Rating: 
Summary: Don't guess ahead
Review: (Disclaimer: I knew Naomi in college)The one thing about this book is that the world of the book will surprise you; assuming that any religion in the book is like any other that you know in the real world will inevitably lead you to some of the wrong conclusions. (Naomi was a religion major, and it shows) The booklist review calling one of the religions featured in the book "Catholic-like" is a bit misleading. The characters are indeed well-developed, and the plot line proceeds as it should, but what really got me was the world that the book is set in - I don't know the author's plans for later books, (well, there is going to at the very least be a sequel to "Fires", but beyond that?) but I do hope she is able to reuse this fantasy world in other books. It's just incredible. (Or she could go invent another world just as detailed with as much care put into the religions and magic system as she put into this one; I'm not picky) One word of caution: this is not a book for the overly squeamish. Characters die, sometimes with much violence and gore. (There's one scene near the end with the protagonist and lots of blood that I found especially pulse-quickening) Also, the main plotline is built on a huge governmental/societal conspiracy carried out by people who will kill to keep certain things secret.
Rating:
Summary: Simple but breathtaking!
Review: A brilliant first novel, "Fires of the Faithful" expertly blends a strong, uncomplicated prose with a complex yet precise and easily fathomable storyline. The setting is an enigma; at first, it seems to be a trite imaginary Renaissance fantasy setting, complete with sorcery and an emerging scholarly class. Later on, however, one begins to realize the error as the novel begins to suggest a post-apocalyptic future in which the religious tides are turned. Gone is the patriachal religion and political regime; in its place is a goddess-centric pagan theocracy. The empire is in the midst of a war and famine, although, as one imagines was the case from the feudal peasant perspective, it is not altogether certain who is being fought or why. The main character, Eliana, a young conservatory student, practices the violin in a relative haven from the turmoil, far from her family's village. All is going well until she gains a new friend...a mysterious girl of great talent and a penchant for playing forbidden tunes. Music which carries a simple magic of its own, and comes from the old religious rituals. The Fedeli, an Inquisition-like organization, storms the conservatory in search of anyone who practices the Old Ways. Soon Eliana is fleeing her school and the Lady's Guards even as she escapes her old shackles of religious thought. Our protagonist has embarked on a thrilling journey through rubble and wartime tragedy, struggling to find her family and her own identity as a heretic. She emerges, finally, as a reluctant but very sympathetic (from our perspective) heroine...leader of the bedraggled practitioners of the Old Ways. The book is remarkable for its contrasts in depiction: the pleasant, cloistered conservatory versus the war-torn and magical energy-depleted countryside outside its walls; the sophisticated Lady's faithful against the comparatively illiterate, peasant heretical ascetics; Eliana's sheltered girlishness and the fierce, sanguine commander of the soldiers in the Old Way. Kritzer's religious studies are fairly well showcased in this spiritual and political fantasy. Particularly noteworthy is her juxtaposition between the religious groups and the unique twist she brings to the story by her choice of real-world influence for the Old Ways. An excellent choice for fans of C.S. Lewis, Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, and Clive Barker's "Imagica."
Rating:
Summary: Can't wait for the sequel!
Review: An amazing novel for a first-time author, and Kritzer's fantasy world will have you hooked from the first pages. Pick it up; you won't be sorry!
Rating: 
Summary: Bleah!
Review: Been there, done that, but this time we'll demand that everyone understand that post-"Chrystian" religion is evil and destroying the world. The main character keeps falling into situations and muddling along, but will not make a committment to anything. I threw the book across the room during the long blathering mythology lecture of how the world has fallen to peril when "Gesu" was betrayed by "Giudas". Whatever fantasy/literary qualities this may have had are vastly overwhelmed by the thinly disguised conversion attempts.
Rating: 
Summary: She Was the Last Hope of a Dying Land...
Review: Eliana is a dedicated music student at a conservatory. Her greatest dream is to become a member of an ensemble to perform in the prestigious Imperial Court. Although Eliana is caught up in her music and her studies, she cannot help but worry about how the famine that is ravaging the land is affecting her family at home. When she gets a new roommate, Mira, she begins to learn of the old religion. For the first time in her life, she begins to doubt the Fedeli, a fearsome religious order who rules the kingdom and is systematically stamping out all traces of the land's old beliefs. But Mira is not exactly what she seems... there are powerful people looking for her and they are not afraid to kill to get what or who they want... When one of her friends is brutally murdered and Mira disappears, Eliana no longer sees any point in making music. She leaves the conservatory and tries to return home. However, when she arrives at her village, it is empty and all that is left are scattered bones. There are rumors that the survivors of the massacre were taken to a concentration camp on the borders of the kingdom. Desperate to regain some sense of normality in her life, Eliana goes to the concentration camp and soon finds herself the focal point for a rebellion centered around the old religious ways. Although she doesn't know how to lead, the people are desperate for someone who will be their leader, no matter how young or inexperienced... I liked Fires of the Faithful, but I didn't love it. I felt that I was just starting to connect with Eliana as a music student when she was abruptly ripped out of that world and became some political/military leader in a completely different place. The transition between the two worlds that Eliana habitated was just too abrupt. However, Kritzer's characters were engaging and she has quite a few of them for the reader to get to know so there are always side plots that seem to make more sense than the main plot of the book. The plot was a little forced and a little predictable, but the author does have a few surprises up her sleeve. One of the most surprising things about the book was the focus on religion. It was somewhat distasteful at times as there were too many direct comparisons between the Fedeli and the Roman Catholic church. The setting definitely has the feel of medieval Italy with many Italian sounding names and places. Another surprise was the fact that Eliana is a lesbian and is trying to deal with her attraction to other females. Nothing really happens, but it was a surprise. Anyway, this is a good book if you are looking for a little light fantasy where the heroine is the perfect person to take over and win against impossible odds. You know the kind I am talking about. Still, the book is well written and I think that I will go give the sequel a shot...
Rating:
Summary: She Was the Last Hope of a Dying Land...
Review: Eliana is a dedicated music student at a conservatory. Her greatest dream is to become a member of an ensemble to perform in the prestigious Imperial Court. Although Eliana is caught up in her music and her studies, she cannot help but worry about how the famine that is ravaging the land is affecting her family at home. When she gets a new roommate, Mira, she begins to learn of the old religion. For the first time in her life, she begins to doubt the Fedeli, a fearsome religious order who rules the kingdom and is systematically stamping out all traces of the land's old beliefs. But Mira is not exactly what she seems... there are powerful people looking for her and they are not afraid to kill to get what or who they want... When one of her friends is brutally murdered and Mira disappears, Eliana no longer sees any point in making music. She leaves the conservatory and tries to return home. However, when she arrives at her village, it is empty and all that is left are scattered bones. There are rumors that the survivors of the massacre were taken to a concentration camp on the borders of the kingdom. Desperate to regain some sense of normality in her life, Eliana goes to the concentration camp and soon finds herself the focal point for a rebellion centered around the old religious ways. Although she doesn't know how to lead, the people are desperate for someone who will be their leader, no matter how young or inexperienced... I liked Fires of the Faithful, but I didn't love it. I felt that I was just starting to connect with Eliana as a music student when she was abruptly ripped out of that world and became some political/military leader in a completely different place. The transition between the two worlds that Eliana habitated was just too abrupt. However, Kritzer's characters were engaging and she has quite a few of them for the reader to get to know so there are always side plots that seem to make more sense than the main plot of the book. The plot was a little forced and a little predictable, but the author does have a few surprises up her sleeve. One of the most surprising things about the book was the focus on religion. It was somewhat distasteful at times as there were too many direct comparisons between the Fedeli and the Roman Catholic church. The setting definitely has the feel of medieval Italy with many Italian sounding names and places. Another surprise was the fact that Eliana is a lesbian and is trying to deal with her attraction to other females. Nothing really happens, but it was a surprise. Anyway, this is a good book if you are looking for a little light fantasy where the heroine is the perfect person to take over and win against impossible odds. You know the kind I am talking about. Still, the book is well written and I think that I will go give the sequel a shot...
Rating: 
Summary: Adventurous
Review: Eliana is a young music student at a conservatory somewhat removed from the outside world ravaged by war and famine and dominated by a strict religious order called the Fedeli. When the Fedeli come to the conservatory and execute one of Eliana's friends for apostasy and another friend is taken by the Circle (the powerful mages who govern the land), Eliana learns of the true nature of the famine and decides to return home. Finding her past destroyed, Eliana discovers the old religious ways and ends up in a refugee camp where no one is allowed to leave. She is distracted by her attraction to another young woman in the camp, but she finds herself considered a leader as she helps organize the already-established rebel forces. Now she must overcome her own inexperience if she's to lead. "Fires of the Faithful" is an interesting fantasy focusing on a young woman coming of age in a war-torn land. There is a lot of religious discourse, as Eliana learns more about the old religious ways and compares it to the Fedeli ways, and it's rather parallel to the Christianity/paganism debate. This can be distracting for some readers, but it doesn't necessarily hinder the story's flow.
Rating:
Summary: This is a first novel?!
Review: I bought this book because I "met" the author in a completely unrelated online forum and found her posts exceptionally thoughtful, intelligent and eloquent. But I don't actually know her, so don't think I'm just plugging a friend's book! I really enjoyed both Fires of the Faithful and the sequel, Turning the Storm. I'm a musician (although I don't play the violin), and I am both Jewish (like the author) and of Italian heritage, so I found many aspects of the novels easy to relate to: the Italianate setting, the Aramaic prayers, the importance of music, the interplay of music, magic and religion. I'm also a professional editor, and as such I feel confident in saying that both Naomi Kritzer and her editor(s) are extremely skilled wordsmiths. I have abandoned many a novel in the second or third chapter because either the author's writing style or the apparent lack of editing or proofreading irritated me so much that I couldn't get involved. This book, on the other hand, I couldn't put down -- I have a young baby, and I found myself wondering when she would be hungry again so I could lie down to nurse her and finish the next chapter! Rather than being an attempt to convert readers to Christianity (or anything else, aside from maybe environmental awareness), I think Fires of the Faithful is about ordinary people becoming extraordinary, out of necessity and out of love. Good book.
Rating:
Summary: It's a decent way to spend a couple of hours
Review: I didn't hate this book but I didn't love it either. To be fair, the writer is good. She managed to keep me interested in the characters and the outcome despite several problems that I had with the book. One of the problems I had was that I didn't believe at all that Eliana (and Mira) was 16. She was acting incredibly mature for her age. She was a peasant who lived in one village all her life and spent the ages of 12 to 16 cloistered in a conservatory but she has the military and people skills necessary to earn the loyalty of Ravenna's soliders, bring the diverse rebels together, and stage a successful revolt against experienced military personnel. Right. But since it was fantasy, I just decided to ignore the fact the Eliana was supposed to be 16 and made her 25. But the other problem that I had with this book was the pseudo-Christianity, (I can't really say if it was Catholicism or not because I'm not familiar with the differences between the various Christian denominations) notwithstanding the female deity, the dancing, and magic. I can't help but feel like the author was taking the easy way out by making her religion so obliviously Christianity. Usually, if a fantasy is set in a land that's not supposed to be Earth, then the religion is also not recognizable as an Earth religion. By basing her religion so closely on Christianity, it made me think the author was too lazy to create her own religious system. My other problem with the religion was that sometimes I felt that I was being force fed the author's opinion that Christianity was the One True religion, especially in the first two thirds of the book. I resented that alot and almost quit the book a couple of times because of it. However, to be fair, I do think in the last third of the book the author presented a more balanced view of the religions, specifically in the with the character Mario, the healing of the boy Vinni by Lucia and Margherita, and Eliana's confusion and uncertainty over the two religions. I really liked this line "Someone somewhere had done a lot of obvious borrowing." from the healing scene because it's true of so many religions. In conclusion, this book was a decent way to pass a couple of hours. If you're not as sensitive to the religious aspects as I am you'll probably enjoy it more.
Rating:
Summary: good, but warning
Review: I enjoyed it. You probably will, too, but it's only half of a larger work. The second half, Turning the Storm, comes out in January 2003.
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