SOLVED. YA/Adult Fantasy Fiction set in a Desert? [s]

[Ari]

Okay, this may be a long shot. I've been wondering about this book for years. I remember reading it back when I was a teen, maybe a young teen and it wasn't terribly challenging or anything, so I'm guessing it was a young adult fiction, but maybe not. I think it was part of a series, or a one-off about characters from a series, but I picked it up in a used book store so it was just the one book.

It was set in the desert, in a fictional universe. I remember that the people seemed to live in desert fortress like places, that seemed to have fairly considerable fortifications and a warrior-like culture. I think the women also fought.

I remember that the main female character was from one particular tribe/band, and had gone wandering for a long time and met up with the male lead who she had become involved with, and the book took place as she was returning to her home? The male lead was not from the same culture, and the female lead had a lot of reservations or doubts about their relationship continuing.

There was some scene in a public bath, she was talking to some relative (mother?) about it, and then the male lead comes in and all the others leave so they can have private time. I don't really remember the plot of the story, but I remember the very specific sentiment about trying to enjoy their time together because the cultural differences meant they would probably part ways soon, or something.

There was also some very specific ritual combat/tattooing/scarification. The boys of the culture practiced a bare-handed naked style of combat training, that focused mostly on feet/kicking? And there was a special kind of blade that was tied between the toes so that when kicking the opponent, they would try to make a certain family mark cuts with the blades, that would later be rubbed with dye so that it would become a permanent mark. The males of the culture would grow up learning this combat style and slowly develop tattoos all over years of practice. But the male lead goes through a condensed ritual in one day (that leaves him very exhausted) with all of the other men in the town/village/family(?) as a means of becoming more acculturated.

I'm sure there was some more drama in the actual plot but I just don't remember it. There might have been some sort of arranged marriage or something that was the reason she had to eventually come home, I don't really remember but there was some kind of drama going on. But those two scenes are what stick in my memory.

I keep thinking that the title of the book was "The Sands of" something, but I can't find it. For some reason I think the writer was female and that there were K's or S's in the name (or in the names of the characters?), but I could be wrong. I know those are really sporadic details.

Has someone else has read this book?

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Actuallky Ari that's more than some people remember. While I do not recognize you book it sound interesting.

[Courtney]

Could it possibly be



or

?

[Jennifer]

This sounds really interesting! Hopefully someone will remember it.

[Kagama-the Literaturevixen]

I want to read this one too...

[Shanna_redwind]

Could it be this one? On Fire's Wings
I know it's set in a desert, and I think I remember a bath house scene, but don't remember much else about it.

[M—]

Do you remember any animal characters in your book?

Randall Garrett and Vicki Ann Heydron (a husband and wife pair) wrote The Gandalara Cycle, which matches on desert, series, warrior culture, wandering of both male and female leads, and S's and K's -- character names Markasset, Keeshah -- but the series prominently features giant telepathic cats. (link to Wikipedia)

Andre Norton (female) wrote The Mark of the Cat and sequel which featured a lot of wandering in deserts by mostly the male lead, and culminating in an exhausting battle ritual, but the book had more of a quest feel and the culture was more survivalist that militaristic. Again with prominent giant cats.

Vonda N. McIntyre's novel Dreamsnake set the female lead as the main character keeping largely to a nomadic life, traveling through barren lands to reach populated locations. She encounters the male lead early on in the book and leaves him behind, only to have him follow after after her. The female lead is a traveling healer who manipulates the venom of serpents to treat her patients. (Link to Wikipedia)

...and that's about all the desert fantasy novels I can think of at the moment.

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Well, there is Really Unusual Bad Boys, by MaryJanice Davidson. It is a desert planet, but it's actually a collection of 3 short stories, all revolving around the same set of brothers.

[K.]

It's definitely not Dreamsnake, but I would recommend that the OP pick it up anyway - I really loved it.

What about the Rose of the Prophet series? The first book is The Will of the Wanderer. It's about a prince and princess of two different desert peoples who must marry to combine their forces against a common enemy.

[Ari]

Welllll! I'm home to visit my folks over the winter break and... I found a box of old paperback books and I found it! O.O

The Sands of Kalaven, A Novel of Shunlar
by Carol Heller

It's apparently part of "The Shunlar Chronicles" not that I ever had any of the other books.

[M—]

Excellent! So glad you found it!

The Sands of Kalaven