Warrior

Hythrun Chronicles: Wolfblade #2

by Jennifer Fallon

It is eight years since Marla Wolfblade buried her second husband. In that time, she has become the power behind Hythria's throne -- as much from a desire to control her own destiny in any way she can, as to protect her son, young Damin.

But while Marla plays the games of politics and diplomacy, the High Arrion of the Sorcerers' Collective is plotting to destroy her -- and the entire Wolfblade line.

And while Marla's power and fortune are great, they may yet not be enough to protect herself and her family from the High Arrion's wrath -- and her only ally and confidant, Elezaar the Fool, is toying with the idea of betrayal.

For he has discovered that the infamous Rules of Gaining and Wielding Power are not so useful when his own family is involved...

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Epic Fantasy, High Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Ebooks, Romance

512 pages, Hardcover

First published December 15, 2005

About the author

Fallon is the author of 17 full-length bestselling novels and a number of published short stories in genres ranging from horror to science fiction.

In addition to 4 complete fantasy series - The Demon Child trilogy, The Hythrun Chronicles, the Second Sons Trilogy,The Tide Lords Quadrilogy and the Rift Runners series - Fallon has written both a tie-novel and short fiction for the TV series, Stargate SG1, an official Zorro story, a novella for the Legends of Australian Fantasy Anthology and has a superhero - The Violet Valet (CHICKS IN CAPES).

Fallon has a Masters Degree from the Creative Arts faculty of QUT. A computer trainer and application specialist, Fallon currently works in the IT industry and spends at least a month each year working at Scott Base in Antarctica.

Reviews

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚 The Hythrun Chronicles reading order:
(Each series can be read independently.)
· Demon Child Trilogy, Book 1: Medalon ★★★★
· Demon Child Trilogy, Book 2: Treason Keep ★★★★
· Demon Child Trilogy, Book 3: Harshini ★★★★
· Wolfblade Trilogy, Book 1: Wolfblade ★★★★★
· Wolfblade Trilogy, Book 2: Warrior ★★★★★
· Wolfblade Trilogy, Book 3: Warlord ★★★★★
· Standalone novella: First Kill ★★★
· War of the Gods, Book 1: The Lyre Thief ★★★★★
· War of the Gods, Book 2: Retribution ★★★★★
· War of the Gods, Book 3: Covenant · to be published. Maybe.

[Aleshanee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Im 2. und 3. Band geht es weiter im Kampf um die Macht in Hythria - die Autorin spinnt das Netz der Intrigen und Ränke weiter und entwickelt ein komplexes Zusammenspiel, das eine unglaubliche Sogwirkung entstehen lässt!

Seit Band 1 sind im der Geschichte einige Jahre vergangen und die Regenten, Großfürsten, Kriegsherren und die Magier Gilde buhlen weiter um die Führung des Landes Hythria. Im Mittelpunkt steht noch immer Marla Wulfskling, die Schwester des Großfürsten, doch auch ihre Kinder sowie Nichten und Neffen erreichen langsam das heiratsfähige Alter und müssen ihren Plänen folgen. Dass das nicht immer gelingt ist klar, denn auch andere haben bedeutende Ziele abgesteckt und schrecken vor Mordanschlägen nicht zurück ...

Ich find es unglaublich genial, wie fesselnd die Autorin diese umfangreiche Handlung zusammenstrickt und dabei immer wieder große Spannungsmomente aufbaut. Während dem Lesen war ich mitten im Geschehen und hab mit den Figuren mitgefiebert und mitgelitten, denn die Entscheidungen und Konsequenzen sind nicht immer überschaubar und beeinflussen ihre Schicksale weitreichend.

Der Schreibstil ist angenehm flüssig zu lesen und trotz der Länge der Bände gab es für mich keine langwierigen Stellen. Manchmal vielleicht, weil ich einfach zu ungeduldig war, oder das Kapitel an einer extrem spannenden Stelle gewechselt hat und ich kaum erwarten konnte, was andernorts weiter passiert, aber das ist einfach meiner zu großen Neugier geschuldet :D
Das Finale in Band 2 zum Beispiel war sehr nervenaufreibend und man darf hier vor Brutalität und gnadenlosem Handeln nicht zurückschrecken - da musste ich mich echt bremsen beim Lesen weil ich gar nicht schnell genug vorankommen konnte!

Auch bahnt sich ein Krieg zum benachbarten Fardohnja an, der außergewöhnliches Vorgehen erfordert. Die Magie spielt natürlich auch eine zwar kleine Rolle, allerdings mit großen Auswirkungen und ich bin fasziniert von den vielen Ideen, die Jennifer Fallon hier vereint hat.

Eine für mich grandiose Reihe, die jeden Fantasy Fan begeistern wird, der die Dramatik um hinterhältige Machenschaften und einem perfiden Netzwerk der Figuren zu schätzen weiß mit dem Bonus eines gelungenen Weltensystems, einfallsreichen Figuren und abwechslungsreicher Handlung.

Danach sollte man unbedingt auch in der Dämonenkind Saga lesen, wie es weitergeht ;)

[Jersy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The biggest detrement of this series for me are the time jumps (and that I waitet that long between books, but that's my own fault). I'm really engaged, but so many developements in the characters lives happen off-page that I'm sometimes not sure if I know them anymore. I also think the conflicts in this book felt a bit less unique and intricate than in book one, but I still enjoyed most of them. There were two developements towards the ending, however, that soured the experiece for me. On a positive note: that one plotthreat that I didn't connect with in book 1 now feels like an organic part of the story to me.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature. We review SFF, horror, and comics for adults and kids, in print and audio daily. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...

Warrior is the second installment in Jennifer Fallon’s WOLFBLADE trilogy, a prequel to her DEMON CHILD trilogy. Both trilogies make up the HYTHRUN CHRONICLES. In the first book, Wolfblade, which you’ll definitely want to read before picking up Warrior, we were introduced to Marla Wolfblade, sister to Lernen Wolfblade, the High Prince of Hythria. When we first met Marla, she was a bubble-headed blonde teenager dreaming of marrying a handsome warlord. At the end of the very long (600 pages, 25 hours in audio format) story, Marla had become a cynical and savvy politician and the most powerful woman in Hythria, thanks to her dwarf slave and a series of unfortunate politically-motivated disasters including adultery, betrayals, kidnappings, and assassinations.

Warrior picks up eight years later. Marla, the richest woman in Hythria, is now basically running the country while her brother, the High Prince, debauches himself. Marla’s one goal is to keep Hythria and its throne safe for her son Damin. Her greatest enemy is Alija Eaglespike, the High Arrion, who wants her own son to be High Prince. In an attempt to discover Marla’s secrets and plans, Alija tries to get Elezaar, the dwarf who is Marla’s tutor and confidante, to betray Marla.

Meanwhile Mahkas, who’s acting as regent of Krakandar province until Damin is 25, is doing his own scheming. He plans to raise his family to nobility by marrying his daughter to Damin, despite the fact that they don’t love each other. Mahkas has been a good regent so far, but as we saw in the first book, he can be brutal when something gets in his way. Marla’s other children and stepchildren are also growing up, of course, and she wants to make sure that each is placed in a position that’s powerful enough to help Damin. They are tools, but she loves them and wants them to be happy tools. Much of the story focuses on these kids, which is a nice change of pace. The story spans about twelve years, so we see each of them grow up.

In addition to all of the political intrigue in Hythria, Marla also has to worry about the plague that is devastating the populace. Across the border, the Fardohnian king has his own reasons for bringing down the Wolfblade family, and this seems to be an opportune time to attack. At the end of Warrior, the political landscape has been completely changed, Marla’s family has another major tragedy that will have far-reaching consequences, and Marla begins to wonder if her love for her children, and especially her desire to protect Damin, have turned her into a monster.

Readers who loved the characters and political drama of Wolfblade will be happy with Warrior. It’s just as brutal, twisty, and tragic. It’s a big (26 hours on audio!) epic soap opera. It’s Dynasty with swords and magic. For the most part, I was absorbed in the story, but I found myself occasionally getting impatient with the slow pace. Also, as I’ve mentioned before, I don’t completely believe in the Hythrun society’s gods and guilds. I won’t give the particulars again, because I’ve done that in other reviews, but my skepticism about the society means that I have a hard time believing some of the plot. For example, why didn’t Elezaar just lie? Why can’t Marla just pay to have Alija assassinated? (Or vice versa?) It seems like that’d be easier, faster and more effective than setting up these convoluted schemes to bring each other down.

I listened to Audible Studio’s version of Warrior. Maggie Mash, the narrator, has an attractive and suitable voice. Her pace is too slow, but I was able to fix that by tripling the playback speed (this has no effect on the pitch). Her reading of some of her dialogue is choppy and stilted, which is slightly annoying, but not enough to keep me from recommending this version.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series. This follows on from Wolfblade and follows Marla's children a lot more. The book still has a lot of intrigue and shows that women really hold a lot of unofficial power in this world.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I liked "Warrior", I found its uneven pacing infuriating. The book crawls at a snails pace, then leaps forward a decade, only to crawl again. It also kept switching character viewpoints, a trend carried over from "WolfBlade."

Another issue I had, which I find in a lot of middle books in trilogies, is that there was no single overarching plot. The story was going in a lot of different directions, and it feels like the whole 600+ pages of this book were just a way to set everything up for the third book.

Despite my issues with the pacing, the story is really good, and I am looking forward to reading "Warlord", the finale of the trilogy, and seeing if it makes it worth it.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this book six stars if I could. I found it even more difficult than the first book in the series to put down, and it wasn't far from my thoughts when I wasn't reading it. There was a gap of many years between the books, which was a little surprising, but the events were covered well enough. And when the action finally erupted into a delicious and protracted climax, I was shocked, at both the content and the possible repercussions. The resolution, while not solving everything did answer my most searching questions, for which I'm grateful, as well as leaving enough unanswered to make the last book a real page turner, which I am really looking forward to.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love being able to see the connections between these books and the Demon Child Trilogy. I find it amazing that Fallon can create a whole world and stay true to the timeline (I would hate to see if they tried to make a movie). I was able to predict Leila's suicide (although I thought Starros would follow), but really, Eleazar too? Way to rip my heart out Fallon.

[Connie53]

Zo maar een boek uit de kast pakken en ontdekken dat het een erg leuke serie is. Dat is wel een mooie verrassing. Heerlijk om te lezen en ik was er ook binnen een paar dagen doorheen. Gelijk door in het derde deel.

[Dylan Madeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm trying to pin down why I enjoyed this one more whole star than its predecessor, other than having immersed myself in that world already for a 600+ page book. It's still got some of the similar things about it that made me uneasy reading the last one, the casual treatment of slavery that's probably historically accurate to various empires and time periods (it's a created world, but like created worlds often do, it looks at our physical one and shares many of the same warts), the dark material etc. But maybe I liked the young "crop" of characters here and found them more compelling to read about. When I say "young", some of them are not much younger than I am by the time the book's finished. Perhaps I did intellectually appreciate Marla Wolfblade's transformation as a character, but actually enjoyed reading about the other characters more, so this book that's more about her children and the children of other first-book characters just read easier for me right from the start. However, I can't give half-stars, which is why my review of the first book has its stars count rounded down. And because it felt like a better read, this time I rounded up. It sets up a potentially compelling third book, which I have upstairs, so I'm going to find out shortly.

[Charlotte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book much better than the first in the series, Wolfblade. I thought the plot and writing style were more cohesive and the characters more accessible. I wish the author would include a few family charts - that would help with all the new names. I end up writing them myself to keep track of everyone. Can't wait to read Warlord!

[Tara DePompei · Rating 1 out of 5]

I don't know why I keep reading these . . .

[Corey J Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great second book, without spoiling alot, I have to say I just loved the feelings felt and descriptions of them it was almost palpable it was so intense, great series a must read.

[Wipqozn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. The last 1/4 was nuts.

[A.R. Hellbender · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the world of the Hythrun chronicles, and Jennifer Fallon creates such great political intrigue, and this book was no exception.
The villains I have seen in her books so far have been so well written. In this book, we get a villain who is as bad as he is because he believes so strongly that he's doing the right thing, to the point that he actually convinces himself of what really happened, or what the circumstances are, with the certainty of an actual crazy person.

One weak point of this book is the same as I saw in the Demon Child Trilogy. In that series, I felt like the main character was just assigned a personality rather than having one that is shown to the reader (i.e. We're told in the narrative that she's ruthless and spoiled, etc, etc but she never does anything that seems that way at all).
The same thing happened in this book. We are told several times that Damin makes himself out to be a shallow, frivolous, dim-witted person in order to protect himself. When we are following other characters' points-of-view, we see that they're wondering if Damin is really that way or just pretends he is, etc. but we are never shown anything in the whole book that would exhibit him being shallow or pretending to be.

[Ashleigh Motbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyed this book more than any of the others in this series (including Demon Child). I thought the character dynamics and the different storylines were intriguing and easy to follow along. I felt anger at Mahkas and his denial over his own actions, saddened over the position he brought upon other characters and frustrated that no one else was able to see what an idiot he was. I felt frustrated (In a good way) over Alija and the inactive battle of wills between her and Marla. Damin is such a lovable young prince, and having read Demon Child first, I'm pleased to know of his outcome.

The other characters were great and likeable and I'm looking forward to picking up Warlord now, to see how everything ends!

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best book in the series so far. Over the 6 books in the hythrun chronicles, Jennifer Fallon's writing has improved immensely.

Although I have to admit I am more than a little peeved I waited almost 400 pages for the stealing of Krakander's people only for it to jump from "it'll happen in two days" to "it happened three days ago". It was one of the most interesting storylines and it was just.... not written in.

Also Alija's death really irked me too. Why go through all the trouble of setting it up that well just to have it all done and dusted and over, consequence free and far too conveniently.

I would have loved for both of these to have more detail, more consequences and more ramifications. All that said, it really was the best of the six books by far.

[Dominique "Eerie" Sobieska · Rating 4 out of 5]

The treachery continues in Warrior. 9 years after Wolfblade, Marla and her family still fight to maintain control of the kingdom, in the shadows until Damin becomes the High Prince of Hythrun.

I still loved the whole setting in this chapter. A new cast joins, many of them we knew from Wolfblade as nothing more than toddlers and children. The story seems to prepare us for Warlord and how they fared. The characters are not as descriptive as in the previous book and the conflicts felt less dangerous and more about the children becoming of age and preparing for Damin's ascension to the throne one day.

With how things ended, I hope the conclusion of Warlord will be spectacular.

[Amanda Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the 5th book in the series that I've read and so far it has been the worst of the books. I found that we were 3/4ths of the way through or more before it even started getting interesting.

There were a lot of characters that I was sad to lose, but having read her first series first I knew they weren't in it so I knew that something had to happen to get rid of those characters but I expected it to be in the next book. I guess it was more impactful in this book.

I can't say much about it except there was just so much she was putting in to prove why the characters were where they were for the next trilogy

[Overbooked ✎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as the first book in this series IMO, too many characters makes this sequel harder to follow and care for. The story is quite intresting especially towards the end. It was sad to lose the character I was rooting for (Elezaar the Fool), however, I am inrigued by Damin development and the future of the Wolfblade family. I will probably continue reading their saga.
3.5 stars rounded up

[Kathleen Pool · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing fantasy series. I recently realized I only had the middle book of both trilogy’s. Well, that was a mistake I fixed and re-read the books as a reward for filling out my shelves. Loved it when I read them as a young adult and love them more now. So much depth and character development, an interesting magic system and political power struggles. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a book they can’t put down.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've mentally taken to calling this series 'unsubtle Game of Thrones'. Somehow it manages to be pretty enjoyable (even if there are the odd hamfisted moments here or there) and has the added bonus of being a bit more morally black and white than similar series.

This second book is largely superior to 'Wolfblade' due to considerably fewer bratty teenager viewpoint chapters.

[Zaryna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book!
Slow, yet still intriguing so I had no difficulty in reading it. Fallon knows how to write characters and she knows how to make the reader either love them or hate them. This book was very well written and it pulled out of me emotions I haven't felt for a book and its characters in a long time.
Highly recommend!
Onto #3 and finale!

[Celia Faiola · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite of all the books so far. Lacked an overarching storyline/objective. Read like a transition from first to third book only. Ended on a very exciting note and look forward to the final book, but this book could have been half as long or eliminated entirely from the series.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Probably my least favourite of this trilogy - not because it wasn't good but because it was fairly obvious what had to happen in order to move the plot along. So, I wasn't really shocked about events that happened. Worth reading to get to the third ...

[Heather Rohrer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fast paced novel with adventure and political maneuvering. A great read!

[Cat {Pemberley and Beyond} · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first book in the series! Oh my gosh, the thorny ending of this one has me champing at the bit to get hold of a copy of the last part of the trilogy!

[Samantha Rooney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this several times, and I still find it an addictive read where I cannot wait turn the pages quickly enough

[Liz C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This trilogy is my find of the month. Excellent read.

[Shad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, hardly a full chapter. Literally couldn't out it down!