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Thlassa Mey #1
Flight to Thlassa Mey
THE OUTCAST KNIGHT
When Berengeria, Princess of Carea, fled from the captivity of Lothar the Pale, she faced the awesome dangers and unknown perils of a long trip around the inland sea of Thlassa Mey. Behind her came the troops of Lothar--and worse, a minion of the evil, insane wizard Alyubol. For protection, she had only the help of Palamon, a bouncer from a disreputable inn.
But Palamon was more than he seemed. He was soon revealed as an outcast Knight of the goddess Palls. Bitterly he refused to speak of the strange cause of his disgrace. Yet there were mysteries in Palamon's past that even he could not know.
And as Palamon and Berengeria struggled through savage lands and wizard's traps, those mysteries were already reaching toward the future to ensnare the Princess and the gallant Knight in a fateful tangle of destiny.
When Berengeria, Princess of Carea, fled from the captivity of Lothar the Pale, she faced the awesome dangers and unknown perils of a long trip around the inland sea of Thlassa Mey. Behind her came the troops of Lothar--and worse, a minion of the evil, insane wizard Alyubol. For protection, she had only the help of Palamon, a bouncer from a disreputable inn.
But Palamon was more than he seemed. He was soon revealed as an outcast Knight of the goddess Palls. Bitterly he refused to speak of the strange cause of his disgrace. Yet there were mysteries in Palamon's past that even he could not know.
And as Palamon and Berengeria struggled through savage lands and wizard's traps, those mysteries were already reaching toward the future to ensnare the Princess and the gallant Knight in a fateful tangle of destiny.
319 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published March 1, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 29, 2016
Not a bad example of '80s "questing" fantasy. The prose, particularly the dialog, has a bit of a grand, aristocratic flair to it that reminds me a bit of both Tolstoy and Homer but does help to keep the reader immersed in the author's world. The group of protagonists are fairly well developed with above average depth and realistic motivations, but the forces arrayed against them seemed a little shallow and unconvincing. The book's downfall occurs during the climax, which I found to be extremely rushed and unsatisfying, as if the author suddenly decided to turn the novel into the beginning of a series instead of wrapping up the loose ends in one volume. Taken on its own, Flight to Thlassa Mey is an enjoyable read but gives little incentive to pursue the subsequent books of the series.
October 18, 2011
This book is fantasy gold. I wish the author had written more one-off books instead of making this book one in the so-so Thlassa Mey series. Maybe he just caught lightning in a bottle with this one, but its great over multiple readings.
June 17, 2012
This book part of my trek back in time to revisit some of the classic 80's fantasy series I enjoyed as a youngster. Love the Darrell K Sweet cover painting. Oh, and according to the author bio McCarty is from Vernal Utah. Leastways he was back in 85. Where is he now?.anyone out in goodreads land know?
April 7, 2021
Wait for the end; there's a reason for everything. In the mean time it's a pretty fun adventure.
October 5, 2023
Another one that doesn't make the cut in my ongoing purge.
Like so many other fantasy books I've had on my shelves for years, I enjoyed it enough to seek out the others in the series. I actually read the first few of them, putting them above others like the Green Rider series that I never did get back to.
I thought this was going to be an exception as I read chapter 1. It was like reading a comic book, perhaps a bit overwrought, but the first chapter is setting the stage after all. The dialogue was also overwritten, but there was a subtlety to it that I enjoyed.
Then chapter two started, and I realized the whole book was going to be like that. There can be two paragraphs just describing why a character sighed. And the dialogue...
"As for the last, he'll not appear before a rigid officer, at least until his undergarment's changed. So greatly did we fright him that I fear his late digested supper shares his seat. He fairly reeked in bidding us farewell."
That's spoken after the first fight scene, where Palamon kills two soldiers and a third rides off. The younger knight, who let slip where they were headed, hangs his head and says "Oh, curse me for my youthful lack of guile."
So... If that's not a deterrent then definitely give these books a try. I mean, there is a cleverness to how it's written but it's just too unnatural as dialogue. The descriptions get tedious. "Beware, young man," Palamon starts, then there's two paragraphs of digression, and an exact repetition of "Beware, young man," and he actually finishes what he was saying.
I hate dumping on so many books that I've considered favorites over the years. I'm just writing reminders for myself of where I've been and why I got rid of them.
It's a downside of the Goodreads rating system. I'm giving it two stars for the fact that I at least enjoyed it at one time. I'd give it one if I were just happening across it now. For fantasy, it's a lot better than other more famous series. The Belgariad was just awful, and even when fantasy was my thing I didn't make it through book one. As a fantasy book I'd at least give this four stars.
Like so many other fantasy books I've had on my shelves for years, I enjoyed it enough to seek out the others in the series. I actually read the first few of them, putting them above others like the Green Rider series that I never did get back to.
I thought this was going to be an exception as I read chapter 1. It was like reading a comic book, perhaps a bit overwrought, but the first chapter is setting the stage after all. The dialogue was also overwritten, but there was a subtlety to it that I enjoyed.
Then chapter two started, and I realized the whole book was going to be like that. There can be two paragraphs just describing why a character sighed. And the dialogue...
"As for the last, he'll not appear before a rigid officer, at least until his undergarment's changed. So greatly did we fright him that I fear his late digested supper shares his seat. He fairly reeked in bidding us farewell."
That's spoken after the first fight scene, where Palamon kills two soldiers and a third rides off. The younger knight, who let slip where they were headed, hangs his head and says "Oh, curse me for my youthful lack of guile."
So... If that's not a deterrent then definitely give these books a try. I mean, there is a cleverness to how it's written but it's just too unnatural as dialogue. The descriptions get tedious. "Beware, young man," Palamon starts, then there's two paragraphs of digression, and an exact repetition of "Beware, young man," and he actually finishes what he was saying.
I hate dumping on so many books that I've considered favorites over the years. I'm just writing reminders for myself of where I've been and why I got rid of them.
It's a downside of the Goodreads rating system. I'm giving it two stars for the fact that I at least enjoyed it at one time. I'd give it one if I were just happening across it now. For fantasy, it's a lot better than other more famous series. The Belgariad was just awful, and even when fantasy was my thing I didn't make it through book one. As a fantasy book I'd at least give this four stars.
December 6, 2012
This single book is what convinced me to never read non series based fantasy ever again. Arggh.
Then Brandon Sanderson came in to save the day many years later.
Then Brandon Sanderson came in to save the day many years later.
June 1, 2013
Read it in the late 80's, been looking for it forever because I couldn't remember the title or author, now I can find the series again. I remember liking it (?)
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews