Firethorn

Rating:
Summary: A Strong Book
Review: When rating a book, several points must be taken into consideration: Style, Character Strength, and Story. "Firethorn" displays excellent ability in all three aspects. The writing style is real and personal, allowing the reader closer contact with the main character than most books can hope to achieve. Nor do the characters alienate the reader by becoming superficial or idealized. They remain believable personalities throughout the tale. Lastly, the story itself is intriguing, never proposing to set the characters on an impossible quest that can only be completed against terrible odds--instead it is driven by personality and "Fate" and those things which are simply in the control of lieges. Whatever magic is present, whether alien or known to the reader, is presented so honestly from the character's view that the reader cannot help but accept it as a reality of that world.
For such exceptional storytelling, the author deserves a 5.

For capturing my imagination and leaving me waiting for more, I give the author another 5.



Rating:
Summary: Decent freshman effort could use more originality
Review: "Firethorn" is the first novel by Sarah Micklem, and as such it is a better than average effort for a new writer. Ms. Micklem definitely has some writing talent, although it will need some work and discipline to come to full maturity.

I wish new writers in the Fantasy field did not feel that every single work has to be part of a trilogy, or multi-volume epic. It is a rare work, like LOTR, that needs a canvas that big and when a more minor story is spun out to such a length, it becomes overblown and draggy. This is only the first volume of what is planned as a Firethorn trilogy, and although I can't know where Ms. Micklem is headed, there is nothing in the first volume to suggest that this could not have been a decent length, single novel. For starters, there are not nearly enough secondary characters for a trilogy, nor is there any alternative storyline to the very personal one told by the heroine.

Ms. Micklem is very much in debt here to Tanith Lee and Miriam Zimmer Bradley, among others. I have never understood why so many Fantasy novels are set in a quasi-British/Scottish/Irish medieval setting (why not Moorish Spain? Or Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica?). This is an overused and tired-out milieu, and the lack of historical context allows too much cobbling together of "been there, done that" elements such as Knights in Shining Armor, etc. It relies on our movie-fed psuedo knowledge of such things as nobles, knights, royalty, peasants, etc., and thereby doesn't require the author to come up with much that is original. Magic, spells and powers take the place of character development or believable plot resolution.

Ms. Micklem is making a sincere effort to acknowledge the inequality of female/male relationships, and the empowerment of the female lead. However, she undercuts much of this with trite elements from romance novels. (There are about a hundred too many references to pricks, pricksheaths, quims and "sheaths" -- as a euphemism for mistress or camp follower -- and these come off as very strained and awkward.) The main character, teenaged Firethorn is brutally raped...yet very shortly later, she is tapped on the shoulder by the handsome hero, Sire Galan, and hops into bed with him...without the slightest qualm or hesitation. The storyline is marred by far too many references (in gauzy, romantic language) of their many, many MANY sexual encounters. I don't say this because I am prudish -- just the opposite actually -- this is just too heavily weighted on the side of perfect, fantasy sex to be convincing, and after a while, the sheer number of sexual encounters (and positions) becomes embarassing in a Playboy channel sort of way. OK, Ms. Micklem -- we all get it....Galan and Firethorn have a very satisfying sex life. Now tell us something new.

Two things stood out as bothering me -- one is the simplistic inclusion of perfect, reliable birth control ("childbane") in the form of an easily obtainable type of berry. This is a bit much, even for a fantasy, and it's WAY too convenient as a plot device. Plus it completely undercuts Ms. Micklems theme of male domination -- women who have complete control of their fertility are not easily dominated, as the 20th century easily attests.

The second is all the violence against horses. This is not the most violent book I have ever read, by a long shot, and the level of violence is not inappropriate or badly written. However, I have never read anything where more violence is directed at EQUINES. Some of the scenes were almost too disturbing to read. Does Ms. Micklem have some unresolved horse issues? Again, like the overabundance of sex scenes, the overabundance of butchered and brutalized horses take your attention away from the plot, which is a little weak...perhaps because Ms. Micklem did not have the discipline to wrap her story up in one volume.

I hope in time Sarah Micklem tries her hand at a more original, stand alone novel. She does indeed have talent...but talent without discipline is just wheels spinning in the dust.

Rating:
Summary: Terrific Book!
Review: I don't normally read fantasy books. I picked it up in the bookstore thinking my nephew might like it as he has read the LOTR books, all the Harry Potters, just recently finished Eragon and is now reading the Otori series (by Lian Hearn). However as I begin reading it in the book store I became engrossed. I bought it and continued reading it when I got home, staying up until 2am. It's been a long time since I've read a book this good.

The writing is first rate. This author knows how to weave a tale and she does not skip corners. All of her characters have depth, even the lesser ones. The best thing is the two main characters are not perfect. They have flaws. This meant I never knew what might happen, nothing was predictable.

This is the first in a trilogy. I am looking forward to the 2nd book.

Rating:
Summary: Glorious
Review: I really enjoyed this book. It took 50-80 pages for me to really become absorbed but the last half of the book was a real page-turner for me. Wonderfully written; rich characters; and a vivid portrayal of Firethorn's society. Can't wait for book 2.

Rating:
Summary: Astonishing
Review: Micklem writes beautifully about the ugly little secret that lies hidden within most fantasy novels: that the unequal distribution of power which occurs between men and women, different social classes, the physically attractive and the disfigured or merely average-looking, does not usually lead to an outbreak of nobless oblige. Nor does it lead to automatic exploitation. What "Firethorn" does is acknowledge that love is rarely pure, that it is easier to hurt those we love than those we hate, that if you have power it is easy to treat those who don't have power as if they are not quite human. I don't want to assign a writer's gender more importance than it is due, but I truly think this is a book that could only have been written by a woman. This is an excellent debut, and I look forward eagerly to reading more of Micklem's work.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely worthwhile reading
Review: Reading this book is like walking downhill. The first few steps are halting but you pick up speed and by the time you are near the end you are flying.

Sarah Micklem creates a vivid and interesting world of Gods and folk magic in a feudal society which is simple in it's scope and concept, but incredibly rich in detail. This book is clearly a labor of love that required a lot of thought and research.

The one caution I would issue about this book is that there is a lot of sex in it. I thought it was very honestly and tastefully done and a crucial piece of the book as sex is the thing that brings Galan and Firethorn together and inspires the whole tale.

Let's face it people are now and have been since the beginning of time obsessed with sex, power and money. This book shows one or more of these forces at work on every person in the story to great effect.

I look forward to the second installment in the Firethorn series.



Rating:
Summary: Excellent read!
Review: The other day i was walking in the bookstore and saw Firethorn in the new releases section. I picked it up because of its beautiful cover and decided that i had to read it. The first fifty pages or so were a bit confusing, but after a while, you become engrossed in Firethorn and cant put it down. I absolutely loved this novel and the characters in it. Firethorn, the main character, is so real... she has flaws and does not seem perfect like so many female heroines. This novel was a truely awesome read and i recomend it to anyone in highschool or older. I cant wait till the next book...

Rating:
Summary: Firethorn
Review: The quality of this book just goes to show what can still be done with a more or less medieval-European setting. By knowing what she's talking about, by adding a wealth of worldbuilding detail and by adding interesting original touches in the form of herblore and religion, Micklem writes about knights in armor and still makes her story seem fresh and interesting. Deft sentence-level writing helps keep the narrative engaging.

This character-driven story focuses on the relationship between the strong-willed herbalist Firethorn and the impetuous young knight Galan, but should not be avoided by those who normally avoid "romance"; it is an intelligent story with plenty of action. Not all the secondary characters are equally well drawn and the brutish nature of most of them gets wearying at times, but overall this is a very impressive first novel.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful and Engrossing
Review: This a beautifully written and intricately woven tale of a woman's journey toward self-actualization. Secondarily, it is also a story of a curiously deep love between two people who have a void in their lives that only the other can fill. This is definitely not the usual trite romance book written on the 4th grade level. In fact, it is one of the best books I've read in awhile beside Lynn Flewelling's books (definite must reads!).
Please pick-up this book and give it a try. The first 20 pages are a little hard to get involved in, but after that it becomes very engrossing. The book reads almost like poetry in the lovely use of vernacular dialect and style. The book can be brutal at times, but it is appropriate for the culture that Ms. Micklem describes.
[...]

Rating:
Summary: Amazing and Unusual
Review: This is not your usual love story/fantasy/historical novel. Sarah Micklem takes the reader into the specific life of a feudalistic world and creates religion culture and specific behavior for the classes and castes. It is an epic that travels to a war encampment and the world and society that creates itself around it was fascinating. Her language was archaic and brought almost to that time period, although it takes the reader a bit to become accustomed to the language flow. It is a love story of classes that are not meant to mingle and how they manage the relationship to grow. It is shocking and beautiful. It leaves room for a sequel as the destination of the journey is never reached. I would hope that there would be one, for I would surely look for it.