Green Rider

Overview

A young woman on the run discovers her true destiny--as a magical messenger--in the extraordinary adventure that has thrust first-time novelist Kristen Britain into the master ranks of Mercedes Lackey and Melanie Rawn.
"A wonderfully captivating heroic fantasy adventure."
--Terry Goodkind

"Terrific."
--Marion Zimmer Bradley

"Karigan is an engaging protagonist, and the scenes of magic and/or combat rise to a high standard."
--Publishers Weekly

"A fresh fantasy."
--Kirkus Reviews

Editorial Reviews

Britain's first novel is a classic quest tale set in a standardized medieval fantasy world. It begins when protagonist Karigan G'ladheon is expelled from an exclusive school. In a forest on the way home, she encounters one of the magically bound Green Riders, who carries a vital message for King Zachary. The messenger is dying with assassins' arrows in his back, so with more loyalty than caution, Karigan takes over his magic brooch. This also means taking over his mission and becoming a Green Rider herself, an act that flings Karigan into a cesspool of intrigues both magical and mundane, some of them well-handled by the author, some not. Karigan is an engaging protagonist, although the feisty female is now a penny a cartload in high fantasy, and some of the scenes of magic and/or combat rise to a high standard. Britain also makes notable use of class distinctions as motivators, a tact not often seen in fantasy. But, overall, her plot lacks originality; most of her characters (other than Karigan) are, at best, archetypes; and her pacing may be sufficiently uneven to deter readers from coping with the book's standard plot and considerable length. This is a respectable, not outstanding, debut, although Britain shows enough talent to warrant a follow-up. (Nov.) FYI: In its 25 years, DAW has published only one previous first novel in hardcover: Tad Williams's Tailchaser's Song.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Author Information

Bio of Kristen Britain

Kristen Britain worked for decades as a National Park Ranger, giving her a unique understanding of wildlife environments and imbuing her work with a realistic feel for nature replete with all its beauty and danger. She is now a full-time author.

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Additional Info

Imprint

DAW Trade

Filesize

2.47 MB

Number of Pages

464

eBook ISBN

9781440607714