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Chronicles of the Tree #1
Tymon's Flight
An action-packed adventure set against a background of warring civilisations competing for ever scarcer resources ... a beautiful new epic fantasy of a world set in a tree.
the World tree rises up out of the seething clouds like a green mountain. All creation nestles in its green branches. there is no world besides this one ... or so the people believe. tymon grows up at Argos seminary in the lush heart of the Central Canopy, where science is a heretical pursuit and travel beyond the tree is banned. But he yearns to break free of these rules and discover new horizons. When he meets a despised Nurian slave in the city baths, his dreams of freedom take on a completely different meaning. Banished to a drought-ridden colony, tymon falls in with a group of Nurian rebels and finds himself facing difficult choices. Fighting for freedom and power is not so enticing when it may mean betraying his own people and severing all ties to the world he knows ...
the World tree rises up out of the seething clouds like a green mountain. All creation nestles in its green branches. there is no world besides this one ... or so the people believe. tymon grows up at Argos seminary in the lush heart of the Central Canopy, where science is a heretical pursuit and travel beyond the tree is banned. But he yearns to break free of these rules and discover new horizons. When he meets a despised Nurian slave in the city baths, his dreams of freedom take on a completely different meaning. Banished to a drought-ridden colony, tymon falls in with a group of Nurian rebels and finds himself facing difficult choices. Fighting for freedom and power is not so enticing when it may mean betraying his own people and severing all ties to the world he knows ...
576 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2010
3 people are currently reading
370 people want to read
About the author
Mary Victoria
6 books26 followersMary Victoria was born in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. Despite this she managed to live most of her life in other places, including Cyprus, Canada, France, New Zealand and the UK. Before writing her first three novels, she made monsters flap and stomp over Middle Earth. She now lives in London with her husband and daughter.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 21, 2015
Wasn't quite what I expected it to be, but the second half was stronger than the first half, so in the end I enjoyed myself, but there are a lot more series out there at the moment that had me more intrigued after book 1.
September 27, 2010
4.5 stars. I started to really love this book by the end. It is a nice refreshing change from many of the gritty fantasies on the bestseller lists today, such as GRRM's Song of Ice and Fire, Peter V Brett's Demon Trilogy, or Abercrombie's First Law books. There seems to be a resurgence of the clear good vs. evil type of story lines that were more popular in the 80s. Yet at the same time, there is a deceptively poignant and relevant message at the center of this story.
Tymon himself starts out as a rather generic young boy. Unfortunately, even after reading the book I'm still not quite sure how old he is. He seems to start out around 14 and end up in his late teens though less than a year passes. Mary Victoria's tendency to refer to him as "the boy" also stressed a young age though his actions, especially in the latter half of the book, imply that he's older. Young boy protags in fantasy novels are a dime a dozen, but Tymon begins to distinguish himself in a few ways. First of all, he's not a reluctant hero. This, I think, is how these new throwback fantasies, for lack of a better term, are different than their Eddings and Brooks counterparts. Those were filled with reluctant heroes. Tymon wanted to mix it up. He also showed a cockiness and a bit of humor, giving him more personality than the clichéd orphan boy hero.
Mary Victoria embraces many more of the fantasy tropes. Tymon has a wise old mentor who lives on the fringes of society. He meets up with a spunky girl, a redhead no less. He discovers he wields rare and secret powers which he must learn to control. And the bad guy seems to have a disproportionate amount of interest in his doings. Yet in spite of all those, or to Mary Victoria's credit because of all this, I never found the plot predictable. Tymon gets knocked around enough and with enough twists that his journey turns into a real page turner. I most appreciated that he was not a passive recipient of all that was going on around him. He made choices which moved the plot. (A proactive protagonist! Imagine that!)
The first third of the novel opens rather slowly. There is a great deal of exposition, which is to be expected at the opening of a trilogy as the author establishes the world for us. However, there were a number of occasions where I felt that Mary Victoria missed an opportunity to show rather than tell. There was back story which could have been revealed in casual conversation with schoolmates for example. Or in Tymon's studies. Or in a lecture from a teacher. Having the boy at a school was an opportunity to show the reader more instead of just telling us. She does a much better job at this in the latter two thirds when Tymon, on the run, often needs to have his companions explain to him what he is experiencing.
Aside from this, the only real trouble I had with the book was envisioning the landscape of the world in the tree. This book is very different than many other fantasies in that the setting is utterly foreign. One would think that a tree would be familiar enough, but I had to reread many passages which described the layout of the cites over different levels of branches. Sometimes the images came strikingly clear while with other scenes I am still at a loss. I almost wish there were drawings included with some of the chapters. Overall, however, I came away with a strong feel for this alien land in the tree, especially the dead Eastern Canopy.
The people inhabiting the world of the tree were different than a typical fantasy. There were not your Anglosaxon-esque medieval peasant types. Instead we saw what we often disparagingly refer to as the third world. (Though in the tree, MV gives us a twist and makes the haves dark-skinned and the have-nots white-skinned.) I found this aspect of the book wonderfully realized. It had elements of Truth in it that could not be faked, revealing the author's own experiences. The songs rising from the temple recalled the call to prayer at a mosque. The natives crowding the ships at dock recalled the beggars on the streets in India (and many other places I'm sure but that's my own experience).
Ultimately, this is a book about Otherness. Tymon's rejection at first from his new found home is too real. Mary Victoria leaves the realm of fantasy when describing the mistrustful stares Tymon receives, reminding him of the atrocities his countryman did to these people. It is something very relevant to our world, and it is nice to see these serious themes being played out in what is an otherwise whimsical tale. I think that's when fantasy is at its best, holding reality out at an arm's length and examining it through the lens of the fantastic, where the rules can be manipulated just enough to heighten the reality without threatening the reader. We become more engaged than we otherwise would until we realize too late that we've been drawn in to something other than we expected.
I greatly look forward to the sequels in the series and am anxious to see how Mary Victoria will further her themes while maintaining the fun and adventure of the first book.
Tymon himself starts out as a rather generic young boy. Unfortunately, even after reading the book I'm still not quite sure how old he is. He seems to start out around 14 and end up in his late teens though less than a year passes. Mary Victoria's tendency to refer to him as "the boy" also stressed a young age though his actions, especially in the latter half of the book, imply that he's older. Young boy protags in fantasy novels are a dime a dozen, but Tymon begins to distinguish himself in a few ways. First of all, he's not a reluctant hero. This, I think, is how these new throwback fantasies, for lack of a better term, are different than their Eddings and Brooks counterparts. Those were filled with reluctant heroes. Tymon wanted to mix it up. He also showed a cockiness and a bit of humor, giving him more personality than the clichéd orphan boy hero.
Mary Victoria embraces many more of the fantasy tropes. Tymon has a wise old mentor who lives on the fringes of society. He meets up with a spunky girl, a redhead no less. He discovers he wields rare and secret powers which he must learn to control. And the bad guy seems to have a disproportionate amount of interest in his doings. Yet in spite of all those, or to Mary Victoria's credit because of all this, I never found the plot predictable. Tymon gets knocked around enough and with enough twists that his journey turns into a real page turner. I most appreciated that he was not a passive recipient of all that was going on around him. He made choices which moved the plot. (A proactive protagonist! Imagine that!)
The first third of the novel opens rather slowly. There is a great deal of exposition, which is to be expected at the opening of a trilogy as the author establishes the world for us. However, there were a number of occasions where I felt that Mary Victoria missed an opportunity to show rather than tell. There was back story which could have been revealed in casual conversation with schoolmates for example. Or in Tymon's studies. Or in a lecture from a teacher. Having the boy at a school was an opportunity to show the reader more instead of just telling us. She does a much better job at this in the latter two thirds when Tymon, on the run, often needs to have his companions explain to him what he is experiencing.
Aside from this, the only real trouble I had with the book was envisioning the landscape of the world in the tree. This book is very different than many other fantasies in that the setting is utterly foreign. One would think that a tree would be familiar enough, but I had to reread many passages which described the layout of the cites over different levels of branches. Sometimes the images came strikingly clear while with other scenes I am still at a loss. I almost wish there were drawings included with some of the chapters. Overall, however, I came away with a strong feel for this alien land in the tree, especially the dead Eastern Canopy.
The people inhabiting the world of the tree were different than a typical fantasy. There were not your Anglosaxon-esque medieval peasant types. Instead we saw what we often disparagingly refer to as the third world. (Though in the tree, MV gives us a twist and makes the haves dark-skinned and the have-nots white-skinned.) I found this aspect of the book wonderfully realized. It had elements of Truth in it that could not be faked, revealing the author's own experiences. The songs rising from the temple recalled the call to prayer at a mosque. The natives crowding the ships at dock recalled the beggars on the streets in India (and many other places I'm sure but that's my own experience).
Ultimately, this is a book about Otherness. Tymon's rejection at first from his new found home is too real. Mary Victoria leaves the realm of fantasy when describing the mistrustful stares Tymon receives, reminding him of the atrocities his countryman did to these people. It is something very relevant to our world, and it is nice to see these serious themes being played out in what is an otherwise whimsical tale. I think that's when fantasy is at its best, holding reality out at an arm's length and examining it through the lens of the fantastic, where the rules can be manipulated just enough to heighten the reality without threatening the reader. We become more engaged than we otherwise would until we realize too late that we've been drawn in to something other than we expected.
I greatly look forward to the sequels in the series and am anxious to see how Mary Victoria will further her themes while maintaining the fun and adventure of the first book.
February 25, 2016
A promising start, a long slow movement towards the middle and a second half that continued to build in pace and intrigue.
Tymon was found, dumped as a baby, outside Argos seminary in the Central Canopy of the world Tree. He thinks he is down-trodden and despised, particularly when he compares himself to the privileged sons of high-ranking families who are studying with him to be priests. However he is in fact surrounded by comparative freedom and luxury. Beyond the Central Canopy, there are regions so drought-stricken that people sell themselves into slavery for a drink of water. Pilgrims are lured to give themselves in bondage - one of them to sacrifice himself by throwing himself into the mouth of the Tree - all for the sake of some water for their families.
Spoilers follow:
The Central Canopy by contrast with the outer regions is lush and wet. But is it naturally so?
As the story progresses and Tymon becomes more deeply involved with Galliano, an old man blinded for the heresy of practising science, it becomes clear that dark spiritual forces are at work. Tymon comes to realise that Father Lace, a special Envoy of the Council, has drawn one of his friends into a web of betrayal - and that the secrets he had confided to the friend will put more than his own life at risk. Only towards the very end of the story does he begin to see that Father Lace may not actually be human.
To begin with, Tymon doesn't think much about the pilgrims, other than to consider them as low class cattle until he meets Samiha, a girl who seems to be intent on fomenting a revolution. He manages to grab her attention by calling her name - a name he has heard only in a dream.
Exiled to Marak, Tymon spends his days dictating letters for a priest and being bored out of his brain. It takes him ages to realise he's being drugged each night. He longs to contact Samiha who he finally realises is a Temple priestess. But she is, in fact, far more. She is the Kion - the key - or the king whom everyone will die to protect.
In helping her out of a city under siege, after the death of the Focals - a circle of seers - Tymon meets her supporters. Who put him on trial. Every part of his story, he comes to realise, sounds incredibly suspect. A name heard in a dream. The circumstances of his exile to Marak. The death of the Focals.
His chances of not being killed as a spy sent to find the true identity of the Kion are incredibly slim.
Tymon was found, dumped as a baby, outside Argos seminary in the Central Canopy of the world Tree. He thinks he is down-trodden and despised, particularly when he compares himself to the privileged sons of high-ranking families who are studying with him to be priests. However he is in fact surrounded by comparative freedom and luxury. Beyond the Central Canopy, there are regions so drought-stricken that people sell themselves into slavery for a drink of water. Pilgrims are lured to give themselves in bondage - one of them to sacrifice himself by throwing himself into the mouth of the Tree - all for the sake of some water for their families.
Spoilers follow:
The Central Canopy by contrast with the outer regions is lush and wet. But is it naturally so?
As the story progresses and Tymon becomes more deeply involved with Galliano, an old man blinded for the heresy of practising science, it becomes clear that dark spiritual forces are at work. Tymon comes to realise that Father Lace, a special Envoy of the Council, has drawn one of his friends into a web of betrayal - and that the secrets he had confided to the friend will put more than his own life at risk. Only towards the very end of the story does he begin to see that Father Lace may not actually be human.
To begin with, Tymon doesn't think much about the pilgrims, other than to consider them as low class cattle until he meets Samiha, a girl who seems to be intent on fomenting a revolution. He manages to grab her attention by calling her name - a name he has heard only in a dream.
Exiled to Marak, Tymon spends his days dictating letters for a priest and being bored out of his brain. It takes him ages to realise he's being drugged each night. He longs to contact Samiha who he finally realises is a Temple priestess. But she is, in fact, far more. She is the Kion - the key - or the king whom everyone will die to protect.
In helping her out of a city under siege, after the death of the Focals - a circle of seers - Tymon meets her supporters. Who put him on trial. Every part of his story, he comes to realise, sounds incredibly suspect. A name heard in a dream. The circumstances of his exile to Marak. The death of the Focals.
His chances of not being killed as a spy sent to find the true identity of the Kion are incredibly slim.
March 7, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The setting was compellingly original, the prose style clear and pacey, and though there were echoes of traditional fantasy themes in play - the young boy on a journey, the heretical scientist, the mysterious priestess - all were written with a twist of originality that kept me engaged and eager. Particularly in the case of Tymon, her protagonist, Victoria has managed the enviable task of writing an (initially) naive protagonist in a way that both makes his naivety clear without either boring the audience or romanticising his view of the world.
I've already bought the second book in the series, and am very much looking forward to reading it.
I've already bought the second book in the series, and am very much looking forward to reading it.
Read
June 13, 2017For all Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and His Dark Materials fans, a new series...
In Tymon's Flight, the first book in the series, the author creates an intriguing world, entirely situated within the spreading boughs of one enormous tree. The details of her world are just as fascinating as Hogwarts or The Shire and the characters are a mixture of the loveable and the despicable just as it should be in any good quest story.
But this is more than a tale of adventure. Like Pullman and Tolkein, Mary Victoria speaks of the eternal battle between good and evil with intelligence, sensitivity and originality.
She is an author to watch out for.
In Tymon's Flight, the first book in the series, the author creates an intriguing world, entirely situated within the spreading boughs of one enormous tree. The details of her world are just as fascinating as Hogwarts or The Shire and the characters are a mixture of the loveable and the despicable just as it should be in any good quest story.
But this is more than a tale of adventure. Like Pullman and Tolkein, Mary Victoria speaks of the eternal battle between good and evil with intelligence, sensitivity and originality.
She is an author to watch out for.
April 8, 2012
Sometimes in fantasy you will come across a hidden gem, a book that you cross paths with having heard absolutely nothing about it, a book that you were unprepared for that completely blows you away. I have been very lucky having found quite a number of these hidden gems in the past twelve months, but of these hidden gems few can compare to Tymon’s Flight by Mary Victoria, a book that has taken a remarkable idea and complemented it with one of the most engaging stories I have read this year.
Let me start with the remarkable idea. Mary Victoria has set her story in a tree, but what makes this so remarkable is that the entire known universe revolves around that tree. There are no other trees, just other canopies of the same tree. There is no globe beneath the canopies, only a seething void which the inhabitants refer to as ‘hell’. The lore, the rich history, the magic system, religion, commerce and trade, poverty, racism and segregation – Victoria has built a complete world in the image of our own where all these familiar fantasy themes and tropes exist, slightly modified with tree specific physics, metaphysics, and terminology where required. The tree based terminology used here is rather novel, and the way in which Victoria employs it, coupled with her emotive yet efficient writing style, makes the story feel natural and much easier to read than I thought it would be. The level of detail and world building here is astounding, and along with the solid writing I think it would be enough to carry almost any story.
Luckily for us, Victoria backs up her world building by telling a well paced and engaging story that feels familiar through both the use of familiar fantasy tropes and parallel elements from our own world. The World Tree is dying, the bare branches in the Eastern Canopy have not seen anywhere near the rainfall they require and their mining operations have robbed the limb of the sap it needs to retain its health. The people of the Central Canopy control all the water rations going to the Eastern Canopy, and believe that only by sacrificing people of the Eastern Canopy can they atone for what they have done and breath life back into The World Tree. And behind it all is something much more dark and sinister, fuelling this divide between the canopies in an effort to achieve its own objectives. This story on the impact of industry to the climate and environment, and the way in which Victoria plays with religious fundamentalism and fanaticism is all very relevant to the reader considering the impact these elements are having on our own society. It creates a personal connection between the reader and the story which made it very easy for me to become immersed in the story for hours at a time. The mysterious elements are also a nice touch, and Victoria does a great job of resolving as many as she needs to tell a well rounded story, while leaving some very intriguing threads unresolved as a launch pad for the rest of the trilogy.
The characters in Tymon’s Flight are solid, without being spectacular. There is a nice variety between all the characters and they are all doing the right things at the right times, but it seems that they are for most part just along for the ride. We get to experience this story through the title character, Tymon, a young man from the Central Canopy who has almost completed his religious studies and is ready to earn his keep in the central canopy. Through a number of ill conceived decisions and blasphemies, he is sentenced to serve out the rest of his religious tenure in one of the Eastern Canopy outposts. He is very much a stock standard hero, a young man who has adversity after adversity piled on top of him until he finally makes the decision to rise above and fight for what he believes in. Samiha is a young girl from the Eastern Canopy who befriends Tymon at various stages during the story and is more than what she seems. She provides a good foil for Tymon, the voice of reason where Tymon is the voice of impulse and opportunity. As the layers start to unfold and we get to see more and more of Samiha, she really starts to grow into that the role of the heroine and stand out as a character to be reckoned with. The rest of characters were likeable enough, but with the exception of Galliano I really didn’t care that much about what happened to these characters individually. I was more caught up in the story, caring about the plight of these people as a whole rather that the individual parts making up the whole.
Tymon’s Flight is a fantastic read, one that does a great job of refreshing some tired tropes with some truly unique ideas, one that uses our own current events and issues to provide some great pieces of social commentary. This is the best novel I have read this year and it is very easy for me to recommend this story, not just to fantasy readers, but to readers of all genres
Let me start with the remarkable idea. Mary Victoria has set her story in a tree, but what makes this so remarkable is that the entire known universe revolves around that tree. There are no other trees, just other canopies of the same tree. There is no globe beneath the canopies, only a seething void which the inhabitants refer to as ‘hell’. The lore, the rich history, the magic system, religion, commerce and trade, poverty, racism and segregation – Victoria has built a complete world in the image of our own where all these familiar fantasy themes and tropes exist, slightly modified with tree specific physics, metaphysics, and terminology where required. The tree based terminology used here is rather novel, and the way in which Victoria employs it, coupled with her emotive yet efficient writing style, makes the story feel natural and much easier to read than I thought it would be. The level of detail and world building here is astounding, and along with the solid writing I think it would be enough to carry almost any story.
Luckily for us, Victoria backs up her world building by telling a well paced and engaging story that feels familiar through both the use of familiar fantasy tropes and parallel elements from our own world. The World Tree is dying, the bare branches in the Eastern Canopy have not seen anywhere near the rainfall they require and their mining operations have robbed the limb of the sap it needs to retain its health. The people of the Central Canopy control all the water rations going to the Eastern Canopy, and believe that only by sacrificing people of the Eastern Canopy can they atone for what they have done and breath life back into The World Tree. And behind it all is something much more dark and sinister, fuelling this divide between the canopies in an effort to achieve its own objectives. This story on the impact of industry to the climate and environment, and the way in which Victoria plays with religious fundamentalism and fanaticism is all very relevant to the reader considering the impact these elements are having on our own society. It creates a personal connection between the reader and the story which made it very easy for me to become immersed in the story for hours at a time. The mysterious elements are also a nice touch, and Victoria does a great job of resolving as many as she needs to tell a well rounded story, while leaving some very intriguing threads unresolved as a launch pad for the rest of the trilogy.
The characters in Tymon’s Flight are solid, without being spectacular. There is a nice variety between all the characters and they are all doing the right things at the right times, but it seems that they are for most part just along for the ride. We get to experience this story through the title character, Tymon, a young man from the Central Canopy who has almost completed his religious studies and is ready to earn his keep in the central canopy. Through a number of ill conceived decisions and blasphemies, he is sentenced to serve out the rest of his religious tenure in one of the Eastern Canopy outposts. He is very much a stock standard hero, a young man who has adversity after adversity piled on top of him until he finally makes the decision to rise above and fight for what he believes in. Samiha is a young girl from the Eastern Canopy who befriends Tymon at various stages during the story and is more than what she seems. She provides a good foil for Tymon, the voice of reason where Tymon is the voice of impulse and opportunity. As the layers start to unfold and we get to see more and more of Samiha, she really starts to grow into that the role of the heroine and stand out as a character to be reckoned with. The rest of characters were likeable enough, but with the exception of Galliano I really didn’t care that much about what happened to these characters individually. I was more caught up in the story, caring about the plight of these people as a whole rather that the individual parts making up the whole.
Tymon’s Flight is a fantastic read, one that does a great job of refreshing some tired tropes with some truly unique ideas, one that uses our own current events and issues to provide some great pieces of social commentary. This is the best novel I have read this year and it is very easy for me to recommend this story, not just to fantasy readers, but to readers of all genres
September 22, 2011
Let me start this review by saying that I’ve never come across a more unique setting. The whole world is in a tree, everything is part of it, with four canopies making up the four regions of the world. It’s pretty amazing, while also being quite challenging at times – it’s just so very different from your typical fantasy novel setting. It took me awhile to get to grips with the big picture, but I found it beautiful and fantastic. I’m a huge fan of trees, but the scope of this one is beyond anything I’ve ever imagined!
I really enjoyed this book, more than I thought I would in fact. I have been finding it harder to get into fantasy lately, but with the unique setting, the smattering of other elements such as dirigibles, a society in which science is virtually taboo, and strong themes of prejudice and culture clashes, this book really rocked.
The main character is a young boy, bound to the church for raising him. He’s at odds with everything in his world through, and finds himself more often interested in things outside the sphere of what’s acceptable than not. When he meets a Nurian slave, everything changes for him and he makes decisions which lead to him being sent to the outreaches of society.
This is where the adventure really kicks into gear as we get to watch him interact with a race of people who despise his kind and unravel the mysteries hinted at in the first third of the book.
The conflict felt very true to me, and I think Mary did a fantastic job capturing that on the page from the perspective of a young man. I could feel the oppression, anger and distaste of the Nurian’s towards the Argosian’s, and would throw my lot in with them as well, if I had the chance.
The characters are engaging, and the story line captivating. It may not be as action packed as other novels, but it’s a beautifully told story with a lot of heart and fire.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes high fantasy and it looking for a richly drawn and detailed world to throw themselves into. Unlike much fantasy out there, this is not just a revamp of anglo-saxon medieval times, it’s a refreshing change! I am looking forward to sinking back into this world when I pick up the sequel, Samiha’s Song, in the near future – it’s a great time to start reading because the third book in the series is out shortly!
I really enjoyed this book, more than I thought I would in fact. I have been finding it harder to get into fantasy lately, but with the unique setting, the smattering of other elements such as dirigibles, a society in which science is virtually taboo, and strong themes of prejudice and culture clashes, this book really rocked.
The main character is a young boy, bound to the church for raising him. He’s at odds with everything in his world through, and finds himself more often interested in things outside the sphere of what’s acceptable than not. When he meets a Nurian slave, everything changes for him and he makes decisions which lead to him being sent to the outreaches of society.
This is where the adventure really kicks into gear as we get to watch him interact with a race of people who despise his kind and unravel the mysteries hinted at in the first third of the book.
The conflict felt very true to me, and I think Mary did a fantastic job capturing that on the page from the perspective of a young man. I could feel the oppression, anger and distaste of the Nurian’s towards the Argosian’s, and would throw my lot in with them as well, if I had the chance.
The characters are engaging, and the story line captivating. It may not be as action packed as other novels, but it’s a beautifully told story with a lot of heart and fire.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes high fantasy and it looking for a richly drawn and detailed world to throw themselves into. Unlike much fantasy out there, this is not just a revamp of anglo-saxon medieval times, it’s a refreshing change! I am looking forward to sinking back into this world when I pick up the sequel, Samiha’s Song, in the near future – it’s a great time to start reading because the third book in the series is out shortly!
March 14, 2011
Tymon's Flight – Mary Victoria
The world is a great gigantic tree where people live, breath and die. They never see the ground – it is the subject of myth and legend. We meet Tymon, a young indentured novice who dreams of becoming more. In a time where science and religion are clashing - a young boys chance meeting of a Nurian slave will change the Great Tree.
Tymon is then banished to the boughs of the drought ridden colonies and is caught up in a war that is coming between the Nurian people and the Argosian people.
A very good read, it took me a few chapters to get into the story but once I was there, I was swept away by the language, the characters and the wonderful story of Tymon and his coming of age.
The world is a great gigantic tree where people live, breath and die. They never see the ground – it is the subject of myth and legend. We meet Tymon, a young indentured novice who dreams of becoming more. In a time where science and religion are clashing - a young boys chance meeting of a Nurian slave will change the Great Tree.
Tymon is then banished to the boughs of the drought ridden colonies and is caught up in a war that is coming between the Nurian people and the Argosian people.
A very good read, it took me a few chapters to get into the story but once I was there, I was swept away by the language, the characters and the wonderful story of Tymon and his coming of age.
November 3, 2024
This was fine. Despite an extremely cool concept, the way it’s written feels pretty bland and not memorable at all, a genuine shame for such a fantastic world.
July 6, 2011
This was originally published at Crickhollow Books. Please leave comments there
There is a lot about the debut novel from Mary Victoria that could be called familiar. The outcast orphan as your hero, a mysterious slave-girl who is not really what she seems, an eccentric scientist/inventor/wizard and mentor, a small band of rebels fighting for freedom from the oppression of a tyrannical institution. Religion, magic, mystery, and…dirigibles. Well, the aircraft that navigate the world that exists entirely in a colossal tree is perhaps not so typical.
This is a world that is so utterly convincing, yet it so difficult to describe in words. It is, in fact, a world you will need to experience yourself.
The book starts off quietly, not slowly, rather it is a long stroll through the world of the Tree, the cities that exists along it’s rambling branches, the Seminary, the Religion and it’s inhabitants. Tymon’s story is introduced with all the rumblings of a young boy trapped by circumstance longing for adventure, an orphan indentured to the Seminary, raised among strict priests and power-hungry young men, a world we he does not fit in, but is at a loss as to how to break out. When Galliano, Tymon’s old friend, inventor and suspected heretic, builds a dirigible to escape Argos and see the world below, Tymon is desperate to join him.
And then, very suddenly, you’re taking confident strides through this world, a world created so unequivocally it seems like it should have always existed. Plunged deep into the great canopy of the Tree, this intriguing story picks up the pace, and Tymon meets a beautiful slave, the catalyst who will take him on a voyage of self-discovery and change his life forever.
Tymon’s Flight brings something wholly refreshing to the world of fantasy books, with all the best elements of classic fantasy merged into a fascinating world rich in history, with a desperate struggle against the tyranny of evil, a battle which will have you captivated until the very end.
It is a mystical, breathtaking journey, and you will, as the saying goes “Go, in the Beauty”
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July 29, 2013I really enjoyed the setting in this one; the world was both richly detailed and nicely imaginative. (The known world consists of an enormous tree, cities and cultures spread out through its multiple canopies, with only a seething mass of stormclouds beneath.) Mary Victoria does a terrific job with the worldbuilding, down to the smallest of details. The story itself is classic epic fantasy, complete with an orphan boy protagonist, a clash of cultures, mysterious magic, and a rising evil that is a far greater threat than the characters yet realize. That might sound all too familiar; but Victoria takes the common tropes and weaves them into a story that's all her own. You do need a tolerance for leisurely pacing, especially at the start of the book. Like the classic fantasies of the 80s & early 90s, the novel eases the reader into the story, showing you Tymon's everyday life at the Argosian Seminary, allowing you to get comfortable with the world and culture before Tymon's life takes an unexpected turn and the plot gets into gear. If you (like me!) are a fan of epic fantasies like Tad Williams's classic Dragonbone Chair, this book's for you.
February 21, 2013
Set in the world of a huge tree where all life comes from, Mary Victoria has created a wonderful world- cities are supported by huge branches and every utensil the characters use are somehow based on the materials you would find when living off nature. It was amazing.
It is full of adventure and Mary's incredible world building makes everything feel so believable. It's all so natural - the way the societies are built around the system of the tree, the structure, everything- its hard to describe how complex it all is until you read it.
The book has been marketed by Harper as an Adult book but after speaking with the author, I found out that she had originally planned for it to be a YA/Adult book. Its sort of a coming of age novel. Apparently the next two books in the series go quite a bit darker than Tymon's Flight, so I am definitely looking forward to that.
I couldn't fault this novel - its captivating, heart wrenching and the second book "Samiah's Song" looks to be very impressive.
It is full of adventure and Mary's incredible world building makes everything feel so believable. It's all so natural - the way the societies are built around the system of the tree, the structure, everything- its hard to describe how complex it all is until you read it.
The book has been marketed by Harper as an Adult book but after speaking with the author, I found out that she had originally planned for it to be a YA/Adult book. Its sort of a coming of age novel. Apparently the next two books in the series go quite a bit darker than Tymon's Flight, so I am definitely looking forward to that.
I couldn't fault this novel - its captivating, heart wrenching and the second book "Samiah's Song" looks to be very impressive.
May 7, 2012
I found this fantasy book in the 'Fantasy Book Review' website - they list the top 100 books - this one came in at 31. It was a nice read. There are two books in the series so far with the ending not in sight - The world appears to be confined to a monster size tree - lots of different groups of people live on the tree including some powerful demon types from ages long past - it seems to pit the powerful priests and their dogma against the rest of the groups of people - a lot of religious themes interwoven into the story - there is of course those who try to revolt against them - including an orphan, Tymon - he has strengths and weaknesses, failures and successes - a good world building series that has me hooked - lots of adventure, lots of darkness, some hope, lot of good and a lot of evil - a little glimmer of the Golden Compass in it
February 12, 2011
I initially quite liked the setting of this story - people living in a giant tree, airships, oppressive religion etc. But it all got a bit cliched for me, the rebel leader to the oppressed masses, the spiritual trances when they listen to the Sap - eh. I finished it, but rushed through the last part.
June 1, 2011
Loved the world building in this book. Great classic fantasy story with some nice original touches. Compelling plot. I finished this book wanting to read more. Reviewed by me at the Specusphere: http://www.specusphere.com/joomla/ind...
September 8, 2013
This is truely an amazing beginning to the trilogy. The world felt so real and believable that I just had to finish it as fast as I could. Living within a tree seemed odd at first but I was hooked within pages!
October 9, 2011
Start of the book is slow and character not exactly engaging but by the end you are wanting to know what happens next and where can you buy the 2nd book.
August 24, 2011
My review is here: http://ticon4.com/2011/08/review-tymo...
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