you listen to the audio, a very pleasant experience.
f/f, m/m, m/f it’s all very fluent and gay
Themes: sex, swordplay, scandal and hot chocolate!
5 Stars
August 24, 2016
This entry into the Tremontaine series is to set up the characters. I enjoy the fact that Micah is a girl, and a character type that is usually done as a boy. Enjoyable start by fantasy's Jane Austen (with more swords than weddings).
December 29, 2015
I had to wait until Christmas break to finally get started on these, and I'm glad I did because I read eight episodes back-to-back and only stopped because I hadn't slept for like a full day. The deal with this series is, it's set in Ellen Kushner's Swordpoint universe -- 15 years before the first book kicks off; Alec is just a baby in the opening paragraphs of Arrivals -- and being published in weekly installments from Serialbox Publishing. Each episode costs around two bucks and is written by a different person on the Tremontaine team. I got into it because of Malinda Lo, who wrote episodes four and eight, but I'm enjoying every episode by every writer immensely. For starters, it's the gayest thing I've read this entire year. Stories where sexuality is a non-issue are still so rare! It also includes a hotheaded swashbuckling queer woman of color, which is a thing I'm never going to pass up. All in all, we're hearing this tale of intrigue from the viewpoints of three women (the aforementioned swashbuckler, a farmer-turned-mathematician named Micah, and the lovable/hatable Duchess Tremontaine herself) and one male scholar whose got more gay game than an army of Blaine Warblers. Their paths are twisting and turning around each other in what's sure to be an explosive climax, with plenty of smooching along the way.
October 3, 2018
A promising start! Rather enjoyed that. Love the little bite-sized episode format. :)
April 17, 2016
Arrivals is the first 'episode' of a serial set in the same world as Swordspoint (my book review for which, by the way, is generally 'AHHHHHHHHHHH!' accompanied by much flailing).
It follows Diane's time period, so Alec Campion has just been born, and I've always been interested in knowing her story! She's such a mysterious character when she's in Swordspoint so it's fantastic to see things not just from her point of view, but from a time when she still has a few rough edges.
There are a myriad of other characters, whose stories will intertwine soon, I'm sure, and they're pretty interesting in their own right (if a tad annoying in their innocence and ignorance) but I'll have to admit that I am primarily invested for Diane.
The downside to this is that it's being released as 'episodes' in a serial, and I'm really not good at keeping up with things on a regular subscription basis. (Also, $2 an episode for 16ish episodes is way more than I'd pay for a complete book.) Additionally, each episode will actually be written by a different writer, so I'm not sure how it'll all blend together (it's sometimes too obvious when different writers have written different episodes in tv). I'll likely wait until all the episodes are out and get the whole thing at once.
It follows Diane's time period, so Alec Campion has just been born, and I've always been interested in knowing her story! She's such a mysterious character when she's in Swordspoint so it's fantastic to see things not just from her point of view, but from a time when she still has a few rough edges.
There are a myriad of other characters, whose stories will intertwine soon, I'm sure, and they're pretty interesting in their own right (if a tad annoying in their innocence and ignorance) but I'll have to admit that I am primarily invested for Diane.
The downside to this is that it's being released as 'episodes' in a serial, and I'm really not good at keeping up with things on a regular subscription basis. (Also, $2 an episode for 16ish episodes is way more than I'd pay for a complete book.) Additionally, each episode will actually be written by a different writer, so I'm not sure how it'll all blend together (it's sometimes too obvious when different writers have written different episodes in tv). I'll likely wait until all the episodes are out and get the whole thing at once.
October 29, 2015
This is season 1, episode 1, of Tremontaine, which is being released as a serial by serialbox.com. In Riverside time, it precedes Ellen Kushner's brilliant Swordspoint: the birth of the soon-to-be-in/famous Alec is mentioned in this installment. Three promising plot threads are introduced here. Spinner of the first is the shrewd, beautiful, and politically savvy Diane, Duchess Tremontaine, known in her later years to readers of Swordspoint. Next is Ixkaab Balam, headstrong daughter of a powerful trading family -- whose wealth is based in chocolate, which the city's nobility can't live without. And finally there's Micah, a farm girl who doesn't yet realize that her gift for mathematics is highly unusual. By the end of episode 1, the plots are already thickening nicely. Episode 1 can be had for free. I'm betting that you will get hooked -- I sure did -- but rest assured that though subsequent weekly installments are available only by subscription, the fee is very modest. For fans of sparkling, stylish fantasy, especially everyone who's ever visited Riverside.
March 9, 2016
There's a whole 13-part prequel series to my beloved Riverside books and nobody told me about it? I'll gladly take any chance to return to this wonderful intrigue- and swordplay-filled world, so this discovery absolutely made my day. The beginning, introducing both characters already familiar from Swordspoint and newly created additions to the cast, is certainly promising - looking forward to seeing these characters cross paths in the following parts!
October 8, 2016
Okay let me start out by saying that there is nothing wrong with it. The writing is nice, the characters feel real and pretty flushed out. The plot was a little perky still but I didn't get far into the series. That was my problem, I just could not get into it. I tried and tried. I don't really know why it didn't click with me. I will not be continuing this serial at all.
*I was given this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
*I was given this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*
October 30, 2015
I AM SO EXCITED TO BE BACK IN THE CITY. There are so many ways I have longed for the cobbled cramped streets of Riverside, with its danger and blood; the hungry ravens of the University; the bitchy finery and refinery of the Hill.
There are 3 ongoing plot lines, one following my very favorite Duchess Tremontaine, known and loved from Swordspoint and the stories in The Privilege of the Sword, another with Micah, a neuro-atypical math savant kid getting into trouble at the University, and my new fave, a foreign trader named Ixkaab Balam, who wants to be a swordswoman and is itching for trouble, and who got one of the top lines of this "episode"-- "The agent laughed with the patronizing amusement of one not used to hearing his language imperfectly understood. What a hick!" (AMAZING. WHAT A TURNABOUT OF A LINE)
Anyway! So much diversity in storytelling main characters, so much casual queerness, so many subtle noble power games and passive aggression, so many promises of FURTHER SWORDS, LADIES LADIES EVERYWHERE, etc etc, I knew this would be amazing based on the authors and the premise and it IS.
The format is also AMAZING I love serial writing, can't wait to read this over the next couple months!
There are 3 ongoing plot lines, one following my very favorite Duchess Tremontaine, known and loved from Swordspoint and the stories in The Privilege of the Sword, another with Micah, a neuro-atypical math savant kid getting into trouble at the University, and my new fave, a foreign trader named Ixkaab Balam, who wants to be a swordswoman and is itching for trouble, and who got one of the top lines of this "episode"-- "The agent laughed with the patronizing amusement of one not used to hearing his language imperfectly understood. What a hick!" (AMAZING. WHAT A TURNABOUT OF A LINE)
Anyway! So much diversity in storytelling main characters, so much casual queerness, so many subtle noble power games and passive aggression, so many promises of FURTHER SWORDS, LADIES LADIES EVERYWHERE, etc etc, I knew this would be amazing based on the authors and the premise and it IS.
The format is also AMAZING I love serial writing, can't wait to read this over the next couple months!
February 8, 2018
Was a recommendation from a friend of mine, figured why not give it a try and was my first read from Ellen Kushner.
Found it interesting, although parts were easy reading, a couple of times when ever she was talking about a particular character, the writings more complex, repetitive and almost seems like it's two authors wrote this one.
Definitely will keep reading this series, liked both Micah and Ixkaab characters, they are both interesting and connectable to the reader.
Found it interesting, although parts were easy reading, a couple of times when ever she was talking about a particular character, the writings more complex, repetitive and almost seems like it's two authors wrote this one.
Definitely will keep reading this series, liked both Micah and Ixkaab characters, they are both interesting and connectable to the reader.
March 9, 2016
In the first of this serial, we meet the Duchess Tremontaine, an elite fashionista concerned with appearances and society; Micah, a farmhand who's an autistic savant; and Ixcaab, a swordswoman traveling across the seas--and they're all converging in the same city.
The first set up the characters without much plot, but the characters are enjoyable enough to continue. 3.5/5
The first set up the characters without much plot, but the characters are enjoyable enough to continue. 3.5/5
July 1, 2020
This is really cute.
September 7, 2016
Tremontaine - episodes 1 and 2 Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner is one of my favourite books, so I was an incredibly easy sell for this series - published weekly by Serialbox, Tremontaine is a prequel to that book set some 15 years earlier in the same universe. So far, I am in love once more with the whole universe Ellen Kushner has created and she is now letting other authors play in it with her as well.
Anyway, how the whole Serialbox thing works is that you subscribe and each week, for 13 weeks, you get a new part. It comes out in various ebook formats or as an audiobook, with the ebook running to about 45-50 pages and the audiobook being naturally significantly longer (episode 2, for example, clocked in at 1 hour and 38 minutes if I recall correctly). The audiobook is narrated by a number of different people, so it's not just a straight reading of the text, and so far I've decided that's the route I'm going to go with Tremontaine.
Here's how the website describes it, since I can't really sum it up much better than this:
A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; her husband’s dangerous affair with a handsome scholar; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius on the brink of revolution—when long-buried lies threaten to come to light, betrayal and treachery know no bounds with stakes this high. Mind your manners and enjoy the chocolate in a dance of sparkling wit and political intrigue.
I've very much enjoyed the two episodes I've heard so far and am looking forward eagerly to next week's installment - it's a close-run thing to say who is my favourite of the characters, with the main contenders being Kaab and Micah. Kaab is so clearly an outsider, not quite as adept as she thinks she is with the culture in which she now finds herself, while Micah is so very fascinated by numbers, even while simultaneously being used by others to make money by counting cards in the local taverns! Can't wait to see how these storylines develop...
Anyway, how the whole Serialbox thing works is that you subscribe and each week, for 13 weeks, you get a new part. It comes out in various ebook formats or as an audiobook, with the ebook running to about 45-50 pages and the audiobook being naturally significantly longer (episode 2, for example, clocked in at 1 hour and 38 minutes if I recall correctly). The audiobook is narrated by a number of different people, so it's not just a straight reading of the text, and so far I've decided that's the route I'm going to go with Tremontaine.
Here's how the website describes it, since I can't really sum it up much better than this:
A Duchess whose beauty is matched only by her cunning; her husband’s dangerous affair with a handsome scholar; a foreigner in a playground of swordplay and secrets; and a mathematical genius on the brink of revolution—when long-buried lies threaten to come to light, betrayal and treachery know no bounds with stakes this high. Mind your manners and enjoy the chocolate in a dance of sparkling wit and political intrigue.
I've very much enjoyed the two episodes I've heard so far and am looking forward eagerly to next week's installment - it's a close-run thing to say who is my favourite of the characters, with the main contenders being Kaab and Micah. Kaab is so clearly an outsider, not quite as adept as she thinks she is with the culture in which she now finds herself, while Micah is so very fascinated by numbers, even while simultaneously being used by others to make money by counting cards in the local taverns! Can't wait to see how these storylines develop...
June 10, 2016
I don't read much speculative fic (it was only through recs that I discovered this) but I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I don't know if I'll continue because there are three major characters, and I was only really compelled by one and that was Micah's POV. But the world building here is fantastic and rich, making it so easy and fun to visualise. A truly original, interesting read. If you want to check it out and see if this is something you would enjoy, the first episode is free.
December 5, 2017
Wonderful, and provided many interesting insights into a character we, or at least I, love to hate, Diane, Duchess Tremontaine.
February 7, 2017
Ok I'm pretty/very obsessed with this now, will maybe consume all the "episodes" in one day??
November 21, 2015
First installment of a serial. Enjoyable read that introduces the characters and place.
February 12, 2022
Introduction chapter. Really, these episodes are more like separate chapters, the story just continues as it would normally - just with different writers. The story takes place before Swordspoint, in fact Alec has just been born (so, around 20 years before Swordspoint? I don't recall Alec's age ever being stated, but I'm pretty sure he was in his early twenties). I'm curious to see the story of his grandparents - I already know Diane, of course, but William was never mentioned before, just like the entire nation that Ixkaab comes from. Swordspoint did not need much world building for the purposes of the story, but it will be nice to learn a bit more about the world. Like, for example, the name of the city itself... and of the country, ahah.
September 19, 2020
I'm burning through the entire Riverside series this autumn.
Initially I was skeptical of the Serial Box concept of multiple authors writing in tandem (too many cooks, and so on), but Ellen Kushner shows us that all it takes is a good showrunner.
Arrivals is a solid opener, though inevitably more of a setup for more exciting things to come. The characters are immediately distinguished and intriguing, and the setting is as stellar as ever.
Initially I was skeptical of the Serial Box concept of multiple authors writing in tandem (too many cooks, and so on), but Ellen Kushner shows us that all it takes is a good showrunner.
Arrivals is a solid opener, though inevitably more of a setup for more exciting things to come. The characters are immediately distinguished and intriguing, and the setting is as stellar as ever.
June 15, 2017
Thoroughly enjoyed this installment!
December 28, 2017
3.5 stars
July 20, 2018
This was a pretty good pilot and I can't wait to know more about the characters and this whole new world.
September 22, 2016
Ellen Kushner and her friends are writing short stories or novellas set in Riverside and the Swordspoint universe again! Yay! Woo Hoo! There are a bunch of new characters, new societies, this novel is capable of standing alone. Or of being read before the original novels, if one finds these first. What fun! Read on Kindle.
February 27, 2016
Even at just under 2 hours (audio book), I could barely finish this first installment of a new fantasy work that is being released in serialized form. As I listened, I cringed and grimaced with each awkward simile, each stereotyped character, each superfluous detail. I thought, wow, it’s so obvious this is a first novel, the bad grammar and misused words grating more and more with each passing minute.
For instance, I wondered why a “noblewoman” would describe another character as “clueless” when the rest of her speech was written in a (bad) attempt at “High English.” It’s not that I object to “clueless” as a word in general, but I do object when it is placed in the mouth of a character that is otherwise speaking English that is so stilted and Olde Fashioned that I half expected her to break into iambic pentameter at any moment. “Surely you can’t have been missing me already?” --her first sentence in the book—is a prime example.
Imagine my surprise when, upon doing a bit of research in order to finish this review, I realized that Ms. Kushner is the author of a well-loved fantasy series! I am still trying to get my mind around that piece of information, because the heavy-handed descriptions of place, the overuse of dialog and the creaky plot felt nothing like the work of someone who had already published a successful novel.
I was drawn to give this serial a try because it features not one, but three strong female protagonists, and because it purportedly deals even-handedly with queer issues. Unfortunately, I cannot get beyond the stilted writing style to listen beyond this first episode. Even though I understand that other chapters are written by other authors, this inauspicious beginning has me running to download something completely different for my next audio listening experience.
[I listened to this as an audio book. The passages about the Duchess are performed by Katherine Kellgren in a snarky and exaggeratedly aristocratic voice that I think had a lot to do with my antipathy toward the whole book. Two other narrators read other passages of the book with more naturalness but still not enough to make me want to buy Chapter Two.]
For instance, I wondered why a “noblewoman” would describe another character as “clueless” when the rest of her speech was written in a (bad) attempt at “High English.” It’s not that I object to “clueless” as a word in general, but I do object when it is placed in the mouth of a character that is otherwise speaking English that is so stilted and Olde Fashioned that I half expected her to break into iambic pentameter at any moment. “Surely you can’t have been missing me already?” --her first sentence in the book—is a prime example.
Imagine my surprise when, upon doing a bit of research in order to finish this review, I realized that Ms. Kushner is the author of a well-loved fantasy series! I am still trying to get my mind around that piece of information, because the heavy-handed descriptions of place, the overuse of dialog and the creaky plot felt nothing like the work of someone who had already published a successful novel.
I was drawn to give this serial a try because it features not one, but three strong female protagonists, and because it purportedly deals even-handedly with queer issues. Unfortunately, I cannot get beyond the stilted writing style to listen beyond this first episode. Even though I understand that other chapters are written by other authors, this inauspicious beginning has me running to download something completely different for my next audio listening experience.
[I listened to this as an audio book. The passages about the Duchess are performed by Katherine Kellgren in a snarky and exaggeratedly aristocratic voice that I think had a lot to do with my antipathy toward the whole book. Two other narrators read other passages of the book with more naturalness but still not enough to make me want to buy Chapter Two.]
March 15, 2016
This story is so good! Tremontaine is from the point of view of three women each trying to be something else. The Duchess is keeping up appearances, the Trader wants to wield a sword, and the Farmer wants to be a Scholar... or Card Sharp. It's hard to tell with her. Tremontaine is set in the same world as Swordspoint. In just this short chapter the characters, their histories, and their motivations are all well established. As with Swordspoint, there are several gay and lesbian characters, and they are treated no better or worse than anyone else. In this installment the POV characters do not know each other or intersect, and I'm really interested to find out how they eventually meet and what happens when they do.
The audio version is read by a different person for each point of view. This is not my favorite type of reading since it makes listening feel choppy and takes a while to acclimate to each reader. They also have hired actors instead of narrators. Actors focus on the performance while narrators convey the story, so sometimes the performance gets in the way of understanding what's going on. That said, the readers are all very professional and so far the story stays with each POV long enough for me to sink in.
Arrivals is part 1 of the serialized novel Tremontine available through Serialbox.com. The first episode is free in audio or e-form.
The audio version is read by a different person for each point of view. This is not my favorite type of reading since it makes listening feel choppy and takes a while to acclimate to each reader. They also have hired actors instead of narrators. Actors focus on the performance while narrators convey the story, so sometimes the performance gets in the way of understanding what's going on. That said, the readers are all very professional and so far the story stays with each POV long enough for me to sink in.
Arrivals is part 1 of the serialized novel Tremontine available through Serialbox.com. The first episode is free in audio or e-form.
May 25, 2016
Really like how this is beginning. It reminds me very much, structurally, of a premium cable show, which isn't a bad thing. Lots of distinct storylines established, which will certainly intersect and mesh together.
Not a lot to say yet, but excited to keep reading.
UPDATE:
I've now finished the series and definitely recommend it. It's a very cool experiment as a series but also just an exceptional piece of work. The series explores race, sexuality, gender, class, culture, and economics, while staying humorous and peppering in real drama and tension and violence and love.
It's beautifully done and I can't wait for more.
Also, I recommend listening to the episodes because then you get the added benefit of the voice actors, who do great work.
Not a lot to say yet, but excited to keep reading.
UPDATE:
I've now finished the series and definitely recommend it. It's a very cool experiment as a series but also just an exceptional piece of work. The series explores race, sexuality, gender, class, culture, and economics, while staying humorous and peppering in real drama and tension and violence and love.
It's beautifully done and I can't wait for more.
Also, I recommend listening to the episodes because then you get the added benefit of the voice actors, who do great work.
January 7, 2017
Good introduction to the serial, with fascinating characters. I had forgotten this was in the same world as Swordspoint when I started reading, but, as I read, I kept thinking, "This reminds me of Swordspoint...", and then a few key details made it very obvious it had to be in the same world. Lots of fun, with more variety in characters than Swordspoint (a duchess, a foreigner who's learned just enough swordplay to get herself in trouble, and an autistic youth in town to sell turnips).
Note: In the original Swordspoint, and so far in this prequel, there was no magic or anything else to merit the name "fantasy," other than the town of Riverside and its peculiar blend of politics and violence are entirely fictional.
Note: In the original Swordspoint, and so far in this prequel, there was no magic or anything else to merit the name "fantasy," other than the town of Riverside and its peculiar blend of politics and violence are entirely fictional.
December 1, 2015
(Good enough to encourage me to check out the next volumes at some point, but not quite to encourage me to spend on the subscription. I guess I'm not quite the right market for it, since I'm just not quite into the serialised format, and the American prices are somewhat steep considering the length of each installment.
But I'd probably be tempted if there was ever any discount.)
The characters were fun, the world sounded interesting, the story - compelling, but I wish it was more of a real story and not just a teaser to justify the purchase of the next episode.
But I'd probably be tempted if there was ever any discount.)
The characters were fun, the world sounded interesting, the story - compelling, but I wish it was more of a real story and not just a teaser to justify the purchase of the next episode.
January 3, 2017
I know many, many readers love this. I wanted to see if I absolutely had to read the serials before reading Swordspoint. I tried it since it was free but either bad reading mojo has hit me or it was just what is was -I didn't get much 'joy' from it.
Think I might still buy Swordspoint -joy may turn up there.
Edit to say, uh,uh I'm gonna buy Swordspoint. Pity ebooks doesn't come with return policy, you know :) -bought it.
Think I might still buy Swordspoint -joy may turn up there.
Edit to say, uh,uh I'm gonna buy Swordspoint. Pity ebooks doesn't come with return policy, you know :) -bought it.
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