A Wind from the South

Raetian Tales #1

by Diane Duane

In the remote mountain village where she was born, Mariarta dil Alicg lives the untroubled life of a peasant girl...until, soon after a mysterious stranger's arrival, she starts to hear voices in the wind. The voices whisper strange secrets in Mariarta’s ears -- promising her the power to command the stormwind, hinting at an unknown magical heritage, and prophesying a fate marvelous past all Mariarta’s imaginings.

Then a curse falls on Mariarta's village, shattering the lives of her family and friends. Mariarta must set out across the mountain realm of Raetia in search of a way to break the curse -- while also hunting for the truth about the beautiful and terrible being who Mariarta discovers is trying to possess her soul.

Mariarta’s search will lead her into hidden domains of sorcery both dreadful and wondrous, and will finally embroil the young woman in the growing rebellion against her land's cruel Austriac oppressors -- but not before Mariarta comes face to face at last with the immortal Lady of the Storms, and challenges her to one final battle for control of her life, her soul, and her destiny...

Reader advisory:
This novel rated PG-15 for mature themes, language (Romansch), and the reinvention of democracy.

Genres: Fantasy, Coming Of Age, Adventure, Audiobook, Ebooks, Medieval

ebook

First published December 1, 2005

About the author

Diane Duane has been a writer of science fiction, fantasy, TV and film for nearly fifty years.

Besides the 1980's creation of the Young Wizards fantasy series for which she's best known, the "Middle Kingdoms" epic fantasy series, and numerous stand-alone fantasy or science fiction novels, her career has included extensive work in the Star Trek TM universe, and many scripts for live-action and animated TV series on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as work in comics and computer games. She has spent a fair amount of time on the New York Times Bestseller List, and has picked up various awards and award nominations here and there.

She lives in Ireland's County Wicklow, in the house she long shared with her much-missed husband of forty years, the screenwriter and novelist Peter Morwood.

Her favorite color is blue, her favorite food is a weird kind of Swiss scrambled-potato dish called maluns, she was born in a Year of the Dragon, and her sign is "Runway 24 Left, Hold For Clearance."

(From her official website)

Reviews

[Mikah]

"Help, I'm haunted by a malicious lesbian goddess and also in the middle of every Swiss fairy tale ever"
A+++++

[B. Ross Ashley]

Duane's lost classic ... and yes, I said classic! This book, the first of a trilogy, was lost in the shuffle when two publishing houses went under. She finally self-published it a few years ago, and it is an AMAZING work of historical fantasy.
It's a fresh take on the Swiss independence struggle from the Austrian Hapsburg archdukes, at teh turn of the 14th century. And it is told from the point of view of an orphaned Romansch-speaking peasant girl from Uri canton, who develops a special relationship with the Old Gods ... but that would be spoilery, wouldn't it?

I love it so much I want to read the rest! Are you reading this, Ms Duane?

[Marie Kos]

I was told about this book by one of my best friends, who hooked me with a simple image:

[SPOILER]
A lamb with human eyes.

SPOOKY! I had to read this. I didn't know how badly, though, that I would actually have to read this! It is a breath of fresh air among long-form modern fantasy. The Swiss setting is lovely and chilly. Mariarta, our heroine, is plucky, ravenous, caring, and principled, all at once. And the Goddess? Swoon.

This book is godly, queer, and badass. It will stick with me for a long time.

I found the first part to be the best, but the rest of the book is still worth reading. I appreciate it when an author can whisk through multiple plots in one book. The pacing was occasionally slow, but never boring. I found myself finishing the book much more quickly than expected once I got going. My first from Diane Duane and CERTAINLY not my last!

[Laura]

Picked this up free from the author's website.

[Evan Þ.]

This's a historical fantasy novel set in the medieval Alps at the birth of Switzerland. The magic is from Swiss folktales mixed with Duane's own structure; the nonmagical world is from the story of William Tell and the birth of Switzerland.

I loved the idea here. The development seemed slow through the first half of the book, but in the very slowness I got a better feeling of medieval peasant life than most other novels I'd seen. As our protagonist says when contemplating leaving her home, it's a ceaseless sequence of work and limited horizons. Though (as I rather expected), the very ordinariness seems refreshing later as she dips her toes back in after magical adventures, knowing that after them - because of the reputation she's gained - she can never truly return.

Duane originally wrote this as the first volume of a trilogy, but because of problems with her publisher, she never continued the trilogy. That said, this stands very well alone.

[Sophie Katz]

This has all the hallmarks of a classic fantasy epic. Duane kept me engaged and intrigued throughout with this mixture of history, legend, and outright imagination (and there’s an afterword that helps provide context for the stories and cultural elements I’m not familiar with). I remain frustrated with the Christonormativity of her work, though. There’s just no place for me and my people here, and that limits my ability to wholeheartedly escape into Mariarta’s adventures.

[Joesph Langdon]

A Wind from the South takes a bit to get rolling, but once it moves it really moves. The world strides a line between realism and fantasy for a big part of the story. Then gods come into play and the way Mariarta deals with them is so satisfying. Also her character growth is /fireemoji

[Maximum]

Enjoyable! I enjoyed the world and setting. But not entirely my taste.

[CJ]

Pretty cool mythology and legends being tied together in a story about ancient Switzerland.

[Particle_Person]

I enjoyed "A Wind from the South" but it felt like it needed some work. In particular, I didn't enjoy the first part of the book nearly as much as the second part when Mariarta finally got away from her village and began her adventures. The whole story of the bull just wasn't engaging. The second part was excellent though, and more than made up for it. There are a lot of memorably creepy moments, particularly the scene with Duonna Vrene in the mountain of ice. Artemis, when we finally meet her, has a wicked sense of humor, and clearly has more in mind for Mariarta than Mariarta knows...although I think she suspects. I'm disappointed that we'll never find out how *that* partnership worked out.

[Tria]

4.5; full review to come later.

For anyone interested in Switzerland and its history, while deliberately less than precisely accurate on dates, you'll probably enjoy this - especially if you know English and German, whether you know Romansch or not. There were several places where I said to myself "I know what she's getting at" - and yet it isn't as predictable as that sentence would suggest. Ebook needs proofreading. Read in December 2012.

The audiobook is well-read, though it needs improvement in places, and I should add it to GR, but I enjoyed listening to it - and again, it makes me want the next instalment. I can wait for The Door Into Starlight, I want Raetian Tales part 2! ;) Audiobook finished in May 2015.

[V. Larkin Anderson]

This book has everything I like in a fantasy: strong female characters, queer undertones, and best of all, a revolution! I love seeing magic and social change existing in the same world. I also like that the setting, while european, still feels new and fresh, possibly because of how heavily Duane has pulled from the culture of people in the alps, which isn't the usual setting for a fantasy. If you're looking for a high adventure that feels cozy and new all at the same time, you should check this out.

[Leah]

An oddly framed book that signals a conventionally told novel, but turns out to be an episodic set of fairy stories and tasks. The alpine setting was very interesting and the main character grows on you. The book is slow moving and takes a while to adjust to as the reader discovers that the book is a set of fairytales. I enjoyed it and look forward to the next of the trilogy, which I suspect may be more a conventional story.

[Alexis]

This book is amazing! I'm a bit of a Greek/Roman mythology nerd and one of my favorite gods is Artemis (Diun Glinargiun) so Mariarta's adventure to save her village and save her friend Urs (still sad he died) really appealed to me. I'm surprised about Venus though, I'll have to read up on her again. I can't wait for the next book and wonder if Artemis will try to take over Mariarta's body again.

[rivka]

Wind was too long and winding for my tastes. And while I did like reading about the founding of Switzerland (something I only know a very little bit about), and enjoyed the Romansch folktales woven in, that wasn't enough. Especially since it was only the first book in three.

[Scribblesinink (Scribbler)]

An intriguing mix of medieval Swiss history combined with myth and lore. It felt a bit more like a series of separate stories than a novel, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.

[Samuel Lubell]

Slower than usual for Duane but very atmospheric, this historical fantasy ties in with William Tell and the battles for Switzerland's independence.

[Crisium]

Engrossing YA adventure I couldn't put down.