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The Knowing
The boy was a puzzle, abused by the priests of Oldspushner, trained with the knowing by the sisters of Treach, he was dying when the assassin found him. The boy grew into the man calling himself Garran of Lockmer, a soldier for hire with a well-known hatred of all things Ives. Able to leave a world of battle he became the Governor of Sheritan. Princess Fayahstella, future queen of Ives, must ask Garran for sanctuary in her flight from Caslock, the brutal conquer of her nation. She is no more than a helpless pawn sent by her father to petition the Court of Amor for aid, a trading piece for the Priest of Oldspushner to exchange with Caslock for power, and for Garran to use the time it takes to negotiate for her peaceful surrender to Caslock to evacuate the people of Sheritan. When the evacuation is finished the princess has disappeared, Garran is a prisoner on his way to Caslock's torture chambers and that is only the beginning. Factions of an ancient prophecy struggle to be fulfilled, one to save him and another to kill.
- GenresFantasy
300 pages, Paperback
First published October 13, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 26, 2018
First off, I'm not much on court or court intrigue so going in I knew this was going to be a difficult read for me. I'm not a religious person and the entire story had a middle eastern feel to it and their treatment of women is very off-putting to this reader. So we're talking three strikes before I even opened the book.
I did really like Garran and Fayahstella. However, the dialogue was so antiquated that every time the characters talked I had to read the passage more than once to figure out what the heck was actually being said. Originally I just thought there were lots of typos (missing words) then it occurred to me that that's the way it was meant. I find this very irritating.
I did really like Garran and Fayahstella. However, the dialogue was so antiquated that every time the characters talked I had to read the passage more than once to figure out what the heck was actually being said. Originally I just thought there were lots of typos (missing words) then it occurred to me that that's the way it was meant. I find this very irritating.
March 6, 2008
The plot of this book is about (royal) court intrigue. Combined with religious elements this makes for a very good read. Larriane Wills did a great job of immersing me into Garran's world. "The first meeting between Garran of Lockmer, Govener of Sheritan, and Princess Fayahstella, future Queen of Ives, did not go well. The difficulties began when Vasglow, the head of the house staff, tapped on the door to announce her arrival. A gaggle of voices in what sounded like dire urgency brought Garran to his feet before an attending lady, not Vasglow, opened the door."
The only down side to this book for me was the dialogue. While I appreciate the desire to give the characters their own accent, it was a little difficult to read. Not too difficult. Like trying to read, rather than hear, a Cockney accent. The descriptions of characters and places it terrific. This book would be of interest to all adults and older teens that enjoy the fantasy genre.
My personal favorite part, without giving too much away, was the exchange of "tokens of allegiance". You know what they are saying to each other while in front of others, without them coming right out and saying it. I found it very touching. I'd love it if there were a sequel. Perhaps one involving the couples child(ren) as adults. There were a couple of issues: 1) lack of open and/or close quotes, 2) a repeated misspelling of someone's name on one page. Nothing too distracting though.
On the whole I really enjoyed "The Knowing". The characters are fleshed out well, I felt like I was actually there a lot of the time. Feeling their love, loss, pain. "What Caslock thought of what Bashsay had done was difficult to tell. He looked over Garran's limp body, the back bloodied from the cuts from the whip and three bloody patches of raw flesh on his leg, while he walked by and ducked beneath the rope holding Garran on his knees."
I'm looking forward to reading more by Larriane Wills.
The only down side to this book for me was the dialogue. While I appreciate the desire to give the characters their own accent, it was a little difficult to read. Not too difficult. Like trying to read, rather than hear, a Cockney accent. The descriptions of characters and places it terrific. This book would be of interest to all adults and older teens that enjoy the fantasy genre.
My personal favorite part, without giving too much away, was the exchange of "tokens of allegiance". You know what they are saying to each other while in front of others, without them coming right out and saying it. I found it very touching. I'd love it if there were a sequel. Perhaps one involving the couples child(ren) as adults. There were a couple of issues: 1) lack of open and/or close quotes, 2) a repeated misspelling of someone's name on one page. Nothing too distracting though.
On the whole I really enjoyed "The Knowing". The characters are fleshed out well, I felt like I was actually there a lot of the time. Feeling their love, loss, pain. "What Caslock thought of what Bashsay had done was difficult to tell. He looked over Garran's limp body, the back bloodied from the cuts from the whip and three bloody patches of raw flesh on his leg, while he walked by and ducked beneath the rope holding Garran on his knees."
I'm looking forward to reading more by Larriane Wills.
April 15, 2008
It seems so very hard to find really good fantasy these days. Lately every promising title that I pick up is either some sort of fictional take off on The Da Vinci Code or the characters somehow end up being vampires. Both subgenres are so overdone, usually badly. I had almost given up hope until I found The Knowing.
The Knowing has the feel of the traditional fantasy that I had been craving and yet manages to keep the material fresh. The reader learns about the characters as the book progresses but is given little tidbits of information so that they can speculate what the true story is behind Garran's mysterious past; whether the woman pretending to be the princess is really Fayahstella or not; and whether Garran and Fayahstella are brother and sister or a potential couple.
Completely enjoyable. I have already recommended this one to my friends and family.
The Knowing has the feel of the traditional fantasy that I had been craving and yet manages to keep the material fresh. The reader learns about the characters as the book progresses but is given little tidbits of information so that they can speculate what the true story is behind Garran's mysterious past; whether the woman pretending to be the princess is really Fayahstella or not; and whether Garran and Fayahstella are brother and sister or a potential couple.
Completely enjoyable. I have already recommended this one to my friends and family.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews